Gastrointestinal Injuries in Blunt Abdominal Traumas

AIM

To discuss the efficiency of RTS (Revised TraumaScore), ISS (Injury Severity Score), and factors that affect mortality and morbidity in gastrointestinal injuries due to blunt trauma.Method and methods: Patients with gastrointestinal injuries due to blunt trauma operated within the last six years have been studied retrospectively in terms of demographics,injury mechanism and localization, additional injuries, RTS and ISS, operative technique, morbidity, mortality and duration of hospitalization.

FINDINGS

Of the eighteen cases, cause of injury was a traffic accident for 11 (61.1%), fall from height for 5 (27%) and physical attack for 2 (11%). Among the eighteen patients,there were 21 gastrointestinal injuries (11 intestinal, 6 colon,3 duodenum, 1 stomach). 10 (55.6%) had additional intraabdominal injuries while the number for extra-abdominal injuries were 12 (66.7%). Primary suture (10), segmentary resection (9) and pyloric exclusion (2) were the operations performed for the twenty-one gastrointestinal injuries.Although statistically not significant, 13(72.2%) patients with additional injuries compared with 5 (27.8%) patients with isolated gastrointestinal injuries, were found to have lower RTS (7.087/7.841), higher ISS (19.4/12.2), longer duration of hospitalization (11.5/8.4 day) as well as higher morbidity (7/1) and mortality (2/0) rates. Comparing the RTS (7.059/7.490) of patients who have and have not developed morbidity revealed no significant difference.However, ISS (23.9/12.2) was significantly higher in patients who have developed morbidity (p=0.003). RTS (6.085 7.445) and ISS (39.5/14.6) of patients who have survived were significantly different than patients who have not(p=0.037 and p=0.023, respectively)

CONCLUSION

Additional injuries in patients with gastrointestinal injury due blunt abdominal traumas increases, although not significantly, morbidity, mortality and duration of hospitalization even when operated early. High ISS is significantly related to the risk of both morbidity and mortality while low RTS is significantly related only to the mortality risk.

[A child who developed internal carotid artery obstruction 2 weeks after incurring an intraoral blunt injury: A case report]

This report describes a 9-year-old boy with an internal carotid artery (ICA) injury caused by a fall with the blunt edge of a toothbrush held in the mouth. The initial injury appeared trivial, but 2 weeks later, generalized convulsion and left hemiparesis occurred. Magnetic resonance imaging and magnetic resonance angiography revealed an infarction of the right striatum, right ICA occlusion, and stenosis of the right middle cerebral artery, which were caused by the dissection or intimal damage of the ICA due to the blunt trauma. For children, intraoral blunt trauma sometimes causes ICA occlusion and consecutive strokes after the latent interval of days to weeks. Therefore, a careful clinical observation is essential to prevent overlooking strokes. This patient was an unique case with a long latent interval among the past literatures.

Identification of a Very High Cuff Pressure by Manual Palpation of the External Cuff Balloon on an Endotracheal Tube

The most common complication due to intubation is a high cuff pressure. A high cuff pressure can cause postanesthetic tracheal mucosal injuries in patients undergoing surgery. The aim of this cross-sectional study was to describe whether anesthetic nurses and anesthesiologists identified a very high cuff pressure by manual palpation of the external cuff balloon on an endotracheal tube. An airway device was intubated with an endotracheal tube cuffed to 95 cm H2O. Each participant palpated the external cuff balloon and then filled out a questionnaire, including estimation of the cuff pressure and user frequency of the cuff pressure manometer. The results showed that 89.1% estimated that the cuff pressure was high. Among the participants who rated the cuff pressure as high, 44.8% rated the pressure as quite high and 60.6% rated the pressure as very high. There was no significant relationship between profession and skill in identifying a very high cuff pressure (P = .843) or between work experience and skill in terms of identifying a very high cuff pressure (P = .816). These findings indicate that 10% of patients are at risk of tracheal erosion because of a high cuff pressure.

Diagnosis and Treatment of Duodenal Injury: A Clinical Analysis

BACKGROUND/AIMS

Duodenal injuries do not often occur and are usually difficult to be diagnosed or treated.

