Sternal Fractures in Blunt Chest Trauma: Retrospective Analysis of 330 Cases.

Objective: To analyse the range of injuries associated with sternal fracture (SF) and their clinical features and outcomes.

Study Design: Observational study.

Place And Duration Of Study: Department of Emergency Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Selcuk University, Konya, Turkey, from July 2010 to July 2020.

Dyspnoea and chest pain as the presenting symptoms of pneumomediastinum: two cases and a review of the literature.

Pneumomediastinum is the presence of air in the mediastinum. It may occur as spontaneous, traumatic, or iatrogenic pneumomediastinum. Although spontaneous pneumomediastinum is usually observed in healthy young men, traumatic pneumomediastinum may be caused by blunt or penetrating trauma to the chest and neck.

Red cell distribution width and neurological scoring systems in acute stroke patients.

Objectives: The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the association between the red blood cell distribution width (RDW) and the Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS), Canadian Neurological Scale (CNS), and National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) scores in patients who had acute ischemic stroke.

Methods: This prospective observational cohort study included 88 patients who have had acute ischemic stroke and a control group of 40 patients who were evaluated in the Emergency Department for disorders other than acute ischemic stroke. All subjects had RDW determined, and stroke patients had scoring with the GCS, CNS, and NIHSS scores.

Causes of poisoning in patients evaluated in a hospital emergency department in Konya, Turkey.

Objectives: To evaluate demographic and clinical characteristics of patients with poisoning at a community hospital.

Methods: The retrospective study comprised records of patients who were admitted to the emergency department of Konya Numune Hospital, Turkey, because of poisoning between January 1, 2009, and December 31, 2011. Data was evaluated for age, gender, educational status, occupation, arrival time, mechanism of intoxication , body temperature, pulse, respiratory rate, Glasgow Coma Scale score, treatment applied, duration of hospital stay, duration of follow-up, test results, final diagnosis, clinical disposition, and outcome.

Pregnancy-associated plasma protein A and procalcitonin as markers of myocardial injury in patients with acute coronary syndrome.

Background/aim: To evaluate pregnancy-associated plasma protein A (PAPP-A), ischemia-modified albumin (IMA), procalcitonin, and troponin I levels as diagnostic markers of acute coronary syndrome in patients admitted to the emergency department.

Materials And Methods: The serum PAPP-A, IMA, procalcitonin, and troponin I levels were measured in 100 patients with acute coronary syndrome admitted to the emergency department and 100 healthy control subjects.

Results: Patients with acute coronary syndrome had significantly greater mean serum PAPP-A (patients, 10 ± 10 mIU/L; control subjects, 6 ± 10 mIU/L; P < 0.

Neuroprotective effects of sildenafil in experimental spinal cord injury in rabbits.

Neuroprotective agents such as methylprednisolone and sildenafil may limit damage after spinal cord injury. We evaluated the effects of methylprednisolone and sildenafil on biochemical and histologic changes after spinal cord injury in a rabbit model. Female New Zealand rabbits (32 rabbits) were allocated to 4 equal groups: laminectomy only (sham control) or laminectomy and spinal trauma with no other treatment (trauma control) or treatment with either methylprednisolone or sildenafil.

Traumatic pneumorrhachis: 2 cases and review of the literature.

The presence of air in the spinal canal is known as pneumorrhachis (PNR), aerorachia, intraspinal pneumocele, pneumosaccus, pneumomyelogra, or intraspinal air. Pneumorrhachis may be iatrogenic, traumatic, and nontraumatic. We treated 2 patients who had posttraumatic PNR in the cervical spine region after stab injuries.

Hemolysis associated with pneumatic tube system transport for blood samples.

Objective: The frequency of hemolysis of blood samples may be increased by transport in a pneumatic tube system. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of pneumatic tube system transport on hemolysis of blood samples.

Methods: Blood samples were transported from the emergency department to the hospital laboratory manually by hospital staff (49 patients) or with a pneumatic tube system (53 patients).

Trauma in elderly patients evaluated in a hospital emergency department in Konya, Turkey: a retrospective study.

Purpose: Trauma is a common cause of admission to the hospital emergency department. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the cause of admission, clinical characteristics, and outcomes of patients aged ≥65 years admitted to an emergency department in Turkey because of blunt trauma.

Materials And Methods: Medical records were retrospectively reviewed for 568 patients (314 women and 254 men) aged ≥65 years who were admitted to an emergency department of a tertiary care hospital.

Levels of selenium, zinc, copper, and cardiac troponin I in serum of patients with acute coronary syndrome.

The aim of this study was to assess the levels of selenium (Se), zinc (Zn), copper (Cu), and troponin I (TnI) in patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) on admission to our emergency department in comparison to healthy control subjects. Patients with diagnosed ACS (n = 100) were included in the study group. Control subjects (n = 100) were selected from healthy volunteers in the same age range.

Seizures after overdoses of bupropion intake.

Background: Bupropion is a new-generation monocyclic antidepressant that has been accidentally found to have potential effects on reducing nicotine addiction. It is structurally similar to stimulants such as amphetamine and inhibits dopamine and noradrenalin reuptake selectively.

