Anaesthetic and critical care management of thoracic injuries

Craniectomy and Traumatic Brain Injury in Children on Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation Support

Severe trauma may cause refractory life-threatening respiratory failure requiring extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO). Concurrent traumatic brain injury, however, complicates the use of ECMO because of the major risk of intracranial bleeding with systemic anticoagulation. Craniotomy and/or craniectomy for hematoma evacuation during ECMO are extremely high-risk procedures secondary to ongoing anticoagulation, and there are only a few such case reports in the literature. We present the case of a child with multiple thoracic injuries and life-threatening respiratory failure supported on ECMO. She developed an intracranial hemorrhage while systemically heparinized that required emergent decannulation and bedside craniectomy for hematoma extraction. She survived with an excellent neurologic outcome. We also review the relevant literature regarding the use of ECMO in patients with polytrauma and the occurrence of craniectomy on extracorporeal support, with a focus on pediatric publications. Patients with polytrauma with brain injury can be supported on ECMO, but extreme precaution must be taken regarding anticoagulation. The intracranial complications of ECMO in this population are not infrequent, but our case report and review of the literature suggest that neurosurgical intervention should be considered in life-threatening conditions when no other alternatives are available.

[Blunt chest trauma: possibilities to stabilize multiple and floating ribs fractures]

AIM

To improve surgical treatment of patients with multiple and flotating ribs fractures.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

A comparative analysis of two groups of victims with rib fractures was carried out. 148 patients of the control group underwent conservative treatment, mechanical ventilation, skeletal traction. In 167 patients of the main group we used advanced surgical tactics based on differentiated, stepwise and combined chest stabilization including osteosynthesis of ribs and thoracoscopy.

RESULTS

Immediate results for each type of stabilization were evaluated. The most durable respiratory support was observed in case of ventilation alone - internal pneumatic stabilization without surgical stabilization. Osteosynthesis of the ribs had the best outcomes compared with other methods. An efficacy of developed tactics was confirmed by significantly reduced morbidity, mortality, mechanical ventilation time and ICU-stay in main group.

CONCLUSION

Surgical tactics in patients with multiple and flotating fractures of the ribs is determined by type of ribs and internal organs damage, combined trauma severity and conditions of medical care. Differentiated, stepwise and combined chest stabilization by using of high-tech methods of medical care (osteosynthesis, thoracoscopy) improves the outcomes in these patients.

Brazilian recommendations of mechanical ventilation 2013. Part 2

Perspectives on invasive and noninvasive ventilatory support for critically ill patients are evolving, as much evidence indicates that ventilation may have positive effects on patient survival and the quality of the care provided in intensive care units in Brazil. For those reasons, the Brazilian Association of Intensive Care Medicine (Associação de Medicina Intensiva Brasileira - AMIB) and the Brazilian Thoracic Society (Sociedade Brasileira de Pneumologia e Tisiologia - SBPT), represented by the Mechanical Ventilation Committee and the Commission of Intensive Therapy, respectively, decided to review the literature and draft recommendations for mechanical ventilation with the goal of creating a document for bedside guidance as to the best practices on mechanical ventilation available to their members. The document was based on the available evidence regarding 29 subtopics selected as the most relevant for the subject of interest. The project was developed in several stages, during which the selected topics were distributed among experts recommended by both societies with recent publications on the subject of interest and/or significant teaching and research activity in the field of mechanical ventilation in Brazil. The experts were divided into pairs that were charged with performing a thorough review of the international literature on each topic. All the experts met at the Forum on Mechanical Ventilation, which was held at the headquarters of AMIB in São Paulo on August 3 and 4, 2013, to collaboratively draft the final text corresponding to each sub-topic, which was presented to, appraised, discussed and approved in a plenary session that included all 58 participants and aimed to create the final document.

Brazilian recommendations of mechanical ventilation 2013. Part 2

Perspectives on invasive and noninvasive ventilatory support for critically ill patients are evolving, as much evidence indicates that ventilation may have positive effects on patient survival and the quality of the care provided in intensive care units in Brazil. For those reasons, the Brazilian Association of Intensive Care Medicine (Associação de Medicina Intensiva Brasileira - AMIB) and the Brazilian Thoracic Society (Sociedade Brasileira de Pneumologia e Tisiologia - SBPT), represented by the Mechanical Ventilation Committee and the Commission of Intensive Therapy, respectively, decided to review the literature and draft recommendations for mechanical ventilation with the goal of creating a document for bedside guidance as to the best practices on mechanical ventilation available to their members. The document was based on the available evidence regarding 29 subtopics selected as the most relevant for the subject of interest. The project was developed in several stages, during which the selected topics were distributed among experts recommended by both societies with recent publications on the subject of interest and/or significant teaching and research activity in the field of mechanical ventilation in Brazil. The experts were divided into pairs that were charged with performing a thorough review of the international literature on each topic. All the experts met at the Forum on Mechanical Ventilation, which was held at the headquarters of AMIB in São Paulo on August 3 and 4, 2013, to collaboratively draft the final text corresponding to each sub-topic, which was presented to, appraised, discussed and approved in a plenary session that included all 58 participants and aimed to create the final document.

Evolution in the management of traumatic diaphragmatic injuries: a multicenter review

BACKGROUND

Traumatic diaphragmatic injury (TDI) is uncommon and has historically been identified by chest x-ray and repaired by laparotomy with nonabsorbable suture. Blunt TDI was more frequently (90%) detected on the left. With advances in imaging and operative techniques, our objective was to evaluate evolution in incidence, location, and management of TDI.

