Each month, the Penn Physician Blog features a review of recent journal publications by clinical researchers / clinicians in the Department of Traumatology, Surgical Critical Care and Emergency Surgery at the University of Pennsylvania.
In April 2022, Penn Trauma researchers and clinicians turned their attention to a variety of clinical and professional concerns, including dynamic functional recovery in older adults after emergency surgery, resource allocation during and after the peak months of the pandemic, ECMO and other topics of interest.
Level 1/Level 2 Differences in Resource Allocation during the Pandemic
On behalf of the Western Trauma Association, a multi-center team (including Penn Trauma clinician Lewis J. Kaplan, MD) found disparate approaches between Level 1 and Level 2 trauma centers to COVID-19 preparedness and response with regard to hospital policy and resource allocation pre- and post-pandemic peak. Responding to surveys distributed via social media and member emails, Trauma/Critical Care attendings noted altered ICU and transfusion criteria and impediments to patient care, including PPE shortages and COVID test-related procedural delays, among other critical issues.
Disparate resource allocation during the COVID-19 pandemic among trauma centers: A Western Trauma Association national survey.
Moren AM, Waschmann M, Martin MJ, McIntyre RC Jr, Kaplan LJ.
Endovascular Intervention in Blunt Cerebrovascular Injury
Penn Trauma's Jose L. Pascual, MD, contributed to a post-hoc analysis of a prospective, observational study at 16 US trauma centers from 2018 to 2020 that identified an association between pseudoaneurysm size and the use of endovascular intervention (EI) for blunt cerebrovascular injury to the internal carotid artery, and that stroke is more common in this paradigm before and during EI, but not afterward.
Endovascular Intervention in Internal Carotid Artery Blunt Cerebrovascular Injury: An EAST Multicenter Study.
Simpson J, Dunn JA, Zier L,Simpson J, Dunn JA, Zier L, et al.
Functional Recovery in Older Adults having Emergency General Surgery
Penn Trauma's Catherine E. Sharoky, MD, MSCE, considers the post-discharge trajectory of older adults surviving emergency general surgery (EGS) to find allowances for evidence-based anticipatory guidance on dynamic functional recovery.
Not all is Lost: Dynamic Functional Recovery in Older Adults Following Emergency General Surgery.
Sharoky CE
New Research from Penn Trauma
The following represents a selection from various publications of new studies and reports from providers in the Department of Traumatology, Surgical Critical Care and Emergency Surgery at the Perelman School of Medicine: