Long-term follow-up of brachial artery ligation in children

Duplex ultrasound for assessing vascular impairment after supracondylar humerus fractures

BACKGROUND

Supracondylar humerus fractures (SHF) are the second most common fracture in children and the most common fracture in children under seven years. Subtle neurovascular lesions in displaced SHF may be underdiagnosed clinically, but their sequelae can mean life-long symptoms. Here we show that color-coded duplex ultrasound (DUS) could help to identify these patients.

METHODS

We reviewed records of 229 children who had recovered from SHF. Ninety patients were available for detailed questionnaires, in-depth neurovascular examinations, and DUS.

RESULTS

In 90 examined patients, only two had been known to have suffered from vascular complications before our study. Only one still complained spontaneously about perfusion-induced symptoms. Qualitative changes in blood flow in duplex-sonography were detectable in both. Another two patients showed similar changes in blood flow at the fracture site. Both reported load-induced pain and paresthesia on detailed inquisition when no vascular impairments had been known before. Thus, duplex-sonography identified two patients with vascular affections that had not been noticed before in routine clinical examinations.

CONCLUSION

DUS can be a sensitive tool in diagnosing vascular impairments in patients with SHF. It could reduce diagnostic insecurity, especially in anesthetized or otherwise hard to examine children, and thus help avoid the therapeutic delay that otherwise might foster life-long sequelae for the patients. More studies are needed to establish age-adjusted reference values for duplex-sonography of children's arms. Level of Evidence: Level III, Study of nonconsecutive patients (without consistently applied reference).

Management of upper extremity arterial penetrating vascular trauma

Penetrating vascular injuries in the upper extremity are relatively uncommon; suboptimal treatment may result in significant morbidity including amputation. Arterial trauma accounted for 68% of amputations (24% in the upper extremity) during World War II. Although surgical techniques including microsurgical principles have matured, results vary secondary to the mechanism of injury, systemic factors, anatomic considerations and physiologic events. This annotated review article is based upon the literature and the author's 42 years of vascular trauma experience including over 1500 revascularizations and replantations. It discusses the complex interplay of associated injuries; the mechanism of injury, the location of the injury; the collateral circulation; the extent of soft tissue damage; the adequacy of debridement; the significance of pre-existing conditions; and magnitude of wound contamination. Based upon this evaluation, a guide to indications for arterial reconstruction is provided and a comprehensive management plan for vascular trauma may be derived.

Strategy of pulseless pink supracondylar humerus fracture treatment in children: a comparison of two approaches

PURPOSE

The appropriate treatment of pulseless pink supracondylar humerus fractures (SCHF) remains controversial. In this study, the outcomes of two treatment approaches (with and without vascular surgery) were compared.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

This was a retrospective multicenter study of patients with pulseless pink SCHFs treated in ten pediatric surgery, trauma, or orthopedics departments in the Czech and Slovak Republic between 2014 and 2018.

RESULTS

Of the total 3608 cases of displaced SCHF, 125 had the pulseless pink SCHF. Of those, 91% (114/125) did not undergo vascular surgery and 9% (11/125) underwent vascular surgery. The patients who did undergo vascular surgery had radial artery pulsation restored more frequently in the operating room (73% vs. 36%; p = 0.02), within 6 h (91% vs. 45%; p = 0.004), and within 24 h of surgery (91% vs. 57%; p = 0.05). However, 72 h after surgery, there was no significant difference in palpable radial artery pulsation between the vascular surgery and the non-vascular surgery groups (91% vs. 74%; p = 0.24). Additionally, no significant differences in long-term neurological (9% vs. 22%; p = 0.46) or circulatory (9% vs. 7%; p = 0.57) deficits were found between the two groups.

CONCLUSION

While vascular surgery in patients with pulseless pink SCHFs is associated with a more prompt restoration of radial artery pulsation, no statistical significant differences in terms of the restoration of neurological deficits or the risks of long-term neurological or circulatory deficits were found between patients with and without vascular surgery.

