Non-operative management for penetrating splenic trauma: how far can we go to save splenic function?

Background: Selective non-operative management (NOM) for the treatment of blunt splenic trauma is safe. Currently, the feasibility of selective NOM for penetrating splenic injury (PSI) is unclear. Unfortunately, little is known about the success rate of spleen-preserving surgical procedures.

Early decreased neutrophil responsiveness is related to late onset sepsis in multitrauma patients: An international cohort study.

Background: Severe trauma can lead to the development of infectious complications after several days, such as sepsis. Early identification of patients at risk will aid anticipating these complications. The aim of this study was to test the relation between the acute (<24 hours) inflammatory response after injury measured by neutrophil responsiveness and the late (>5 days) development of septic complications and validate this in different trauma populations.

Serum lipase should be the laboratory test of choice for suspected acute pancreatitis.

Background. Serum lipase and amylase are biochemical analyses used to establish the diagnosis of acute pancreatitis (AP). Despite lipase having been shown internationally to be a more sensitive and specific test, amylase remains a popular first-line test.

Penetrating thorax injury leads to mild systemic activation of neutrophils without inflammatory complications.

Introduction: Trauma is one of the major causes of morbidity and mortality. Thoracic injuries are associated with inflammatory complications such as ARDS. The pathogenesis of this complication after pulmonary injury is incompletely understood, but neutrophils are thought to play a pivotal role.

Efficacy of tigecycline versus ceftriaxone plus metronidazole for the treatment of complicated intra-abdominal infections: results from a randomized, controlled trial.

Background: This randomized, open-label, multi-center trial compared tigecycline (TGC), a broad-spectrum glycylcycline, with ceftriaxone-metronidazole (CTX/MET) for the treatment of complicated intra-abdominal infections (cIAI).

Methods: Eligible subjects were randomized to receive TGC 100 mg followed by 50 mg q 12 h or CTX 2 g qd plus MET 1-2 g daily for 4-14 days. Subjects were stratified by Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation (APACHE) II score ≤10 or >10 and could not receive oral therapy.

IBD care in Europe: A comparative audit of the inpatient management of Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis using the national UK IBD audit tool.

Background And Aims: The National UK IBD audit tool is an electronic database created to improve the quality and safety of care for IBD patients by auditing individual patient care, service resources and organisation against national standards. We used the National UK IBD audit tool to compare the organisation and process of IBD care between services in Oxford (UK) and Milan (Italy), as a pilot study to evaluate its application outside national boundaries.

Methods: Clinical and demographic data of patients with CD and UC, consecutively admitted during a 2month period, were collected and compared between the centres, to each other and to the UK IBD standards obtained by previous audit analyses performed in Oxford in 2006.

Prolonged prothrombin time after recombinant activated factor VII therapy in critically bleeding trauma patients is associated with adverse outcomes.

Background: In trauma patients with significant hemorrhage, it is hypothesized that failure to normalize prothrombin time (PT) after recombinant activated factor VII (rFVIIa) treatment predicts poor clinical outcomes and potentially indicates a need for additional therapeutic interventions.

Methods: To assess the value of PT to predict outcomes after rFVIIa or placebo therapy, we performed a post hoc analysis of data from 169 severely injured, critically bleeding trauma patients who had 1-hour postdose PT measurements from two randomized clinical trials. Baseline characteristics and outcome parameters were compared between subjects with 1-hour postdose PT >or=18 seconds and PT <18 seconds.

The treatment of bleeding is to stop the bleeding! Treatment of trauma-related hemorrhage.

Background: The secret with any alternative to transfusion is to minimize the need for transfusion in the first place. This can be done by reducing the volume of blood loss. The volume of blood being lost can be reduced by direct methods where possible (i.

Long-term results of stent graft treatment of subclavian artery injuries: management of choice for stable patients?

Background: The management of penetrating subclavian artery injuries poses a formidable surgical challenge. The feasibility of stent graft repair is already established. General use of this modality is not widely accepted due to concerns regarding the long-term outcome in a generally young patient population.

Safety of rFVIIa in hemodynamically unstable polytrauma patients with traumatic brain injury: post hoc analysis of 30 patients from a prospective, randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind clinical trial.

Background: Trauma is a leading cause of mortality and morbidity, with traumatic brain injury (TBI) and uncontrolled hemorrhage responsible for the majority of these deaths. Recombinant activated factor VIIa (rFVIIa) is being investigated as an adjunctive hemostatic treatment for bleeding refractory to conventional replacement therapy in trauma patients. TBI is a common component of polytrauma injuries.

Comparison of sequential intravenous/oral ciprofloxacin plus metronidazole with intravenous ceftriaxone plus metronidazole for treatment of complicated intra-abdominal infections.

Background And Purpose: Intra-abdominal infections are a substantial clinical problem and an important cause of morbidity and death in the hospital. Optimal treatment requires both source control and antibiotic therapy. Sequential intravenous (IV) to oral therapy may improve patient convenience and reduce total health care costs.

