Blunt Traumatic Abdominal Wall Hernias: An Indicator for Emergent Laparotomy?

Background: Traumatic abdominal wall hernias (TAWH) are relatively uncommon; however, the shearing force that results in fascial disruption could indicate an increased risk of visceral injury. The aim of our study was to evaluate whether the presence of a TAWH was associated with intra-abdominal injury requiring emergent laparotomy.

Methods: The trauma registry was queried over an 8-year period (7/2012-7/2020) for adult patients with blunt thoracoabdominal trauma diagnosed with a TAWH.

Identification of Clinical Risk Factors Affecting Patient-Physician Communication.

Introduction: Patient satisfaction is an important indicator of quality in health care and is linked to clinical outcomes, patient retention, and professional satisfaction. Patients admitted to the hospital from the emergency department may not understand their diagnosis, reason for admission or plan of care, which can adversely impact their hospital experience. We aim to identify risk factors that contribute to poor patient-physician communication and to assess the effects of raising awareness of these issues to hospital providers.

Epstein-Barr virus-induced natural killer/T cell lymphoma arising in tonsil and cervical node tissue.

Infection with Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) has been linked to approximately 10%-15% of lymphomas diagnosed in the USA, including a small percentage of Natural Killer (NK)/T cell lymphomas, which are clinically aggressive, respond poorly to chemotherapy and have a shorter survival. Here, we present a case of a patient found to have EBV-induced NK/T cell lymphoma from a chronic EBV infection. While the EBV most commonly infects B cells, it can infect NK/T cells, and it is important for the clinician to be aware of the potential transformation to lymphoma as it is clinically aggressive, warranting early recognition and treatment.

Influence of Autopsy Reports on Trauma Registry Accuracy.

The trauma registry is a locally maintained database with information on all trauma patients, including patient demographics and injury data. One essential field is the injury severity score (ISS). Patients who expire on arrival, either in the emergency department or soon after, often cannot undergo a complete evaluation of their injuries.

Sex-related differences in intrinsic myocardial properties influence cardiac function in middle-aged rats during infarction-induced left ventricular remodeling.

We previously determined that residual left ventricular (LV) myocardium of middle-aged rats had sex-related differences in regional tissue properties 4 weeks after a large myocardial infarction (MI). However, the impact of such differences on cardiac performance remained unclear. Therefore, our current study aimed to elucidate whether sex-related changes in MI-induced myocardial remodeling can influence cardiac function.