Despite recent developments in the management of trauma patients in South Korea, a standardized system and guideline for trauma treatment are absent.

Five guidelines were assessed using the Appraisal of Guidelines for Research and Evaluation II instrument.

Restrictive volume replacement must be used for patients experiencing shock from trauma until hemostasis is achieved (1B). The target systolic pressure for fluid resuscitation should be 80–90 mmHg in hypovolemic shock patients (1C). For patients with head trauma, the target pressure for fluid resuscitation should be 100–110 mmHg (2C). Isotonic crystalloid fluid is recommended for initially treating traumatic hypovolemic shock patients (1A). Hypothermia should be prevented in patients with severe trauma, and if hypothermia occurs, the body temperature should be increased without delay (1B). Acidemia must be corrected with an appropriate means of treatment for hypovolemic trauma patients (1B). When a large amount of transfusion is required for trauma patients in hypovolemic shock, a massive transfusion protocol (MTP) should be used (1B). The decision to implement MTP should be made based on hemodynamic status and initial responses to fluid resuscitation, not only the patient’s initial condition (1B). The ratio of plasma to red blood cell concentration should be at least 1:2 for trauma patients requiring massive transfusion (1B). When a trauma patient is in life-threatening hypovolemic shock, vasopressors can be administered in addition to fluids and blood products (1B). Early administration of tranexamic acid is recommended in trauma patients who are actively bleeding or at high risk of hemorrhage (1B). For hypovolemic patients with coagulopathy non-responsive to primary therapy, the use of fibrinogen concentrate, cryoprecipitate, or recombinant factor VIIa can be considered (2C).

This research presents Korea's first clinical practice guideline for patients with traumatic shock. This guideline will be revised with updated research every 5 years.

Accurate and appropriate prehospital field triage is essential for a trauma system. The Korean trauma system (established in 2014) uses the trauma field triage algorithm of the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). This study evaluated the suitability of the CDC field triage criteria for major trauma cases (injury severity score >15) in Korea.

This retrospective cohort study evaluated trauma patients who presented at the authors’ regional trauma center from January 1 to May 7, 2017. The undertriage and overtriage rates of each CDC field triage step were calculated. Receiver operating characteristic curves were constructed, and the area under the curve (AUC) was evaluated for each step.

Among the 1,009 enrolled patients, 168 (16.7%) had major trauma. The undertriage/overtriage rates of each step (steps I, II, III, and IV) of CDC field triage were 9.2%/47.4%, 6.3%/50.8%, 4.5%/59.4%, and 5.3%/78.9%, respectively. The AUC values of each CDC triage step were 0.722, 0.783, 0.791, and 0.615, respectively. The AUC values of the separate components of each step (physiologic criteria, anatomic criteria, mechanism-of-injury criteria, and special considerations) were 0.722, 0.648, 0.647, and 0.456, respectively.

The CDC field triage system is acceptable, but not ideal, for Korean trauma care. If we follow the protocol, it would be preferable to omit step IV. The Korean Triage and Acuity Scale may be a good indicator for in-hospital triage. However, a new triage protocol that is simple to estimate on-scene while having good performance should be developed.

Damage control laparotomy has contributed to improved survival rates for severe abdominal injuries. A large part of severe abdominal injury occurs with a concomitant pelvic bone fracture. The safety and effectiveness of internal fixation of pelvic bone fracture(s) has not been established. The aim of the present study was to evaluate infection risk in the pelvic surgical site in patients who underwent emergent abdominal surgery.

This single-center retrospective observational study was based on data collected from a prospectively maintained registry between January 2015 and June 2019. Patients who underwent laparotomy and pelvic internal fixation were included. Individuals <18 and ≥80 years of age, those with no microbiological investigations, and those who underwent one-stage abdominal surgery were excluded. Comprehensive statistical comparative analysis was not performed due to the small number of enrolled patients.

A total of six patients met the inclusion criteria, and the most common injury mechanism was anterior-posterior compression (67%). The average duration of open abdomen was 98 hours (range, 44–198), and the time interval between abdominal closure and pelvic surgery was 98 hours. One patient (16.7%) died due to multi-organ dysfunction syndrome. Micro-organisms were identified in the abdominal surgical site in five patients (83%), with no micro-organisms in pelvic surgical sites. There was no unplanned implant removal.

Internal fixation of pelvic bone fracture(s) could be performed in the state of open abdomen, and the advantages of early fixation may countervail the risks for cross contamination.