METHODS

The medical records of patients admitted to three Wisconsin regional trauma centers with TDI from 1996 to 2011 were reviewed. Patients were stratified into blunt and penetrating injury and early (1996-2003) and recent (2004-2011) periods. p < 0.05 was significant.

RESULTS

A total of 454 patients was included, 87% were men. Median Injury Severity Score (ISS) was 22 and 19 in the early and recent periods, respectively. Diagnostic modality for TDI did not change over time when comparing chest x-ray, computed tomography, or intraoperative diagnosis for blunt (p = 0.214) or penetrating (p = 0.119) TDI. More right-sided penetrating TDI were identified in the recent versus early group (49% vs. 27%). Perihiatal injury was rare (2%). Minimally invasive repairs increased in the recent versus early group of penetrating TDI (5.8% vs. 0.9%, p = 0.040). Complex repairs (mesh, transposition) were required in only three patients. In-hospital mortality was 15% and 4% for blunt and penetrating TDIs, respectively (p < 0.001).

CONCLUSION

A large increase in the frequency of both blunt and penetrating TDIs in our region was documented. While no difference was observed regarding diagnosis of blunt TDI during the two study periods, our data show a change from historical reports; more injuries were detected by computed tomography. An increase in right-sided penetrating TDI was also observed. A small but previously unreported incidence of perihiatal/pericardial injury occurred with both blunt and penetrating TDIs. While the majority of injuries were repaired with laparotomy, minimally invasive repairs were used more frequently in the recent period.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE

Epidemiologic study, level III. Therapeutic study, level IV.

Extracorporeal lung support in trauma patients with severe chest injury and acute lung failure: a 10-year institutional experience

Introduction

Severe trauma with concomitant chest injury is frequently associated with acute lung failure (ALF). This report summarizes our experience with extracorporeal lung support (ELS) in thoracic trauma patients treated at the University Medical Center Regensburg.

Methods

A retrospective, observational analysis of prospectively collected data (Regensburg ECMO Registry database) was performed for all consecutive trauma patients with acute pulmonary failure requiring ELS during a 10-year interval.

Results

Between April 2002 and April 2012, 52 patients (49 male, three female) with severe thoracic trauma and ALF refractory to conventional therapy required ELS. The mean age was 32 ± 14 years (range, 16 to 72 years). Major traffic accident (73%) was the most common trauma, followed by blast injury (17%), deep fall (8%) and blunt trauma (2%). The mean Injury Severity Score was 58.9 ± 10.5, the mean lung injury score was 3.3 ± 0.6 and the Sequential Organ Failure Assessment score was 10.5 ± 3. Twenty-six patients required pumpless extracorporeal lung assist (PECLA) and 26 patients required veno-venous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (vv-ECMO) for primary post-traumatic respiratory failure. The mean time to ELS support was 5.2 ± 7.7 days (range, <24 hours to 38 days) and the mean ELS duration was 6.9 ± 3.6 days (range, <24 hours to 19 days). In 24 cases (48%) ELS implantation was performed in an external facility, and cannulation was done percutaneously by Seldinger's technique in 98% of patients. Cannula-related complications occurred in 15% of patients (PECLA, 19% (n = 5); vv-ECMO, 12% (n = 3)). Surgery was performed in 44 patients, with 16 patients under ELS prevention. Eight patients (15%) died during ELS support and three patients (6%) died after ELS weaning. The overall survival rate was 79% compared with the proposed Injury Severity Score-related mortality (59%).

Conclusion

Pumpless and pump-driven ELS systems are an excellent treatment option in severe thoracic trauma patients with ALF and facilitate survival in an experienced trauma center with an interdisciplinary treatment approach. We encourage the use of vv-ECMO due to reduced complication rates, better oxygenation and best short-term outcome.

Management of severe thoracic impalement trauma against two-wheeled horse carriage: a case report and literature review

Thoracic injuries in general are of great importance due to their high incidence and high mortality. Thoracic impalement injuries are rare but severe due to the combination of cause, effect and result. This study's primary objective is to report the case of a young man who was impaled by a two-wheeled horse carriage shaft while crashing his motorcycle in a rural zone. An EMT-B ferry was called at the crash scene and a conscious patient was found, sustaining a severe impalement injury to the left hemithorax, suspended over the floor by the axial skeleton with the carriage shaft coming across his left chest. As a secondary objective, a literature review of thoracic impalement injuries is performed. Cases of thoracic impalement injury require unique and individualized care based on injury severity and affected organs. Reported protocols for managing impalement injuries are entirely anecdotal, with no uniformity on impaled patient's approach and management. In penetrating trauma, it is essential not to remove the impaled object, so that possible vascular lesions remain buffered by the object, avoiding major bleeding and exsanguination haemorrhage. Severed impaled thoracic patients should be transferred to a specialist centre for trauma care, as these lesions typically require complex multidisciplinary treatment. High-energy thoracic impalement injuries are rare and hold a high mortality rate, due to the complexity of trauma and associated injuries such as thoracic wall and lung lesions. Modern medicine still seems limited in cases of such seriousness, not always with satisfactory results.

Initial management and resuscitation of severe chest trauma

Severe chest trauma, blunt or penetrating, is responsible for up to 25% of traumatic deaths in North America. Respiratory compromise is the most frequent dramatic presentation in blunt trauma, while injuries to the heart and great vessels pose the greatest risk of immediate death following penetrating trauma. More than 80% of patients will be managed with interventions that can be performed in the emergency department. This article reviews the presentation, diagnosis, and management of the most important thoracic injuries. A structured approach to the acutely unstable patient is proposed to guide resuscitation decisions.