BACKGROUND Decreased activation of the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis in response to stress is suspected to be a vulnerability factor for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Previous studies showed inconsistent findings regarding the role of cortisol in predicting PTSD. In addition, no prospective studies have examined the role of dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), or its sulfate form ...

OBJECTIVES To explore injured patients' experiences of trauma care to identify areas for improvement in service delivery. DESIGN, SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS Qualitative study using in-depth, semi-structured interviews, conducted from 1 April 2011 to 31 January 2012, with 120 trauma patients registered by the Victorian State Trauma Registry and the Victorian Orthopaedic Trauma Outcomes Registry ...

Fibrinogen is fundamental to hemostasis and falls rapidly in trauma hemorrhage, although levels are not routinely measured in the acute bleeding episode. Prompt identification of critically low levels of fibrinogen and early supplementation has the potential to correct trauma-induced coagulation and improve outcomes. Early estimation of hypofibrinogenemia is possible using surrogate markers of ...

Ocular tenting in the setting of acute trauma, inflammatory processes, or carotid cavernous fistulas is reported to be associated with a poor outcome with respect to visual acuity. Therefore, acute decompressive intervention is recommended for these patients. We report a case of acute posttraumatic ocular tenting with acute visual compromise that resolved over 4 days with conservative managemen...

1 Harrington DT, Phillips B, Machan J, et al. Factors associated with survival following blunt chest trauma in older patients. Arch Surg 2010; 145: 432–7 2 Simon BJ, Cushman J, Barraco R, et al. Pain management guidelines for blunt thoracic trauma. J Trauma 2005; 59: 1256–67 3 British Pain Society. Numerical pain scores in English. Available from www.britishpainsociety.org/pain_scales_eng.pdf (...

Focused assessment with sonography for trauma (FAST) is a part of resuscitation of trauma patients recommended by international panel consensus. The purpose of FAST is to identify free fluid, which necessarily means blood in acute trauma patients. In this article, the authors focused on various aspects of FAST in the emergency department, prehospital care, pediatric setting, training and genera...

Intra-articular patellar dislocation due to acute trauma is considered a rare presentation and less commonly encountered in practice than extra-articular dislocation. This case study presents type 2 inferior of the patella an elderly patient which was successfully reduced managed non-operatively.

Few studies have examined the impact of trauma research participation upon trauma survivors. Empirical data regarding reactions to research participation would be very useful to address the question of whether it is harmful for trauma survivors to participate in trauma studies. We examined participant reactions to different trauma assessment procedures in domestic violence (N = 260), rape (N = ...

Many trauma survivors face challenges of impaired functioning, limited activities and reduced participation. Recovery from injury after acute care, therefore, becomes an important public health issue. This commentary discusses a framework for evaluating outcomes of acute care.

BACKGROUND Trauma remains one of the most frequent presentations in emergency departments. Imaging has established role in setting of acute trauma with ability to identify potentially fatal conditions. Adequate knowledge of health professionals regarding trauma imaging is vital for improved healthcare. In this work we try to assess knowledge of medical students regarding imaging in trauma as we...