Faculty Bibliography

BACKGROUND:High school students are an important target audience for organ donation education. A novel educational intervention focused on Hispanic American (HA) high school students might improve organ donation rates. METHODS:A prospective observational study was conducted in five Los Angeles High Schools with a high percentage of HA students. A "culturally sensitive" educational program was administered to students in grades 9 to 12. Preintervention surveys that assessed awareness, knowledge, perception, and beliefs regarding donation as well as the intent to become an organ donor were compared to postintervention surveys. RESULTS:A total of 10,146 high school students participated in the study. After exclusions, 4876 preintervention and 3182 postintervention surveys were analyzed. A significant increase in the overall knowledge, awareness, and beliefs regarding donation was observed after the intervention, as evidenced by a significant increase in the percentage of correct answers on the survey (41% pre- versus 44% postintervention, P < .0001). When specifically examining HA students, there was a significant increase in the intent to donate organs (adjusted odds ratio 1.21, 95% confidence interval: 1.09, 1.34, P = .0003). CONCLUSION/CONCLUSIONS:This is the first study to demonstrate a significant increase in the intent to donate among HA high school students following an educational intervention.

BACKGROUND: Systemic hypotension is a well documented predictor of increased mortality following traumatic brain injury (TBI). Hypotension is traditionally defined as systolic blood pressure (SBP)<90 mmHg. Recent evidence defines hypotension by a higher SBP in injured (non-TBI) trauma patients. We hypothesize that hypotension threshold requires a higher SBP in isolated moderate to severe TBI. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A retrospective database review of all adults (>/= 15 years) with isolated moderate to severe TBI (head abbreviated injury score (AIS)>/= 3, all other AIS /= 70 years. The main outcome variable was mortality, and the optimal definition of hypotension for each group was determined from the best fit model. Adjusted odds ratios (AOR) were then calculated to determine increased odds in mortality for the defined optimal SBP within each age group. RESULTS: A total of 15,733 patients were analysed. The optimal threshold of hypotension according to the best fit model was SBP of 110 mmHg for patients 15-49 years (AOR 1.98, CI 1.65-2.39, p<0.0001), 100 mmHg for patients 50-69 years (AOR 2.20, CI 1.46-3.31, p=0.0002), and 110 mmHg for patients >/= 70 years (AOR 1.92, CI 1.35-2.74, p=0.0003). CONCLUSIONS: Patients with isolated moderate to severe TBI should be considered hypotensive for SBP<110 mmHg. Further research should confirm this new definition of hypotension by correlation with indices of perfusion.

Religion is an important determinant in Hispanic Americans (HA) becoming organ donors as HA often believe religion forbids donation. We investigated the effect of an educational program targeting HA organ donation in places of worship. A prospective observational study was conducted at four Catholic churches with a high percentage of HA. A 45-min "culturally sensitive" educational program, conducted in Spanish, was implemented. Organ donation awareness, knowledge, perception, and beliefs, as well as the intent to become an organ donor, were measured before and after the intervention. Differences between before and after the intervention were analyzed. A total of 182 surveys were conducted before and 159 surveys were conducted after the educational program. A significant increase was observed in organ donation knowledge (54% vs. 70%, p<0.0001), perception (43% vs. 58%, p<0.0001), and beliefs (50% vs. 60%, p=0.0001). However, no significant difference was found in the willingness to discuss donation with family, intent-to-donate, or registering to donate after the intervention. This study demonstrates that a focused educational program in places of worship can significantly improve HA knowledge, perceptions, and beliefs regarding organ donation. Further work is needed to understand why intent-to-donate does not increase despite the increase in organ donation awareness.

BACKGROUND: Conclusions from in vivo and in vitro studies suggest hypothermia may be protective in traumatic brain injury (TBI). Few studies evaluated the effect of admission temperature on outcomes. The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between admission hypothermia and mortality in patients with isolated, blunt, moderate to severe TBI. METHODS: The Los Angeles Trauma Database was queried for all patients >/= 14 y of age with isolated, blunt, moderate to severe TBI (head abbreviated injury score (AIS) >/= 3, all other <3), admitted between 2005 and 2009. The study population was then stratified into two groups by admission temperature: hypothermic (35 degrees C). Demographic characteristics and outcomes were compared between groups. Logistic regression analysis was used to determine the relationship between admission hypothermia and mortality. RESULTS: A total of 1834 patients were analyzed and then stratified into two groups: hypothermic (n = 44) and normothermic (n = 1790). There was a significant difference noted in overall mortality (25% versus 7%), with the hypothermic group being four times more likely to succumb to their injuries. After adjusting for confounding factors, admission hypothermia was independently associated with increased mortality (AOR 2.5; 95% CI 1.1-6.3; P = 0.04). CONCLUSIONS: Although in-vivo and in-vitro studies demonstrate induced hypothermia may be protective in TBI, our study demonstrates that admission hypothermia was associated with increased mortality in isolated, blunt, moderate to severe TBI. Further prospective research is needed to elucidate the role of thermoregulation in patients sustaining TBI.