METHODOLOGY

To summarize the experience in managing duodenal injuries and determine some prognostic factors, we conducted a retrospective review on 42 cases of duodenal injuries including 17 traumatic (blunt 31.0%, penetrating 9.5%) and 25 iatrogenic (59.5%) ones, which were admitted to our hospital from 1993 to 2013.

RESULTS

The mortality rate was 23.8% (n = 10). Main cause of late death was multiple system organ failure and infection. Senility and high APACHE II score were both correlated with mortality rate (P < 0.01 and P < 0.05 respectively). High morbidity and mortality rate were more likely to be associated with those had long delays in treatment or injury in the second part of the duodenum (P < 0.05). The number of associated injuries affected mortality rate (P < 0.05). For traumatic injuries, the mechanism of injury, method of initial surgical management, Organ Injury Scale and Abbreviated Injury Scale were not related to patients' outcome (P > 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

These findings indicated that early diagnosis and timely treatment were of great clinical value. Primary repair with an effective diversion was practicable. Age and APACHE II Score were the independent prognostic factors.

Management of severe blunt liver injuries by applying the damage control strategies with packing-oriented surgery: experiences at a single institution in Korea

BACKGROUND/AIMS

This study was conducted to investigate effective management strategies for patients with severe blunt liver injuries.

METHODOLOGY

Treatment methods and outcomes of 77 patients with grade IV-V damage among patients with liver injury managed between 2009 and 2013 were investigated.

RESULTS

Of the 77 patients, 32 were managed surgically. Packing was performed in 29 of these patients, while 26 also underwent liver surgery to maximize the hemostatic effect of packing. All 32 underwent temporary abdominal closure, and the mean amount of blood products used in the first 24 hours after admission included packed red blood cell, 13.3 units; fresh frozen plasma, 12.4 units; and platelets, 12.2 units, very close to 1:1:1. A total of 9 of 77 (11.7%) patients and 8 of 32 who underwent the operation died (operative mortality rate, 25%). Liver-related uncontrolled hemorrhage contributing to death occurred in four patients (12.5%).

CONCLUSIONS

Although nonoperative management can first be pursued if the patient's condition allows for it, hemodynamic instability and evidence of peritonitis requires surgical management. Surgical management should abide by the damage control surgery principles that focus on packing to minimize surgical time, followed by aggressive critical care according to damage control resuscitation.

Difficult intubation resulting in surgical repair of esophageal and hypopharyngeal perforation

Although rare, perilous injury of the aerodigestive tract due to traumatic endotracheal intubation can have devastating consequences for patient and provider. Resulting serious complications of injury may involve esophageal perforation, pneumomediastinum, mediastinitis, retropharyngeal abscess, vocal cord paralysis, arytenoids dislocation, and hypopharyngeal pseudodiverticulum. Morbidity, mortality, and legal and financial consequences can be enormous. Early identification and treatment of suspected injury will promote patient recovery and thwart life-threatening progression of injury. This case report presents a 70-year-old woman scheduled for an elective hip arthroplasty. Intraoperatively she was unable to be intubated, and her operation was canceled. In the post-anesthesia care unit, the patient underwent an otolaryngology consultation and was admitted for observation of reactive airway edema. Pharyngoesophageal perforation was diagnosed several days later and required surgical repair.

Handlebar hernia: case report and literature review

Handlebar hernia is a rare traumatic abdominal wall hernia occurring after blunt trauma. We report a case of an adolescent patient with a traumatic rectus muscle abdominal wall hernia produced by injury with the bicycle handlebar. The skin abrasion caused by the trauma and a swelling reproduced after a Valsalva maneuver suggested the diagnosis. Traumatic wall hernias after blunt trauma should be repaired primarily to avoid complications.

Management and treatment of splenic trauma in children

AIM

To assess types of splenic traumas, accompanying injuries, their management and results.

METHODS

We studied the reports of 90 patients (64 boys, 26 girls) who were treated for splenic injuries as a result of blunt abdominal trauma between 2005-2012. Age, sex, hospitalization time, mechanisms of traumas, accompanying injuries and management methods were recorded.