Overview of the contemporary management of supracondylar humeral fractures in children

PURPOSE

Supracondylar fractures are common injuries accounting for approximately 15% of all fractures in children with a large body of literature on this subject.

METHODS

 This article critically appraises the available evidence to provide an overview of the treatment options including the role and timing of surgery, the geometry of wire fixation and the management of nerve and arterial injury.

CONCLUSION

 Management decisions are based on a number of considerations particularly fracture stability. Closed reduction and percutaneous K-wire stabilisation are commonly recommended for an unstable displaced fracture. These techniques are however associated with the potential for iatrogenic neurological injury. Vascular injury is also rare but must be recognised and treated promptly to avoid significant permanent morbidity.

A systematic review of brachial artery ligation as a safe and feasible option in the management of arteriovenous dialysis access infection

OBJECTIVE

Creation of good long-term arteriovenous access is essential in patients requiring hemodialysis for end-stage renal failure. However, arteriovenous grafts or fistulae can be complicated by infection that may require emergency surgery. For infections that involve the brachial artery anastomosis, or if total graft explantation is indicated, brachial artery repair or reconstruction is often required. An alternative management strategy would be brachial artery ligation (BAL). We performed a systematic review to evaluate the outcomes of BAL that has been performed for infected arteriovenous grafts or fistulae.

METHODS

A thorough literature search was conducted using various electronic databases. We included articles that reported outcomes of BAL performed for infected arteriovenous grafts or fistulae. The primary outcome was the incidence of upper limb ischemia after BAL. Secondary outcomes were the need for urgent revascularization, need for upper limb amputation, and incidence of postoperative neurological deficit after BAL.

RESULTS

A total of five studies with a total of 125 patients were included in our systematic review. BAL was performed for infected arteriovenous grafts or fistulae for all studies. Follow-up period ranged from 1 to 27 months. The incidence of upper limb ischemia after BAL was low. Only a single study reported three patients who developed upper limb ischemia. Two patients required urgent revascularization, and one patient required forearm amputation after proximal ligation. All studies reported clearance of infection with no recurrence.

CONCLUSIONS

Distal BAL may be performed safely for patients with infected arteriovenous fistulae or grafts with low risk of upper limb ischemia, postoperative neurological deficit, and recurrent infection.

Arm reconstruction

The arm is less often concerned by reconstructive surgeries than more distal parts of the upper extremity. However, when affected, the arm is frequently part of complex mutilating injuries involving composite defects. For a given traumatic or oncologic defect, there are several reconstructive options and choosing the right sequence may pose a challenge even to the most experienced surgeon. The latter must integrate not only functional and esthetic requirements, but also the surgeon's habits, especially in situations of emergency. Once life-threatening conditions are averted, wound debridement, bony stabilization, neurovascular, and cutaneous reconstruction tailored to the defects should be performed in a single-stage procedure. Functionally, prompt bony stabilization is necessary to allow early mobilization. Diaphyseal shortening of the humerus can be a salvage procedure to avoid nerve and vascular grafting, with good biomechanical tolerance up to 5cm. Restoration of adequate elbow motion sometimes requires muscle transfer and should be a main concern, as proper positioning of the hand during daily activities demands a functional elbow joint. Esthetically, the surgeon must choose the most cosmetic skin coverage option whilst limiting morbidity of the donor site area. The flaps vascularized by the sub- scapular or thoraco-dorsal vessels are the most useful flaps for arm reconstruction. This paper discusses the reconstructive sequence of complex defects of the arm and provides a review of commonly used reconstructive techniques supported with illustrative cases.

Pulseless supracondylar humeral fractures in children: vascular complications in a ten year series

PURPOSE

The management of pulseless supracondylar fractures remains controversial. The aims of this study were to: (1) analyse functional and vascular outcomes of conservative treatment for cases with absent pulse before reduction, whether patients showed limb ischaemia or not; and (2) identify factors associated with vascular complications.

