Venous thromboembolism (VTE) is a common, potentially fatal complication after traumatic brain injury (TBI). The objective was to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of pharmacologic VTE prophylaxis in moderate to severe TBI patients, and its use in hospitals. A systematic review of the literature was conducted using Medline, Embase, Central database, Google scholar, and the SciELO from 1966 to 2014. All studies providing information on the following variables-use of VTE prophylaxis (both pharmacological and nonpharmacological), initiation of treatment, application of specific protocols, rates of VTE and hemorrhagic progression of the traumatic brain injury on computed tomographic scan-were included. The random effects model was used to calculate pooled effect estimates. Heterogeneity among studies was assessed using the Cochran Q homogeneity test. A forest plot was constructed, and aggregate odds ratio was computed. Potential publication bias was evaluated using funnel plots. A total of 12 retrospective observational studies were identified, totaling 8,747 patients. Six studies (3,325 patients) were used to analyze the safety and five (2,105 patients) to analyze the effectiveness of pharmacological versus nonpharmacological prophylaxis, without considering the timing of treatment. Four studies (1,371 patients) were used to evaluate early versus late pharmacologic prophylaxis, with results favoring early administration (odds ratio, 0.46; 95% confidence interval, 0.24-0.88; p < 0.05; I, 46%) and showing no significant differences regarding safety. Three studies (4,133 patients), used to analyze VTE prophylaxis protocols, showed significant heterogeneity (p < 0.01). When we compared mechanical and pharmacological prophylaxis, the results were heterogeneous; and thus, their potential differences could not be assessed. In some studies, the introduction of prophylaxis protocols in neurocritical patient care improved their effectiveness. Early pharmacologic prophylaxis, in the first 72 hours after TBI, was more effective than late, when there was no hemorrhagic progression within 24 hours after injury; no significant differences were found regarding safety. Systematic review/meta-analysis, level III.

Background: Acute myocardial infarction (AMI) with no evidence of relevant stenosis of the coronary artery, known as myocardial infarction (MI) with nonobstructive coronary arteries (MINOCA), has a prevalence of up to 14%. The various causes of MINOCA lead to damage of the myocardium, and there are marked differences in diagnoses, prognoses, and treatments. Although the number of patients affected is considerable owing to the high prevalence of acute coronary syndrome (ACS), the causes of MINOCA have received little attention with the result that some patients may not receive appropriate treatment. Awareness of this disease among clinicians has started only to improve since the beginning of the current century. The aim of this study was to develop a score that enables patients with MINOCA to be distinguished from patients with MI with coronary artery disease (MI-CAD) and thus to facilitate appropriate diagnosis and therapy. Patients and methods: A multicenter observational cohort study was designed. All patients aged ≥18 years from the ARIAM-SEMICYUC (Analysis of Delay in AMI-Spanish Society of Intensive Care Medicine and Coronary Unit) registry, diagnosed with AMI, and admitted to critical care units or coronary care units (CCUs) were included. Patients were classified into two groups: MINOCA, comprising patients with no significant lesions on angiography, and MI-CAD, comprising patients with lesions of the coronary artery tree. Results: A score based on standard variables to assess the probability of MINOCA on admission was designed, showing a maximum value corresponding to a 40% probability of MINOCA. The discriminative power of the model was 0.756 (P-value for the Hosmer–Lemeshow test was >0.05). At 30-day follow-up, the mortality rate was higher for MI-CAD patients. Conclusion: Patients with MINOCA constitute a population that differs from other patients with AMI. Their differential characteristics require a certain diagnostic effort to align therapy with the disease causing the ischemic event. This score could prove useful in establishing additional diagnostic procedures.

Our objective was to analyze the contribution of acute kidney injury (AKI) to the mortality of isolated TBI patients and its associated risk factors. Observational, prospective and multicenter registry (RETRAUCI) methods were used, from March 2015 to December 2019. Isolated TBI was defined as abbreviated injury scale (AIS) ≥ 3 head with no additional score ≥ 3. A comparison of groups was conducted using the Wilcoxon test, chi-square test or Fisher’s exact test, as appropriate. A multiple logistic regression analysis was conducted to analyze associated risk factors in the development of AKI. For the result, overall, 2964 (30.2%) had AIS head ≥ 3 with no other area with AIS ≥ 3. The mean age was 54.7 (SD 19.5) years, 76% were men, and the ground-level falls was 49.1%. The mean ISS was 18.4 (SD 8). The in-hospital mortality was 22.2%. Up to 310 patients (10.6%) developed AKI, which was associated with increased mortality (39% vs. 17%, adjusted OR 2.2). Associated risk factors (odds ratio (OR) (95% confidence interval)) were age (OR 1.02 (1.01–1.02)), hemodynamic instability (OR 2.87 to OR 5.83 (1.79–13.1)), rhabdomyolysis (OR 2.94 (1.69–5.11)), trauma-associated coagulopathy (OR 1.67 (1.05–2.66)) and transfusion of packed red-blood-cell concentrates (OR 1.76 (1.12–2.76)). In conclusion, AKI occurred in 10.6% of isolated TBI patients and was associated with increased mortality.

The Objective Structured Clinical Exam (OSCE) is an assessment tool used as a reliable method for clinical competence evaluation of students. This paper presents an investigation focused on the chain of survival, its related exploration, management, and technical skills, and how Virtual Reality (VR) can be used for the creation of immersive environments capable of evaluating students’ performance while applying the correct protocols. In particular, the Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) procedure is studied as an essential step in the development of the chain of survival. The paper also aims to highlight the limitations of traditional methods using mechanical mannequins and the benefits of the new approaches that involve the students in virtual, immersive, and dynamic environments. Furthermore, an immersive VR station is presented as a new technique for assessing CPR performance through objective data collection and posterior evaluation. A usability test was carried out with 33 clinicians and OSCE evaluators to test the viability of the presented scenario, reproducing conditions of a real examination. Results suggest that the environment is intuitive, quick, and easy to learn and could be used in clinical practice to improve CPR performance and OSCE evaluation.