Citation

Peev MP, Naraghi L, Chang Y, Demoya M, Fagenholz P, Yeh D, Velmahos G, King DR. J. Crit. Care 2013; 28(6): 1109.e1-11094.

Affiliation

Department of Surgery, Division of Trauma, Emergency Surgery and Surgical Critical Care, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02114, USA.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2013, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/j.jcrc.2013.08.026

PMID

24120576

Abstract

PURPOSE: Identifying patients in need of a life-saving intervention (LSI) during a mass casualty event is a priority. We hypothesized that real-time, instantaneous sample entropy (SampEn) could predict the need for LSI in the Boston Marathon bombing victims. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Severely injured Boston Marathon bombing victims (n = 10) had sample entropy (SampEn) recorded upon presentation using a continuous 200-beat rolling average in real time. Treating clinicians were blinded to real-time results. The correlation between SampEn, injury severity, number, and type of LSI was examined. RESULTS: Victims were males (60%) with a mean age of 39.1 years. Injuries involved lower extremities (50.0%), head and neck (24.2%), or upper extremities (9.7%). Sample entropy negatively correlated with Injury Severity Score (r = -0.70; P = .023), number of injuries (r = -0.70; P = .026), and the number and need for LSI (r = -0.82; P = .004). Sample entropy was reduced under a variety of conditions. CONCLUSIONS: Sample entropy strongly correlates with injury severity and predicts LSI after blast injuries sustained in the Boston Marathon bombings. Sample entropy may be a useful triage tool after blast injury.

Language: en