We sought to investigate the effect of trauma center designation on organ donor outcomes during a 5-year period. A retrospective study of the southern California regional Organ Procurement Organization database comparing trauma centers (n = 25) versus nontrauma centers (n = 171) and Level I (n = 7) versus Level II (n = 18) trauma centers between 2004 and 2008 was performed. A total of 16,830 referrals were evaluated and 44 per cent were from trauma centers. When compared with nontrauma centers (n = 171), trauma centers (n = 25) had a higher percentage of medically suitable eligible deaths (29 vs 16%, P < 0.001), total eligible deaths (22 vs 12%, P < 0.001), and eligible donors (14 vs 7%, P < 0.001). Trauma Centers had a significantly higher number of organs procured per donor (4.0 +/- 1.6 vs 3.5 +/- 1.6, P < 0.001), organs transplanted per donor (OTPD) (3.6 +/- 1.8 vs 2.8 +/- 1.8, P < 0.001), and higher organ yield (per cent 4 or greater OTPD [48 vs 31%, P < 0.001]). No significant differences were found between Level I and Level II trauma centers. Trauma centers demonstrate significantly better organ donor outcomes compared with nontrauma centers. Factors responsible for improved outcomes at trauma centers should be evaluated, reproduced, and disseminated to nontrauma centers to alleviate the growing organ shortage crisis.

BACKGROUND: Recent evidence supports the beneficial effect of alcohol on patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI). Pneumonia is a known complication following TBI; thus, the purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of alcohol on pneumonia rates following moderate to severe TBI. METHODS: From 2005 to 2009, the Los Angeles County Trauma Database was queried for all patients >/= 14 y of age with isolated moderate to severe TBI and admission serum alcohol levels. The incidence of pneumonia was compared between TBI patients with and without a positive blood alcohol concentration (BAC) level. The study population was then stratified into four BAC levels: None (0 mg/dL), low (0-100 mg/dL), moderate (100-230 mg/dL), and high (>/= 230 mg/dL). Pneumonia rates were compared across these levels. RESULTS: A total of 3547 patients with isolated, moderate to severe TBI were evaluated. Nearly 66% tested positive for alcohol. The pneumonia rate was significantly lower in the TBI patients who tested positive for alcohol (2.5%) compared with those who tested negative (4.0%, P = 0.017). The pneumonia rate also decreased across increasing BAC levels (linear trend P = 0.03). After logistic regression analysis, a positive ethanol (ETOH) level was associated with a reduced incidence of pneumonia (AOR = 0.62; 95%CI: 0.41-0.93; P = 0.020). CONCLUSION: A positive serum alcohol level was associated with a significantly lower pneumonia rate in isolated, moderate to severe TBI patients. This may explain the observed mortality reduction in TBI patients who test positive for alcohol. Additional research is warranted to investigate the potential therapeutic implications of this association.

The growing need for transplantable organs continues to outpace supply. This discrepancy is most pronounced in minority populations. Hispanic Americans, however, are significantly less likely to donate their organs for reasons that remain poorly understood. We sought to identify factors that influence Hispanic American high school students' intent to donate organs. A prospective observational study was conducted in five Los Angeles high schools within four separate zip codes known for a high percentage of Hispanic Americans. High school students, ages 15 to 20 years, were surveyed to assess demographic factors, cultural factors, awareness and knowledge, perception, and belief regarding organ donation and the intent to donate. A total of 5444 surveys were collected over a 4-month period. After logistic regression analysis, independent risk factors for predicting the intent to donate were: family support, 11th and 12th grade high school students, being female, religion, and the belief that Hispanics are more likely to need an organ transplant. This study represents the largest study to date examining factors associated with the intent to donate in Hispanic American high school students. To address the organ shortage crisis in Hispanic Americans, these risk factors should be considered using specific, effective educational programs.

OBJECTIVE:As the shortage of suitable organs for transplantation is especially pronounced among Hispanic Americans (HA), our objective was to determine whether a focused media campaign including culturally sensitive educational material on organ donation would positively influence organ donation awareness, perceptions, and beliefs, and increase the likelihood of organ donation in the HA community. METHODS:Cross-sectional telephone surveys were conducted before and after a media campaign in four Southern California neighborhoods with a high percentage of HA. Respondents, age ≥18 yr, were drawn randomly from lists of Hispanic surnames. Awareness, perception, and belief regarding organ donation and intent-to-donate were measured. The differences between the Pre- and Post-media surveys were analyzed. RESULTS:A total of 524 Pre-media and 528 Post-media subjects were evaluated. The Post-media surveys demonstrated improvements in: organ donation awareness (43% vs. 31%, p < 0.0001), the belief that donation is a social responsibility (54% vs. 45%, p = 0.008), and the belief that donation helps people (91% vs. 87%, p = 0.09). CONCLUSIONS:A media campaign emphasizing culturally sensitive educational material can significantly influence organ donation awareness and beliefs in HA.