Effect of antishock trousers on the trauma score: A prospective analysis in the urban setting

✍ Scribed by William H Bickell; Paul E Pepe; Charles H Wyatt; William R Dedo; David J Applebaum; C Thomas Black; Kenneth L Mattox

• Publisher: Elsevier Science
• Year: 1985
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 426 KB
• Volume: 14
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 1097-6760
• DOI: 10.1016/s0196-0644(85)80443-1

✦ Synopsis

This study was designed to determine the effect of military antishock trousers (MAST) use on the presenting emergency center trauma score (TS) in an urban prehospital setting. Sixty-eight patients were assigned randomly to study and control groups in a prospective investigation of the use of MAST on injured patients with hypotension. Thirty-two control patients, whose mean initial systolic BP was 59 +-32 mm Hg, and 36 MAST-treated patients, whose mean initial BP was 55 +-31 mm Hg, were found to be well matched for age; sex; type and location of injuries; initial field TS; response, field management, and transport times; and the total amount of intravenous crystalIoid infused. Our results demonstrated no significant difference between the control and MAST-treated groups in the presenting emergency department TS (9.8 +_ 6.6 vs I0.6 + 5.9). These data conflict with the widely accepted belief that MAST will always enhance conventional support for improving the prehospital condition of injured patients with significant hypotension.