Management of combat vascular injuries using modern imaging: are we getting better?

The Role of the Inflammatory Response in Mediating Functional Recovery Following Composite Tissue Injuries

Composite tissue injuries (CTI) are common among US Military Service members during combat operations, and carry a high potential of morbidity. Furthermore, CTI are often complicated due to an altered wound healing response, resulting in part from a dysregulation of the innate and adaptive immune responses. Unlike normal wound healing, in CTI, disruptions occur in innate immune responses, altering neutrophil functions, macrophage activation and polarization, further impacting the functions of T regulatory cells. Additionally, the biological underpinnings of these unfavorable wound healing conditions are multifactorial, including various processes, such as: ischemia, hypoxia, low nutrient levels, and altered cell metabolic pathways, among others, all of which are thought to trigger anergy in immune cells and destabilize adaptive immune responses. As a result, impaired wound healing is common in CTI. Herein, we review the altered innate and adaptive immune cells and their metabolic status and responses following CTI, and discuss the role a multi-pronged immunomodulatory approach may play in facilitating improved outcomes for afflicted patients.

Evaluation of extremity vascular injuries and treatment approaches

Background

: Vascular injuries are commonly seen in both emergency services and forensic medicine practise. They are often life-threatening, with high morbidity and mortality rates.

Aims

This study aimed to retrospectively evaluate extremity vascular injuries and the associated treatment approaches.

Methods

After obtaining approval from the ethics committee of the university, those patients admitted to the emergency department of Adiyaman between 1 February 2013 and 31 August 2018 were included in this study. The patients' data were obtained through the electronic records system, and the cases were evaluated according to the age, gender and cause of injury, including blunt force trauma injuries (accidents, traffic accidents, crush injuries and occupational accidents) and penetrating injuries (stabbing, gunshot wounds, suicide attempts and assaults). Additionally, the injuries were evaluated based on the extremity, according to the anatomical location and whether the injury was life-threatening.

Results

This study included 76 patients with extremity vascular injuries; 65 were males (85.52%), 11 were females (14.48%) and their average age was 33.24 ± 15.85 years. Forty-five (59.2%) of the patients had upper extremity vascular injuries, and 31 (40.3%) had lower extremity vascular injuries. In addition to arterial injuries, 26 (34.21%) of the patients had venous injuries and 22 (28.94%) had nerve injuries. Nine of these patients had neurological deficits due to their nerve injuries. All of the patients were revascularized within 3-5 hours, and none of the patients required amputations.

Conclusion

The primary goals in extremity vessel injury cases are to prevent mortality, especially after major vascular injuries, and save the extremity from amputation. With a fast, effective and multi-disciplinary approach, an accurate diagnosis and effective surgical intervention can prevent morbidity and mortality as well as reduce the rate of undesirable complications.

Vascular trauma in the Amazon - the challenge of great distances

OBJECTIVE

to evaluate the incidence of unfavorable outcomes in vascular trauma patients and their possible correlation to the distance between the city where the injury was sustained and the hospital where the patient received definitive treatment.

METHODS

descriptive and retrospective study. Data were collected from medical records of patients submitted to surgical procedures for arterial or venous injuries from February 2011 to February 2013 at the only trauma center providing vascular surgery in a vast area of the Amazon region. Trauma date, patient gender and age, mechanism and anatomic topography of injury, surgical management, need for surgical re-intervention, hospitalization period, postoperative complications, mortality and limb amputation rates were analyzed. The incidence of unfavorable outcomes was assessed according to the distance between the city where the vascular injury was sustained and the trauma center.

RESULTS

One hundred seventy-three patients with 255 vascular injuries were analyzed; 95.95% were male (p<0.05), mean age of 28.92 years; 47.4% were caused by firearm projectiles (p<0.05); topographic distribution: 45.66% lower limbs (p<0.05), 37.57% upper limbs, 6.94% abdominal, 5.2% thoracic and 4.62% were cervical vascular injuries; 51.42% of patients required hospitalization for seven days or less (p<0.05); limb amputation was necessary in 15.6% and the overall mortality was 6.36%.

CONCLUSION

distances greater than 200 Km were associated to longer hospitalization period; distances greater than 300 Km were associated to increased limb amputation probability; severe vascular trauma have an increased death probability when patients need to travel more than 200 Km for surgical treatment.

Comparison of Conventional Angiographic Findings between Trauma Patients with or without Runoff

OBJECTIVE

To compare the conventional angiographic findings in extremity trauma patients with or without runoff.

METHODS

This was cross-sectional study including all the patients with extremity trauma who underwent conventional angiography during the 2 year period from 2011 to 2013 in Angiography departments of Mashhad University of Medical Sciences. Mechanism of trauma, type of injury and angiographic findings were recorded in a questionnaire for each patient. After completion of treatment and discharge, the treatment type was added. The characteristics as well as clinical findings were compared between those who were diagnosed to have arterial runoff ad those who did not.

RESULTS

One hundred and forty eight traumatic patients including 15 female with age range of 11-82 years and 133 men ranging from 25 to 40 years were enrolled. Abnormal angiographic findings were provided in 99 (66.9%) patients including cutoff with distal runoff (n=60, 60.6% of abnormalities), cut off without distal runoff (n=21, 21.2%) and spasm (n=14, 14.1%) and other findings (n=4, 4%). Fifty one cases were treated under open surgery and amputation of traumatic limb was done for 13 patients. Amputation rate was higher in patients with cutoff and without runoff than those with cutoff and runoff (33.3% vs. 6.78%; p=0.002).

CONCLUSION

Causes and types of traumatic arterial injury in our study were different with other reports. It was shown that angiographic findings were less important in prognosis and management of patients. Patients with spasm in angiographic findings had a better prognosis than other patients and mostly did not need any vascular surgery. The presence or absence of a distal run off in primary angiographic findings can have a predictive value in the final amputation rate.