Evidence map›Paper›PMID 29672440›Full record

ArticleThe journal of trauma and acute care surgery2018

The epidemiology of emergency department thoracotomy in a statewide trauma system: Does center volume matter?

Ryan P Dumas, Mark J Seamon, Brian P Smith, Wei Yang, Jeremy W Cannon, C William Schwab, Patrick M Reilly, Daniel N Holena

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in The journal of trauma and acute care surgery, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 9 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
9citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

9 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.

  1. Transport and destination hospital for patients with suspected multiple and/or severe injuries - a systematic review and clinical practice guideline update.European journal of trauma and emergency surgery : official publication of the European Trauma Society · 2026
    Pooled it
  2. Evaluation and Implication of Case Volume Variation in Level 1 and 2 Trauma Centers.Annals of surgery open : perspectives of surgical history, education, and clinical approaches · 2025
    Article
  3. Article
  4. Process times of severely injured patients in the emergency room are associated with patient volume: a registry-based analysis.European journal of trauma and emergency surgery : official publication of the European Trauma Society · 2022
    Article
  5. Article
  6. Observational
  7. Article
  8. A National Study of Emergency Thoracotomy for Trauma.Journal of emergencies, trauma, and shock
    Article
  9. HoloLensTherapeutic advances in urology
    Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors.

Ryan P DumasFrom the Division of Traumatology, Surgical Critical Care and Emergency Surgery (R.P.D., M.J.S., B.P.S., J.W.C., C.W.S., P.M.R., D.H.N.) and Center for Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics (W.Y., D.N.H.), Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; and Department of Surgery (J.W.C.), Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, Maryland.
Mark J Seamon
Brian P Smith
Wei Yang
Jeremy W Cannon
C William Schwab
Patrick M Reilly
Daniel N Holena

Funding

Reducing mortality attributable to cardiac and pulmonary complications after traumatic injury: understanding the role of failure-to-rescueK08HL131995 · NHLBI · UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA · PI HOLENA, DANIEL NORMAN · 2016 to 2018
$509k
NHLBI NIH HHS K08 HL131995
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundThe relationship between high volume and improved outcomes has been described for a host of elective high-impact, low-frequency procedures, but there are little data to support such a relationship in high-impact low-frequency procedures in trauma. Using emergency department thoracotomy (EDT) as a model, we hypothesized that patients presenting to centers with higher institutional volumes of EDT would have improved survival referent to those presenting to lower volume institutions.

methodsWe queried the Pennsylvania Trauma Outcomes Study registry from 2007 to 2015 for all EDTs performed at Level I and II centers identified by ICD-9 procedure codes and a location stamp indicating the emergency department. We examined patient-level risk factors for survival in univariate regression and multivariable regression models. Centers were divided into tertiles of mean annual EDT volume, and the association between mean annual EDT volume and patient survival was examined using logistic regression after controlling for patient factors.

results1,399 EDTs were performed at 28 centers. Overall survival was 6.8%. After controlling for patient age, mechanism of injury, signs of life, and injury severity, patients presenting to centers in the highest tertile of volume had significantly higher odds of survival compared with patients presenting to centers in the lowest tertile of volume (OR 4.56, 95% CI 1.43-14.50).

conclusionsPatients presenting to centers with higher mean annual volume of EDTs have improved survival compared with those presenting to institutions with lower mean annual EDT volume. Efforts to understand the etiology of this finding may lead to interventions to improve outcomes at lower-volume centers. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Prognostic/Epidemiological, level III; Therapeutic, level IV.

Indexed as

AdultEmergency Service, HospitalFemaleHumansInjury Severity ScoreLogistic ModelsMaleMiddle AgedPennsylvaniaRegistriesRetrospective StudiesThoracotomyTrauma CentersWounds, GunshotWounds, NonpenetratingWounds, Stab

Identifiers

PMID29672440
PMCPMC6081242

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.