Damage control surgery (DCS) is an abbreviated laparotomy procedure that focuses on controlling bleeding to limit the surgical insult. It has become the primary treatment modality for patients with exsanguinating truncal trauma. Herein, we present the case of a 47-year-old woman with liver, kidney, and superior mesenteric vein (SMV) injuries caused by a motor vehicle collision. The patient underwent DCS following resuscitative endovascular balloon occlusion of the aorta (REBOA). In this case report, we discuss the importance of priority setting in DCS for the treatment of multisystem damage of several abdominal organs, particularly when the patient has incurred a combination of major vascular injuries. We also discuss the implications of damage control of the SMV, perihepatic packing, and right-sided medial visceral rotation. Further understanding of DCS, along with REBOA as a novel resuscitation strategy, can facilitate the conversion of uniformly lethal abdominal injuries into rescuable injuries.
Despite the numerous protocols and evidence-based guidelines that have been published, application of the therapeutics to eligible patients is limited in clinical settings. Therefore, a rounding checklist was developed to reduce errors of omission and the implementation results were evaluated.
A checklist consisting of 12 components (feeding, analgesia, sedation, thromboembolic prophylaxis, head elevation, stress ulcer prevention, glucose control, pressure sore prevention, removal of catheter, endotracheal tube and respiration, delirium monitoring, and infection control) was recorded by assigned nurses and then scored by the staff for traumatized, critically ill patients who were admitted in the trauma intensive care unit (ICU) of Dankook University Hospital for more than 2 days. A total of 170 patients (950 sheets) between April and October 2016 were divided into 3 periods (period 1, April to June; period 2, July to August; and period 3, September to October) for the analysis. Questionnaires regarding the satisfaction of the nurses were conducted twice during this implementation period.
Record omission rates decreased across periods 1, 2, and 3 (19.9%, 12.7%, and 4.2%, respectively). The overall clinical application rate of the checklist increased from 90.1% in period 1 to 93.8% in period 3. Among 776 (81.7%) scored sheets, the rates of full compliance were 30.2%, 46.2%, and 45.1% for periods 1, 2, and 3, respectively. The overall mean score of the questionnaire regarding satisfaction also increased from 61.7 to 67.6 points out of 100 points from period 1 to 3.
An ICU rounding checklist could be an effective tool for minimizing the omission of preventative measures and evidence-based therapy for traumatized, critically-ill patients without overburdening nurses. The clinical outcomes of the ICU checklist will be evaluated and reported at an early date.