St. Paul's Hospital Emergency Department The Continuous Pursuit of Excellence in Patient Care and Academic Emergency Medicine

Vancouver Coastal Health Trauma Program Clinical Practice Guidelines and Protocols 2005

 WARNING! This file is over 4 MB.

A California study that found that a detailed clinical exam had no diagnostic value in detecting intra-cranial injuries found on CT scan.  They make the following recommendation: Patients with observed loss of consciousness or amnesia and Glasgow Coma Scale 13–15 should have a head computed tomography scan as part of their evaluation to avoid missing an intracranial injury. Pediatr Crit Care Med 2004; 5:230 –233. (Link)

From the CRASH study, a look at the impact on 14 day mortality of early steroid therapy. Lancet. 2004;364: 1321–28.  (Link) The final results of the CRASH study (6 months) also showed no benefit. Lancet. 2005;365:1957-1959.  (Link)  

A retrospective Case-control study that asks - What is the impact of helmet use on Head and Neck injuries in skier and snowboarders? BMJ 2005;330:281. (Link)

A large database-driven study (and accompanying editorial) showing Steering Wheel deformity is an independent risk factor for 'serious' thoracic and abdominal injuries. Paper (Link) Editorial (Link)