Hemorrhagic shock is the leading cause of death in trauma patients worldwide. Resuscitative endovascular balloon occlusion of the aorta (REBOA) is a technique used to improve the hemodynamic stability of patients with traumatic shock and to temporarily control arterial hemorrhage. However, further research is required to determine whether REBOA with cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) in near-arrest or arrest trauma patients can help resuscitation. We analyzed trauma patients who underwent REBOA according to their CPR status and evaluated the effects of REBOA in arrest situations.

This study was a retrospective single-regional trauma center study conducted at a tertiary medical institution from February 2017 to November 2019. We evaluated the mortality of severely injured patients who underwent REBOA and analyzed the factors that influenced the outcome. Patients were divided into CPR and non-CPR groups.

We reviewed 1,596 trauma patients with shock, of whom 23 patients underwent REBOA (1.4%). Two patients were excluded due to failure and a repeated attempt of REBOA. The Glasgow Coma Scale score was lower in the CPR group than in the non-CPR group (p=0.009). Blood pressure readings at the emergency room were lower in the CPR group than in the non-CPR group, including systolic blood pressure (p=0.012), diastolic blood pressure (p=0.002), and mean arterial pressure (p=0.008). In addition, the mortality rate was higher in the CPR group (100%) than in the non-CPR group (50%) (p=0.012). The overall mortality rate was 76.2%.

Our study suggests that if REBOA is deemed necessary in a timely manner, it is better to perform REBOA before an arrest occurs. Therefore, appropriate protocols, including pre-hospital REBOA, should be constructed to demonstrate the effectiveness of REBOA in reducing mortality in arrest or impending arrest patients.

We aimed to evaluate the trauma volume and performance indicators during the first 5-year period of operation in a single regional trauma center.

We analyzed prospectively collected data from the Korean Trauma Data Bank for a single regional trauma center between January 2014 and December 2018. More than 250 variables were analyzed. We calculated the predicted survival rates using the trauma and injury severity score (TRISS) method.

In total, there were 16,103 trauma admissions during the first 5 years; trauma activation was performed in 5,105 of these cases. Over 70% of the patients were men, and most of the admitted patients were within the age groups of 55–59 years for men and 75–79 years for women. Analyses were performed considering two patient groups: the total patient group and the group of those with severe trauma (injury severity score [ISS] >15). The median ISS, revised trauma score, and TRISS of the two groups were 5 (interquartile range [IQR] 4–10), 22 (IQR 17–27), and 7.6±0.99 and 6.74±1.9, 0.95±0.13, 0.81±2.67, respectively. Of the total patient group, 801 patients (5%) died in the hospital, whereas of the group of patients with ISS >15, 526 (19.5%) died. The direct transportation of patients to the regional trauma center increased year by year. The emergency room stay time and time to entering the operating room showed a decrease until 2017; however, these parameters increased again in 2018.

The trauma volume in the regional trauma center is appropriate, and some improvements could be observed after its establishment. However, performance indicators reveal the prematurity of the trauma center and its potential for further improvements. Moreover, the development of a national trauma system, beyond regional trauma centers, is required.

Immediate post-laparotomy hypotension (PLH) is a precipitous drop in blood pressure caused by a sudden release of abdominal tamponade after laparotomy in cases of severe hemoperitoneum. The effect of laparotomy on blood pressure in patients with significant hemoperitoneum is unknown.

In total, 163 patients underwent laparotomy for trauma from January 1, 2013 to December 31, 2015. Exclusion criteria included the following: negative laparotomy, only a hollow viscous injury, and hemoperitoneum <1,000 mL. After applying those criteria, 62 patients were enrolled in this retrospective review. PLH was defined as a decrease in the mean arterial pressure (MAP) ≥10 mmHg within 10 minutes after laparotomy.

The mean estimated hemoperitoneum was 3,516 mL. The incidence of PLH was 23% (14 of 62 patients). The MAP did not show significant differences before and after laparotomy (5 minutes post-laparotomy, 67.5±16.5 vs. 68.3±18.8 mmHg; p=0.7; 10 minutes post-laparotomy, 67.5±16.5 vs. 70.4±18.8 mmHg; p=0.193). The overall in-hospital mortality was 24% (15 of 62 patients). Mortality was not significantly higher in the PLH group (two of 14 [14.3%] vs. 13 of 48 [27.1%]; p=0.33). No statistically significant between-group differences were observed in the intensive care unit and hospital stay.

PLH may be less frequent and less devastating than it is often considered. Surgical hemostasis during laparotomy is important. Laparotomy with adequate resuscitation may explain the equivalent outcomes in the two groups.