Clinical Research Directory

Alcohol, Psychoactive Drugs, Analgesics and Evaluation in Penetrating Abdominal Trauma

This prospective observational study aims to evaluate whether alcohol consumption, psychoactive drug use, or prior administration of analgesics affects the clinical evaluation and surgical decision-making process in patients with penetrating abdominal trauma. The study will be conducted in two level I trauma centers in Cali, Colombia: a public university hospital and a private university hospital, both with high volumes of trauma patients and established protocols for non-operative management using serial physical examination. In many trauma centers, serial physical examination is used to safely identify patients who require surgical intervention. However, there is concern that intoxication or altered mental status may reduce the reliability of physical examination, potentially leading to unnecessary imaging studies, delays in surgical decision-making, or non-therapeutic laparotomies. Despite this concern, available evidence supporting these assumptions is limited. Patients older than 14 years with penetrating abdominal trauma who undergo clinical evaluation to decide on surgical intervention. Patients will be classified according to the presence or absence of alcohol consumption, psychoactive substance use, or prior analgesic administration. The primary outcome is the time from hospital admission to the decision for surgical intervention. Secondary outcomes include trauma severity, need for surgery, length of hospital and intensive care unit stay, complications, and mortality. By comparing patients with and without substance exposure across two different trauma care settings, this study seeks to determine whether serial physical examination remains a reliable and safe method for clinical decision-making in this population. The results may help optimize evaluation strategies, reduce unnecessary surgical procedures and diagnostic tests, and improve the standardization of care for patients with penetrating abdominal trauma.

Effectiveness of Contrast-Enhanced Ultrasound

The purpose of the study is to generate pilot data describing test characteristics of contrast enhanced ultrasound in young children with concern for abdominal trauma. The primary objective in this study is to determine the sensitivity and specificity of contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) compared to abdominal Computed Tomography (CT) in the detection of abdominal solid organ injury in young children \< 8 years of age with concern for blunt abdominal trauma.