RESULTS

Causes of trauma were falls from height (46 patients, 51%), pedestrian traffic accidents (17 patients, 19%), passenger traffic accidents (11 patients, 12%), bicycle accidents (10 patients, 11%) and falling objects from height (6 patients, 6.6%). Splenic injury alone was observed in 57 patients (63.3%) and other organ injuries together with splenic injury in 33 patients (36.7%). Splenectomy was performed in six patients (6.6%) due to hemodynamic instability and small intestine repair due to small intestine injury in one patient (1.1%). None of these patients died from their injuries.

CONCLUSION

A large proportion of splenic injuries recover with conservative therapy. Some of the advantages of conservative therapy include short hospitalization time, less need for blood transfusion, and less morbidity and mortality. Falls from height and traffic accidents are important factors in etiology. The possibility of other organ injuries together with splenic injuries should be considered.

Ruptured Gall Bladder containing Stones following Blunt Trauma Abdomen: A Rare Presentation of Hemodynamic Instability

Gall bladder injuries are seen in 2% of patients undergoing laparotomy for blunt trauma abdomen. Isolated gall bladder injury is a rare event with associated presence of stones is even rarer. The associated visceral injuries lead to intraoperative identification in most cases. Here we present a case of 30 years old male with isolated gall bladder laceration following blunt abdominal trauma. The diagnosis of gallbladder perforation after blunt injury may be suspected in patients with signs of an acute abdomen and hypotension that is not explained by blood loss. Early suspicion and prompt exploration is imperative. Cholecystectomy is an adequate treatment for the condition.

Emergency laparoscopic partial splenectomy for ruptured spleen: A case report

Splenic rupture is a common consequence of blunt abdominal trauma. Emergency splenectomy is indicated when conservative management is not effective. With better understanding of the immunologic function of the spleen, surgeons have begun to perform the splenic-preserving surgery. However, it is technical challenge to perform emergency laparoscopic partial splenectomy for patient with spleen rupture. A 15-year-old male patient suffered from grade III spleen injury basing on the American association for the surgery of trauma splenic injury scale. Conservative treatment failed to success basing on the dramatically decreased hemoglobin level. During the laparoscopic exploration, we found that two individual ruptures were associated with the upper pole of spleen. An emergency laparoscopic partial splenectomy was successfully carried out. The operative time was approximate 150 min and the estimated blood loss was 200 mL. The post-operative course was uneventful and the patient was discharged on the 7^th post-operative day.

Endovascular management of lap belt-related abdominal aortic injury in a 9-year-old child

Blunt abdominal aortic trauma is a rare occurrence in children with only a few patients having been reported in the literature. Most such cases have been described in the context of lap belt injuries. We report a 9-year-old boy who suffered lap belt trauma to the abdomen during a high-speed road traffic accident resulting to the well-recognized pattern of blunt abdominal injury, that is, the triad of intestinal perforation, fractures of the lumbar spine, and abdominal aortic injury. The latter presented with lower limb ischemia due to dissection of the infrarenal aorta and right common iliac artery. Revascularization was achieved by endovascular means using 2 self-expanding stents in the infrarenal aorta and the right common iliac artery. This case is one of the few reports of lap belt-related acute traumatic abdominal aortic dissection in a young child and highlights the feasibility of endovascular management in the pediatric population.

[Pediatric orbital emphysema caused by a compressed-air pistol shot: a case report]

CASE REPORT

We report the case of a 2 year-old child with orbital emphysema secondary to a compressed-air gun shot in the malar region, with no evidence of orbital wall fracture. Conservative treatment was applied, and no complications were observed.

DISCUSSION

Orbital emphysema in the absence of an orbital wall fracture is a rare situation. Orbital emphysema is usually seen in facial trauma associated with damage to the adjacent paranasal sinuses or facial bones. To our knowledge there have been very few reports of orbital emphysema caused by a compressed-air injury.

The severity of liver injury following blunt trauma does not correlate with the number of fractured ribs: an analysis of a national trauma registry database

PURPOSE

Rib fractures are a marker of severe injury, predicting a higher incidence of associated injuries. The purpose of this study was to assess whether an increasing number of rib fractures predicts the severity of liver injury in blunt trauma patients.

METHODS

We performed a retrospective cohort study involving blunt trauma patients with concomitant liver injuries and rib fractures who were registered in a national trauma registry.

