Active clinical trials for "Wounds and Injuries"

We will evaluate the effect of red blood cell (RBC) transfusion on fatal and non fatal events according to baseline risk of death in an international cohort of trauma patients (CRASH-2 trial). The following outcomes will be considered: death from all causes, death due to bleeding, death due to multiorgan failure, death due to vascular occlusive events and non vascular occlusive events. Non fatal outcomes include: myocardial infarction, stroke, deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism.

The primary objective of the protocol is to study the long-term outcome of a large group of traumatic brain injury patients. This outcome is to be described in terms of activity, participation, quality of life, SOCIO-professional outcome and impact on caregivers, and in relation to health care provision. The secondary outcome is to measure the impact on functional outcome of several predictive factors, and their relative importance on outcome. Our principal hypothesis is that SOCIO-professional and health provision factors play a major role on long-term outcome, further even than initial severity of brain injury.

Abdominopelvic CT (CTap) utilization rose significantly in blunt trauma patients over the last decade. However, the observed increases failed to reduce mortality or missed injury rates. Several investigators have derived (citation) and validated (citation) clinical decision rules that attempt to identify a subset of low risk pediatric and adult patients in whom abdominopelvic CT imaging can be safely eliminated. Thus far these efforts failed to significantly reduce utilization. The investigators propose an alternative and complimentary strategy to decrease radiation by selectively eliminating the pelvic imaging portion of the abdominopelvic CT in low risk patients. In stable, alert patients without clinically evidence of pelvis or hip fractures, abdominal CT imaging alone (diaphragm to iliac crest) identifies clinically significant intra-abdominal injury (cs-IAI) as accurately as routine abdominopelvic imaging (diaphragm to greater trochanter) and results in a clinically important decrease in radiation exposure. The study will investigate this by comparing the accuracy of an imaging protocol using CT abdomen alone versus CT abdomen and pelvis to detect cs-IAI among stable, blunt trauma patients without suspected pelvis or hip fractures in two age groups: ages 3-17 years and 18-60. Patients will undergo CT imaging as deemed clinically indicated by the treating clinician. Among those who have abdominopelvic CT scans, the study will determine the test characteristics of CT abdomen alone versus CT abdomen plus CT pelvis imaging for the identification of cs-IAI. The reference standard will include initial radiology reports, with structured follow up of indeterminate scans, operative reports, and 7-day medical record review.

One aim of this study is to test the efficacy of the installation of multiple, passive measures to reduce exposure to injury hazards in the homes of young children of first-time mothers and reduce childhood injury. The study also seeks to identify sub-groups of mothers and children who benefit most from the intervention and examine the potential moderating effect of maternal depressive symptoms, the intensity of supervisory behavior, and child temperament and activity, on the intervention and subsequent injury outcomes. Specific Aim 1 Hypotheses: H1.1: The housing units randomly assigned to the intervention group will have a significant decrease in the number and density (number per area) of residential injury-related hazards compared with control group units. H1.2: Children who are randomized to the intervention group (e.g. installation of multiple, passive measures to reduce exposure to residential injury hazards) will have a 50% reduction in modifiable and medically-attended injuries compared with children in the control group followed-up for 24-months in intention-to-treat analyses. Specific Aim 2: Hypotheses H2.1: Persistent maternal depressive symptoms will moderate the effects of the intervention on childhood injury in the home; households and children of mothers with higher levels of symptoms will have more hazards and injuries. H2.2: Children of mothers with less intense maternal supervisory behavior over the course of the intervention follow-up will have higher rates of injury. H2.3: Children scoring high in activity on the Carey Temperament Scale will experience reduced benefits of the intervention on childhood injury in the home.

The purpose of this study is to evaluate Brain MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging), and Brain CT (Computed Tomography) Angiogram data in subjects who participate in the "Hyperbaric Oxygen for Chronic Stable Brain Injury" (HYBOBI) study. Including information from MRI and CT studies provide information about whether hyperbaric oxygen improves brain function in subjects who have had a brain injury. Subjects will complete MR and CT scans twice during the study. The first MR and CT will be performed prior to the first hyperbaric session of the HYBOBI study, and the second will be performed within two weeks following the last hyperbaric session.

The purpose of this study is the measurement of regional opening and closing pressures of lung tissue by electrical impedance tomography in lung healthy and patients with acute lung injury. These values might help the setting of positive endexpiratory pressure during artificial ventilation to avoid the cyclic opening and closing of alveoli.

This study includes male subjects age 45 to 70, who have sustained a traumatic Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) at least 10 years prior. Subjects will be interviewed for demographic data, including heart disease risk factors. A blood test for cholesterol levels will be drawn. A CT scan of arteries of the heart will be performed to determine the presence of coronary calcium, a marker of subclinical Coronary Heart Disease. Scoring of Coronary Calcium or Coronary Calcium Score (CCS) is automated by the CT scanner. Each subject's Framingham Risk Score will be calculated; This is an individuals 10 year risk of having a Coronary Heart Disease event (significant symptoms). In addition, it will be determined if subjects are being treated for diagnosed dyslipidemia (high cholesterol) according to the National Cholesterol Educational Program (NCEP) guidelines. The proposed pilot study aims to better understand the problem of Coronary Heart Disease in individuals with Spinal Cord Injury, specifically CCS in SCI, when compared to the general population.

The purpose of this study is to evaluate wether the use of a mnemonic strategy could improve the recall of the Ottawa Ankle and foot Rules' guidelines among medical students and residents

One in a hundred children is born with a heart defect. Some children require heart surgery within the first few days of life, while others can wait until they are older. A complication of open-heart surgery is low blood flow due to the heart-lung machine that can cause sudden loss of kidney function known as acute kidney injury (AKI). AKI causes complications that can increase hospital length of stay and increase risk of death. Current ways to identify AKI are not able to it until 2 or 3 days after it has occurred. Because of this, there is not a specific treatment for AKI. If the investigators diagnose AKI early, they might be able to treat it and improve outcomes in children. NIRS is a skin monitor that can detect low blood flow to the kidney and might help diagnose AKI when it occurs in the operating room. The use of NIRS to diagnose AKI early is the focus of this study.

During the course of their acute illness patients with subarachnoid hemorrhage and severe traumatic brain injury often develop disturbances in their fluid balance and electrolyte homeostasis. These shifts are associated with worse outcome and increased morbidity. The aim of this observational study is to systematically analyze the incidence, characteristics, potential diagnostic markers and predisposing factors of such disturbances. The investigators hypothesize that many disturbances cannot be classified with a standard diagnostic approach and that variable fluid management contributes to their pathophysiology. Patients will be closely monitored clinically and the exact fluid and electrolyte balances will be recorded. Treatment decisions are within the bedside physicians responsibility. Baseline fluid management is standardised. No interventions are planned. The observation period equal the duration of ICU stay.