Case Reports: We report two cases with no history of epilepsy who took oral bupropion for depression and had generalised tonic-clonic type of seizures in their follow-ups.

Reversible myocarditis after spider bite.

Black widow spiders (Latrodectus tredecimguttatus) are poisonous spiders endemic in Turkey. Latrodectus bites may cause myocarditis with increased cardiac enzymes. We treated two men (aged 20 and 33 years) who had myocarditis after black spider bites with leucocytosis and elevated levels of troponin I, creatine kinase and creatine kinase-MB fraction.

Cerebral infarction caused by traumatic carotid artery dissection.

Traumatic carotid artery dissection, if not diagnosed and treated early, is a serious problem with permanent neurological deficit and a high mortality rate of up to 40%. We present a case with delayed diagnosis of traumatic carotid artery dissection in a 21-year-old female. While there were no ischemic infarct findings on the admission cerebral computerized tomography (CT), such findings were observed on two cerebral CTs taken because of the left hemiplegia noticed seven days later when the patient regained consciousness.

Inferior vena cava diameter as a marker of early hemorrhagic shock: a comparative study.

Background: We determined the value of the inferior vena cava (IVC) diameter for predicting acute blood loss in control and blunt trauma patients and compared this with other parameters of hemorrhagic shock.

Methods: Fifty volunteers and 28 consecutive hemorrhagic shock patients were recruited prospectively to participate in the study. Vital signs, blood lactate, and serum bicarbonate were measured, and shock index and base excess were calculated.

The effects of mannitol and melatonin on MRI findings in an animal model of traumatic brain edema.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to compare the effects of mannitol and melatonin on brain edema secondary to trauma using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).

Methods: A mild traumatic brain injury with the Feeney method was performed upon twelve New Zealand rabbits. Three hours after the trauma was inflicted, MRI images were obtained, then the subjects were divided into two groups: a mannitol group and a melatonin group.

Serum and cerebrospinal fluid magnesium levels, Glasgow Coma Scores, and in-hospital mortality in patients with acute stroke.

The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between serum and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) magnesium(Mg+2) levels, Glasgow Coma Scores (GCS), and 7-day mortality in acute stroke patients. Patients with acute ischemic or hemorrhagic stroke arriving within the first 3 h of symptoms were included in the study. The control group consisted of healthy volunteers.

Magnesium sulfate in emergency department patients with hypertension.

To compare the effect of IV magnesium with other antihypertensives in emergency department (ED) patients with hypertension. ED patients with a systolic BP > 135 mmHg or diastolic BP > 85 were approached for entry into the study. Those granting consent were randomly placed into one of three treatment groups: (1) 1.

Timing of thoracolomber spine stabilization in trauma patients; impact on neurological outcome and clinical course. A real prospective (rct) randomized controlled study.

Objective: Optimal timing of stabilization for spinal injuries is discussed controversially. The goal of this study is to investigate the neurological recovery and its influencing factors in thoracolumbar spine fractures after surgical decompression and stabilization within 8 h of spinal cord injury versus surgery which is performed between 3 and 15 days.

Methods: Twenty-seven patients undergoing thoracolumbar stabilization with neurological deficit for an acute thoracolumbar spinal injury at the level of Th8-L2 vertebra at Selcuk University between March 2004 and December 2006 were recorded.

Total right coronary artery obstruction related to penetrating injuries of the thorax caused by gunshot.

A 51-year-old male patient with penetrating injury to the thorax caused by gunshot was admitted to the emergency room. He suffered from typical chest pain and ECG showed acute inferior myocardial infarction. Coronary angiography of the patient revealed missile embolization in the right coronary artery and total occlusion related to thrombus.

Prediction of arterial blood gas values from venous blood gas values in patients with acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Arterial blood gas (ABG) analysis has an important role in the clinical assessment of patients with acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (AECOPD). However, arterial puncture or insertion of an arterial catheter has many drawbacks. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether venous blood gas (VBG) values of pH, partial pressure of carbon dioxide (PCO(2)) and oxygen (PO(2)), bicarbonate (HCO(3)), and oxygen saturation (SO(2)) can reliably predict ABG levels in patients with AECOPD.

Fibrinolytic markers and neurologic outcome in traumatic brain injury.

Aims: To determine the usefulness of fibrinolytic markers as early prognostic indicators in patients with isolated head trauma.

Materials And Methods: Sixty-two consecutive patients (26 women and 36 men; mean age 61 years, range 2-76 years) with isolated head trauma seen within the first three hours of the trauma were included in the study. The Glasgow Coma score (GCS), platelet counts (Plt), prothrombin time (PT), partial thromboplastin time (PTT), fibrinogen, fibrin degradation products (FDP) and D-dimer levels were measured.

[An evaluation of the relationship between blood glucose level and prognosis in acute phase of head injuries].

Background: We evaluated the relationship between blood glucose level and Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) and prognosis in acute phase of head injuries.

Methods: The study included 62 patients (26 females, 36 males; mean age 61 years; range 4 to 76 years) who were admitted within the first three hours following isolated head injuries. Initial GCS scores were determined and blood glucose levels were measured.