Palliative Care in Trauma Patients

“Older trauma patients present with poor preinjury functional status and more comorbidities. Advances in care have increased the chance of survival from previously fatal injuries with many left debilitated with chronic critical illness and severe disability. Palliative care (PC) is ideally suited to address the goals of care and symptom management in this critically ill population. A retrospective chart review was done to identify the impact of PC consults on hospital length of stay (LOS), ICU LOS, and surgical decisions.”

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Diagnosis and Management of Morel-Lavallée Lesion

“The diagnosis of an MLL ideally is made by physical examination of the patient, but advanced imaging modalities can be used to provide additional information. Typically, CT of the area of interest is obtained, especially when a pelvic or acetabular injury is present. Small and large lesions often can be identified in this manner.”

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Overview of Morel Lavallee Lesion

“The Morel-Lavallee lesion clinically presents as a painful fluctuant swelling at the site of involvement. Concerning the recent literature available, this lesion is also termed as Morel-Lavallée seroma, posttraumatic soft tissue cyst, post-traumatic extravasation, or Morel-Lavallée effusion. This lesion may be missed at the time of initial assessment and can present later, potentially leading to increasing difficulty in management and long-term morbidity.”

“The most common causes of Morel-Lavallee lesions are high-velocity trauma, crush injuries, and blunt trauma. Overall, approximately twenty-five percent of all patients who develop Morel-Lavallee lesions have been involved in a road traffic accident. This lesion is commonly associated with underlying fractures, especially of the proximal femur, pelvis, and acetabulum. One of the most commonly involved regions is the greater trochanter, accounting for more than sixty percent of the cases”

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