METHODS

Twenty-seven children with absent pulses on presentation were treated consecutively between 1999 and 2009. The brachial artery was surgically explored in cases of persistent signs of ischaemia after reduction. Signs of vascular impairment were recorded in the early post-operative period and at a mean final follow-up of 3.5 years.

RESULTS

Recurrent ischaemia with a compartment syndrome occurred in a patient with initial ischaemia and a pink, pulseless hand after reduction. Patients with an initially well-perfused hand and those with pre-operative ischaemia and palpable pulses after reduction had satisfactory outcomes, as did patients with early arterial exploration. No patient showed signs of chronic vascular impairment. The need for vascular repair was significantly correlated with open fracture, initial ischaemia and nerve impairment.

CONCLUSIONS

Conservative management of supracondylar fractures with absent pulses avoided long-term vascular complications provided that patients with a pulseless, well-perfused hand on presentation were closely monitored after reduction. Further study is necessary to determine whether a forearm Doppler would help identify children with absent pulses after reduction who need surgical revascularisation due to an insufficient collateral circulation.

Arteria lusoria aneurysm with truncus bicaroticus: surgical resection without restoring blood supply to the right arm

Arteria lusoria, an aberrant or anomalous right subclavian artery, is the most common anomaly of the aortic arch. It may be associated with other congenital anomalies of the heart and great vessels-including, rarely, truncus bicaroticus (a common trunk of both common carotid arteries), and, even more rarely, aneurysmal formation.Herein, we report the case of a 72-year-old man who had both an atherosclerotic aneurysm of an aberrant right subclavian artery and truncus bicaroticus. We resected the aneurysm through a posterolateral thoracotomy and did not restore the distal pulsatile blood supply to the right arm. During long-term clinical follow-up, the patient experienced no arm ischemia or cerebrovascular insufficiency.Aneurysm of arteria lusoria should be suspected in the presence of a right superior mediastinal mass on chest radiographs and should be considered as a cause of new-onset dyspnea, chest pain, or dysphagia. Symptomatic right arteria lusoria aneurysm should be removed promptly after diagnosis. Despite disagreement among investigators regarding the need to restore pulsatile blood flow to the right arm, we recommend reconstructing that flow, when possible.

The pink, pulseless hand after supracondylar fracture of the humerus in children

This annotation discusses the findings of two papers in the current issue describing the management of the neurovascular complications of supracondylar fractures of the humerus in childhood, with particular reference to the indications for and the timing of exploration of the brachial artery and the affected nerves.

Emergency ligation of the brachial artery for complications of vascular access

Safe, if there is no alternative

Blunt pediatric vascular trauma: analysis of forty-one consecutive patients undergoing operative intervention

PURPOSE

The purpose of this study was to determine the contribution of blunt vascular trauma to death and disability in children.

METHODS

We reviewed the medical records of 41 patients aged 17 years and younger requiring operative intervention for 48 blunt vascular injuries during the past 18 years.

RESULTS

Eight patients had arterial injuries (seven brachial, one superficial femoral) associated with orthopedic trauma resulting from falls. All eight were associated with a pulse deficit and were easily recognized. None of the eight had late sequelae after vascular repair. Thirty-three patients had vascular trauma as a result of motor vehicle crashes (n = 17), motor vehicle/pedestrian accidents (n = 12), or severe crush injuries (n = 4). Twenty-one (64%) were admitted in shock. Twenty-one major abdominal venous injuries were present in 17 patients and were lethal in 11 (65%). Abdominal venous injuries were not recognized before laparotomy. Nine of the 33 (27%) patients had extremity vascular injuries associated with orthopedic trauma, and three (9%) had major injuries of thoracic vessels. Only three patients had major abdominal arterial injuries in this series.

CONCLUSIONS

Vascular injuries resulting from blunt trauma are rare in the pediatric age group. Whereas blunt arterial injuries associated with long bone fractures are readily recognized, easily treated, and result in minimal late morbidity, blunt abdominal venous injuries are rarely recognized before exploration and are lethal in more than half. Devastating venous injuries are more common than arterial injuries after blunt abdominal trauma in children.