Overall, REBOA can confer a survival benefit over RT, particularly in patients not requiring CPR. Considerable additional study is required to definitively recommend REBOA for specific subsets of injured patients.

Vascular air embolism is a rare but potentially fatal event. It may occur in a variety of procedures and surgeries but is most often associated as an iatrogenic complication of central line catheter insertion. This article reviews the incidence, pathophysiology, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of this phenomenon.

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Hemorrhage remains the leading cause of death in combat and the primary cause of preventable death after civilian trauma. Over the last 10 years, major improvements in hemostatic agents have resulted in new dressings that are replacing gauze as the standard of care for compressible hemorrhage. This has inspired a plethora of hemostatic products, some of which have been used in the combat and civilian sector. These dressings are crucial in their ability to control initial hemorrhage so that transfer to a higher level of care can occur, thereby potentially improving survival. Current research is ongoing to determine which of the available hemostatic agents is the most efficacious. The current recommendation by the Committee on Tactical Combat Casualty Care is that Combat Gauze™ (Z-Medica) is the hemostatic dressing of choice and every soldier carries this dressing in their first aid kit. This article reviews novel hemostatic agents used by first responders in the military and civilian sectors.

BACKGROUND Respiratory failure after acute spinal cord injury (SCI) is well recognized, but data defining which patients need long-term ventilator support, and criteria for weaning and extubation are lacking. We hypothesized that many patients with SCI, even those with cervical SCI, can be successfully managed without long-term mechanical ventilation and its associated morbidity. METHODS Under the auspices of the Western Trauma Association Multi-Center Trials Group, a retrospective study of patients with SCI at 14 major trauma centers was conducted. Comprehensive injury, demographic, and outcome data on patients with acute SCI was compiled. The primary outcome variable was the need for mechanical ventilation at discharge. Secondary outcomes included the use of tracheostomy, and development of acute lung injury (ALI) and ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP). RESULTS 360 patients had SCI requiring mechanical ventilation. Sixteen patients were excluded for death within the first 2 days of hospitalization. Of the 344 patients included, 222 (64.5%) had cervical SCI. Notably, 62.6% of patients with cervical SCI were ventilator-free by discharge. 149 patients (43.3%) underwent tracheostomy and 53.7% of them were successfully weaned from the ventilator, compared to an 85.6% success rate among those with no tracheostomy (p<0.05). Patients who underwent tracheostomy had significantly higher rates of VAP (61.1% vs 20.5%, p<0.05) and ALI (12.8% vs 3.6%, p<0.05), and fewer ventilator free days (1 vs. 24 p<0.05). When controlled for injury severity, thoracic injury, and respiratory comorbidities, tracheostomy after cervical SCI was an independent predictor of ventilator dependence with an associated 14-fold higher likelihood of prolonged mechanical ventilation (OR 14.1, CI 2.78–71.67, p<0.05). DISCUSSION While many patients with SCI require short-term mechanical ventilation, the majority can be successfully weaned prior to discharge. In patients with SCI tracheostomy is associated with major morbidity and its use, especially among patients with cervical SCI, deserves further study. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE Level III, care-management/prognostic