The significance of first rib fractures in children

Torso vascular trauma

Vascular injury within the chest or abdomen represents a unique challenge to the pediatric general surgeon, as these life- or limb-threatening injuries are rare and may require emergent treatment. Vascular injury may present as life-threatening hemorrhage, or with critical ischemia from intimal injury, dissection, or thrombosis. Maintaining the skillset and requisite knowledge to address these injuries is of utmost importance for pediatric surgeons that care for injured children, particularly for surgeons practicing in freestanding children's hospitals that frequently do not have adult vascular surgery coverage. The purpose of this review is to provide an overview of torso vascular trauma, with a specific emphasis in rapid recognition of torso vascular injury as well as both open and endovascular management options. Specific injuries addressed include blunt and penetrating mediastinal vascular injury, subclavian injury, abdominal aortic and visceral segment injury, inferior vena cava injury, and pelvic vascular injury. Operative exposure, vascular repair techniques, and damage control options including preperitoneal packing for pelvic hemorrhage are discussed. The role and limitations of endovascular treatment of each of these injuries is discussed, including endovascular stent graft placement, angioembolization for pelvic hemorrhage, and resuscitative endovascular balloon occlusion of the aorta (REBOA) in children.

Chest x-ray vs. computed tomography of the chest in pediatric blunt trauma

INTRODUCTION

Chest x-ray (CXR) has been shown to be an effective detection tool for clinically significant trauma. We evaluated differences in findings between CXR and computed tomography of the chest (CCT), their impact on clinical management and the performance of the CXR.

METHODS

This retrospective study examined children (less than 18 years) who received a CXR and CCT between 2009 and 2015. We compared characteristics of children by conducting univariate analysis, reporting the proportion of additional diagnoses captured by CCT, and using it to evaluate the sensitivity and specificity of the CXR. Outcome variables were diagnoses made by CCT as well as the ensuing changes in the clinical management attributable to the diagnoses reported by the CCT and not observed by the CXR.

RESULTS

In 1235 children, CCT was associated with diagnosing higher proportions of contusion or atelectasis (60% vs 31%; p < .0001), pneumothorax (23% vs 9%; p < .0001), rib fracture (18% vs 7%; p < .0001), other fracture (20% vs 10%; p < .0001), diaphragm rupture (0.2% vs 0.1%; p = .002), and incidental findings (7% vs 2%; p < .0001) as compared to CXR. CCT findings changed the management of 107 children (8.7%) with 32 (2.6%) of the changes being surgical procedures. The overall sensitivity and specificity of the CXR were 57.9% (95% CI: 54.5-61.2) and 90.2% (95% CI: 86.8-93.1), respectively. The positive predictive value and negative predictive value were 93.1% and 48.6%, respectively.

CONCLUSION

CXR is a useful initial screening tool to evaluate pediatric trauma patients along with clinical presentation in the Emergency Department in children.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE

Level III, diagnostic test.

Management of chest trauma in children

Chest trauma in children is caused by high-energy blows, due in general to traffic accidents, that involve several other body regions. They occur mainly in the first decade of life and can be penetrating but are more often non-penetrating. Rib fractures and lung contusions, sometimes associated with pneumothorax or haemothorax, are the more usual injuries, but tracheobronchial rupture, cardiac, oesophageal or diaphragmatic injuries may also occur. These injuries are treated with supportive respiratory and haemodynamic measures, drainage of air or blood from the pleural space and, at times, surgical repair of the injured organ(s). Ruptures of the airway may be difficult to treat and occasionally require suture, anastomosis or resection. Oesophageal injuries can be treated conservatively with antibiotics, drainage and parenteral nutrition. Diaphragmatic tears should be repaired operatively. Overall mortality ranges from 6 to 20%. Mortality is high but this is mainly due to the associated presence of extra-thoracic trauma, and particularly to head injuries.

Traumatic vertebral fractures with concomitant fractures of the first rib

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the characteristics of patients with traumatic vertebral fractures and concomitant fractures of the first rib and their management.

METHODS

From January 2001 to December 2010, 17/3142 patients (0.5%) with traumatic vertebral fractures who presented to our hospitals had concomitant fractures of the first rib.

RESULTS

The study included 14 men (82.4%) and 3 women (17.6%) patients of age 32-57 years (mean, 46.6 years). The mechanisms of trauma were falls from heights in seven, motor vehicle accidents in five and direct collisions with blunt objects in five. Thirteen patients (76.5%) presented initially with pulmonary complications after sustaining trauma. Three patients sustained one rib fracture, two three rib fractures, three four rib fractures and 10 >  five rib fractures. The injuries were right-sided in three cases, left-sided in three and bilateral in eleven. Four patients (23.5%) presented with craniocerebral injuries. According to the American Spinal Injury Association (ASIA) classification, 10 patients (58.8% of the total study group) had motor and sensory deficits (ASIA A-D). There were no vascular injuries or deaths.

CONCLUSION

Traumatic vertebral fractures with concomitant fractures of the first rib are associated with multisystem injuries, but not always with morbidity and mortality. A multidisciplinary approach, early diagnosis, appropriate treatment and observation in the intensive care unit may prevent morbidity and/or mortality.

Surgical intervention in vascular trauma in children

Vascular trauma is uncommon in children but may be complex. Arterial injury in children presents a challenge to the surgeon and may have long-term implications. Children have major advantage of a rich-collateral circulation but are still growing and developing. Decisions about when to operate remain an issue.

METHODS

Patients (<13 years) with vascular injury requiring surgical intervention were retrospectively reviewed from a trauma database of 446 trauma patients admitted to the Tygerberg Children's Hospital. Demographic data, and factors influencing the outcome were studied, as well as different modalities of management.

RESULTS

We reviewed a total of 20 children where surgical intervention for vascular trauma was required. Six resulted from penetrating injuries (two gunshots), ten followed blunt trauma (two popliteal extension injuries), one degloving injury, two presented later with arterio-venous fistulae. Haemorrhage from the wound in one haemophiliac patient made urgent surgery mandatory. One patient with a gunshot damage of the vertebral artery was successfully managed by radiological embolism (coils). Outcome was variable and long-term limb maldevelopment occurred in one patient.

CONCLUSION

Vascular injuries may be difficult to manage in childhood due to their complexity. Growth and developmental considerations must be borne in mind during treatment.