15 A 65‐year‐old man is in your intensive care unit following a motor vehicle crash in which he sustained pelvic fractures requiring percutaneous fixation, fractures of left ribs 1–7, and associated pulmonary contusions. His pain is well‐controlled, and he is deemed fit to discharge to inpatient rehabilitation. Due to his pelvic fracture pattern, your orthopedic colleague requests that the patient be placed on DVT prophylaxis with warfarin for 6 weeks from the date of operation. Assuming anticoagulation is beneficial in this patient, your response should be:Place the patient on warfarin, and ensure an INR of 2–2.5.Place the patient on a NOAC.Place the patient on dual anti platelet therapy with aspirin and plavix.Place the patient on twice daily lovenox.Place the patient on aspirin alone.Many patients were historically were started on anticoagulation for the prevention of DVTs following orthopedic operations of the lower extremities. Over the past decade or so, there has been a trend to anticoagulate these patients with agents other than warfarin, due to fewer complications from bleeding, as well as decreased incidence of VTE in patients treated with alternate therapy. Aspirin has increasingly been studied as an alternate to low‐molecular weight heparin and NOACs due to increased simplicity of administration, and multiple large‐scale trials have shown aspirin to be non‐inferior to other forms of anticoagulation.Answer: ESimes J, Becattini C, Agnelli G, Eikelboom JW, Kirby AC, Mister R, Prandoni P, Brighton TA ; INSPIRE Study Investigators (International Collaboration of Aspirin Trials for Recurrent Venous Thromboembolism). Aspirin for the prevention of recurrent venous thromboembolism: the INSPIRE collaboration. Circulation. 2014; 130(13):1062–1071. doi: 10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.114.008828. Epub 2014 Aug 25. PMID: 25156992.Anderson DR, Dunbar MJ, Bohm ER, Belzile E, Kahn SR, Zukor D, Fisher W, Gofton W, Gross P, Pelet S, Crowther M, MacDonald S, Kim P, Pleasance S, Davis N, Andreou P, Wells P, Kovacs M, Rodger MA, Ramsay T, Carrier M, Vendittoli PA. Aspirin versus low‐molecular‐weight heparin for extended venous thromboembolism prophylaxis after total hip arthroplasty: a randomized trial. Ann Intern Med. 2013; 158(11):800–806. doi: 10.7326/0003‐4819‐158‐11‐201306040‐00004. PMID: 23732713.Azboy I, Groff H, Goswami K, Vahedian M, Parvizi J. Low‐dose aspirin is adequate for venous thromboembolism prevention following total joint arthroplasty: a systematic review. J Arthroplasty. 2020; 35(3):886–892. doi: 10.1016/j.arth.2019.09.043. Epub 2019 Oct 5. PMID: 31733981.
16 You are in the trauma bay during 5 simultaneous trauma activations. In order to most judiciously utilize your blood bank's resources, you are attempting to predict which patients will require a massive transfusion protocol (MTP). Which of the following patients is most likely to require MTP?A 19‐year‐old man with a GSW to the abdomen with negative FAST, SBP of 110 mm Hg, and HR of 100 beats/min.A 23‐year‐old woman involved in an MVC, with a positive FAST, SBP of 110 mm Hg, and HR of 100 beats/min.A 49‐year‐old man with a GSW to the abdomen with a negative FAST, SBP of 94 mm Hg, and HR of 115 beats/min.A 32‐year‐old man who was assaulted, with a positive FAST, SBP of 98 mm Hg, and HR of 130 beats/min.A 44‐year‐old woman with a stab wound to the LUQ with a negative FAST, SBP of 98 mm Hg, and HR of 110 beats/min. Identifying patients who will likely require MTP is essential in the trauma bay. The Assessment of Blood Consumption (ABC) scoring system relies on 4 non‐weighted dichotomous parameters: penetrating mechanism, positive Focused Assessment with Sonography for Trauma (FAST), arrival systolic blood pressure (SBP) of 90 mm Hg or less, and arrival heart rate of 120 bpm or greater. Each positive parameter is given a score of 1, and the total score is evaluated out of 4. A score of 2 or greater predicts the need for MTP with a sensitivity of 75% and a specificity of 86%.Answer: DMaegele M, Brockamp T, Nienaber U, Probst C, Schoechl H, Goerlinger K, Spinella P. Predictive models and algorithms for the need of transfusion including massive transfusion in severely injured patients. Transfus Med Hemother. 2012; 39(2):85–97. doi:10.1159/000337243.Cotton BA, Dossett LA, Haut ER, Shafi S, Nunez TC, Au BK, Zaydfudim V, Johnston M, Arbogast P, Young PP. Multicenter validation of a simplified score to predict massive transfusion in trauma. J Trauma. 2010; 69(Suppl 1):S33–S39. doi: 10.1097/TA.0b013e3181e42411. PMID: 20622617.
17 A 37‐year‐old woman with a history of chronic cholecystitis undergoes a laparoscopic cholecystectomy which requires conversion to an open procedure due to significant inflammatory disease. The case is completed, and the patient is brought to PACU. While reviewing her postoperative labs, you note a blood glucose level of 190 mg/dL, as well as a mild acidosis and leukocytosis. In regard to her hyperglycemia, the following is true:The patient is at increased risk of surgical site infection, as well as overall mortality, but her risk is less than that of a known diabetic.The patient is at increased risk of surgical site infection, as well as overall mortality, but her risk is equal to that of a known diabetic.The patient is at increased risk of surgical site infection, as well as overall mortality, and her risk is higher than that of a known diabetic.The patient has an expected stress response to operation, and since she is not diabetic, no further intervention is required, and her risk of surgical site infection is not significantly increased.There is no clear correlation between isolated episodes of hyperglycemia in non‐diabetic patients, although there is a correlation for diabetic patients.There exists a dose‐dependent relationship between blood glucose levels above 180 mg/dL and postoperative complications, including surgical site infection, length of stay, and overall mortality. Interestingly, this effect is more pronounced in patients who are non‐diabetic than in patients who are diabetic. This is thought to possibly be due to several different causes, including a non‐treatment bias in non‐diabetics (patients with an established diagnosis of DM are more likely to receive insulin), and because hyperglycemia in non‐diabetic patients is likely an indicator of a significant stress response, correlating with worse outcome. Glucose control should be maintained below 180, but overly restrictive control has been shown to have worse outcomes, especially in critically ill patients.Answer: CKotagal M, Symons RG, Hirsch IB, Umpierrez GE, Dellinger EP, Farrokhi ET, Flum DR ; SCOAP‐CERTAIN Collaborative. Perioperative hyperglycemia and risk of adverse events among patients with and without diabetes. Ann Surg. 2015; 261(1):97–103. doi: https://doi.org/10.1097/SLA.0000000000000688. PMID: 25133932; PMCID: PMC4208939.Thompson BM, Stearns JD, Apsey HA, Schlinkert RT, Cook CB. Perioperative management of patients with diabetes and hyperglycemia undergoing elective surgery. Curr Diab Rep. 2016; 16(1):2. doi: 10.1007/s11892‐015‐0700‐8. PMID: 26699765.
18 A 73‐year‐old woman with a history of rheumatoid arthritis (on 5 mg prednisone daily), carotid stenosis s/p carotid endarterectomy 4 years ago, and hypertension is in the ED with severe abdominal pain. Work up demonstrates diverticulitis with a significant amount of intra‐abdominal