RESULTS

Of 57,130 patients with blunt torso injuries, 14,651 patients sustained rib fractures, and 2,899 patients suffered liver injuries. Concomitant liver injury occurred in 1,087 of the patients with rib fractures (7.4%), while 1,812 patients sustained liver injury without rib fractures (4.3%). The presence of six or more rib fractures predicted a higher incidence of liver injury. Among the patients with liver injury, those with concomitant rib fractures had a higher Injury Severity Score (ISS), but similar mortality rates. Among the patients with concomitant rib fractures and liver injury, there was no relationship between the number of fractured ribs and the severity of the liver injury.

CONCLUSIONS

Although the presence of rib fractures was associated with an increased probability of liver injury in patients with blunt torso trauma, there is no relationship between the number of fractured ribs and the severity of liver injury.

Sutured posterior chamber intraocular lenses for traumatic cataract in Africa

PURPOSE

To determine the outcomes of sutured scleral fixation of posterior chamber intraocular lenses (PC IOLs) after trauma in an African population.

SETTING

State hospital and affiliated district hospital, Cape Town, South Africa.

DESIGN

Case series.

METHODS

A retrospective review was performed of the medical records of patients in whom a sutured PC IOL had been implanted for traumatic aphakia in the preceding 5 years.

RESULTS

Eighty-five percent of the 59 patients had a significant improvement in uncorrected distance visual acuity (UDVA) at the final visit. Two-thirds of patients achieved an UDVA of 6/18 or better. Those not improving had severe preexisting macular or corneal pathology. A significant number of patients (28%) with angle recession developed ocular hypertension during the postoperative period.

CONCLUSION

After careful preoperative selection, sutured PC IOLs were effective in the visual rehabilitation of eyes with traumatic subluxated cataract in which the capsular bag could not be retained.

FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE

No author has a financial or proprietary interest in any material or method mentioned.

[Unique mechanism in heart-shaped balloon burst resulting in blunt ocular injury]

We have previously shown that heart-shaped balloons have a different explosion mechanism than spherical balloons in which the former splits into two rubber parts still attached to the balloon base with a backward whiplash motion. This backward whiplash motion may cause significant blunt ocular trauma if the balloon is inflated by mouth. In this article, the energy of the blunt ocular trauma is estimated by the high speed camera photos analysis of the balloon burst. Furthermore, we describe the followup of eight patients with ocular trauma following inflation of heart-shaped balloons.

The full spectrum of handlebar injuries in children: a decade of experience

BACKGROUND

Traumatic paediatric handlebar injury (HBI) is known to occur with different vehicles, affect different body regions, and have substantial associated morbidity. However, previous handlebar injury research has focused on the specific combination of abdominal injury and bicycle riding. Our aim was to fully describe the epidemiology and resultant spectrum of injuries caused by a HBI.

METHODS

Retrospective data analysis of all paediatric patients (<18 years) in a prospectively identified trauma registry over a 10-year period. Primary outcome was the HBI, its location and management. The effects of patient age, vehicle type, the impact region, and Injury Severity Score (ISS) were also evaluated. HBI patients were compared against a cohort injured while riding similar vehicles, but not having sustained a HBI.

RESULTS

1990 patients were admitted with a handlebar-equipped vehicle trauma; 236 (11.9%) having sustained a HBI. HBI patients were twice as likely to be aged between 6 and 14 years old compared with non-HBI patients (OR 2.2; 95% CI 1.5-3.2). 88.6% of the HBI patients sustained an isolated injury, and 45.3% had non-abdominal handlebar impact. There were no significant differences in median ISS (p=0.4) or need for operative intervention (OR 1.1; 95% CI 0.9-1.5) between HBI and non-HBI patients. HBI patients had a significantly longer LOS (1.8 days vs. 1.2 days; p=0.001), and more frequently required a major operation (OR 3.4; 95% CI 2.2-5.4). The majority of splenic, renal and hepatic injuries were managed conservatively.

CONCLUSIONS

Although the majority of paediatric HBI is associated with both intra-abdominal injury and bicycle riding, it produces a spectrum of potentially serious injuries and patients are more likely to undergo major surgery. Therefore these patients should always be treated with a high degree of suspicion.