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Biomedical subjects

M K Ziglar

Publications and source records attributed to M K Ziglar.

5 recordsLinked to original sources

Using CT of the cervical spine for early evaluation of pediatric patients with head trauma.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to assess the effectiveness of CT of the cervical spine in addition to radiography in pediatric patients with suspected head trauma at the time of the CT head examination. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We identified 63 pediatric patients admitted to the emergency department who had head trauma and who underwent both head CT and neck radiography. Those who underwent CT of the cervical spine at the time of the head CT examination during their initial evaluation were compared for demographics, clinical status, mechanism of injury, and number of excess radiographs (number required by protocol minus number of films obtained) required to evaluate the cervical spine with those patients who did not undergo early CT of the cervical spine. RESULTS: Twenty-one patients (33%) underwent cervical spine CT at the time of the head CT examination. The number of excess radiographs differed significantly between these patients (2.1 +/- 2.6 vs 3.6 +/- 2.7, p = 0.04) and the comparison group. Patients who did not undergo early CT for whom excess radiographs were obtained had the following characteristics: they were older than 8 years (p = 0.03), were unrestrained in a motor vehicle crash (p = 0.04), had a Glasgow coma score of 13-15 (p = 0.01), and were intubated (p = 0.02). CONCLUSION: The number of repeated radiographs required to ascertain that the cervical spine is free of injury after suspected head trauma is significantly fewer when initial CT of the neck is performed at the time of head CT examination. Including cervical spine CT in trauma protocols for subgroups of children with head injuries may lead to more effective clearance of the pediatric cervical spine.

Cervical Vertebrae↗

Forum: trauma and infection: considerations for patient and health care professional.

Trauma and infection are leading causes of morbidity, mortality and health care expenditures despite remarkable advances in treatment over the past two decades. Numerous research studies report that in those trauma patients who survive the initial injury, infections account for over one-third of the deaths. While the immediate resuscitation of trauma patients is based on the principles of management for restoring airway, breathing, and circulation, long-term survival requires prevention of infection. Additionally, infection of the health care professional has long been known as a possible complication of caring for acutely ill and injured patients. This article reviews the risk of infection, the pathogenesis of infection, prevention, antimicrobial therapy and infection control for health care professionals.

Causality↗

Application of base deficit in resuscitation of trauma patients.

Clinical measures, such as blood pressure or urine output, have been the traditional methods used to assess tissue perfusion in trauma patients with hypovolemia. Hypoperfusion of tissues results in increased levels of lactate and carbonic acids. Base deficit is a clinical measure of metabolic acidosis that normalizes rapidly with adequate resuscitation and hemorrhage control, and it can be used to monitor the initial care of a patient with trauma. The method used to measure base deficit is discussed, along with its clinical uses and limitations. A case study is used to correlate changes in base deficit with other clinical parameters.

Acid-Base Equilibrium↗