Pharmacokinetics of recombinant activated factor VII in trauma patients with severe bleeding.

Introduction: Recombinant activated factor VII (rFVIIa) has been used as adjunctive therapy in trauma patients with severe bleeding. However, its pharmacokinetics profile remains unknown.

Methods: In two placebo-controlled studies in patients with blunt and penetrating trauma, the pharmacokinetics of rFVIIa given at an initial dose of 200 microg x kg-1 after transfusion of eight red blood cell units, followed by additional doses of 100 microg x kg-1, one and three hours later, have been studied, based on the FVII coagulant activity assay.

Benefit/risk profile of high-dose antithrombin in patients with severe sepsis treated with and without concomitant heparin.

A randomised, prospective, placebo-controlled phase III multicentre clinical trial (KyberSept) has been performed to test the efficacy of high-dose antithrombin therapy in patients with severe sepsis. Concomitant low-dose heparin has been routinely given in two thirds of patients for deep vein thrombosis prophylaxis. This study analyses heparin - antithrombin interactions in terms of long-term mortality, adverse events, and thromboembolic events.

Efficacy and safety of ertapenem versus piperacillin-tazobactam for the treatment of intra-abdominal infections requiring surgical intervention.

Complicated intra-abdominal infections usually mandate prompt surgical intervention supplemented by appropriate antimicrobial therapy. The aim of this study was to demonstrate that ertapenem was not inferior to piperacillin-tazobactam for the treatment of community-acquired intra-abdominal infections. A randomized open-label active-comparator clinical trial was conducted at 48 medical centers on four continents from December 2001 to February 2003.

Telavancin versus standard therapy for treatment of complicated skin and skin structure infections caused by gram-positive bacteria: FAST 2 study.

Telavancin is a bactericidal lipoglycopeptide with a multifunctional mechanism of action. We conducted a randomized, double blind, active-control phase II trial. Patients > or = 18 years of age with complicated skin and skin structure infections caused by suspected or confirmed gram-positive organisms were randomized to receive either telavancin at 10 mg/kg intravenously every 24 h (q24h) or standard therapy (antistaphylococcal penicillin at 2 g q6h or vancomycin at 1 g q12h).

Neurofibromatosis of the esophagus.

There have been previous reports suggesting an association between von Recklinghausen's neurofibromatosis and esophageal dysmotility. We report the first case of true Recklinghausen's neurofibromatosis of the esophagus leading to end-stage pseudoachalasia. The diagnosis and management of this condition is discussed together with the pathogenesis and pathology of this rare entity.

High-dose antithrombin III in the treatment of severe sepsis in patients with a high risk of death: efficacy and safety.

Objective: To explore if patients with severe sepsis and with a predicted high risk of death (according to the Simplified Acute Physiology Score II) might have a treatment benefit from high-dose antithrombin III.

Design: Subgroup analysis of a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind, prospective phase III study.

Setting: Unifactorial and multifactorial reanalysis of prospectively defined populations from the KyberSept trial.

Recombinant factor VIIa as adjunctive therapy for bleeding control in severely injured trauma patients: two parallel randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind clinical trials.

Background: Uncontrolled bleeding is a leading cause of death in trauma. Two randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind trials (one in blunt trauma and one in penetrating trauma) were conducted simultaneously to evaluate the efficacy and safety of recombinant factor VIIa (rFVIIa) as adjunctive therapy for control of bleeding in patients with severe blunt or penetrating trauma.

Methods: Severely bleeding trauma patients were randomized to rFVIIa (200, 100, and 100 microg/kg) or placebo in addition to standard treatment.

Recombinant human platelet-activating factor acetylhydrolase for treatment of severe sepsis: results of a phase III, multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, clinical trial.

Objective: Platelet-activating factor (PAF) and structurally-related oxidized phospholipids are proinflammatory mediators in systemic inflammatory states such as severe sepsis. The enzyme platelet-activating factor acetylhydrolase (PAF-AH) rapidly degrades PAF and oxidized phospholipids into inactive metabolites. Reduced PAF-AH activity has been observed in patients with severe sepsis and may contribute to their systemic inflammatory response and organ dysfunction.

Neurologic outcome after penetrating extracranial arterial trauma.

Purpose: We undertook this study to determine factors that adversely affect outcome in patients with penetrating injury to the extracranial cerebral vasculature. Patients and methods Medical records were reviewed for all patients who had undergone surgical intervention to treat penetrating injury to the extracranial cerebral arteries between January 1989 and December 1999. Forensic autopsy findings were also reviewed for all patients who died as a result of their injury.

Duodenal injuries: surgical management adapted to circumstances.

Objectives: To evaluate the results of an evolving policy of primary repair of duodenal injuries, when considered feasible and safe, complemented by pyloric exclusion if any doubt as to the integrity of the repair existed.

Patients And Methods: A prospective analysis of all patients with surgically identified duodenal injuries treated at a single institution over a 3-year period.

Results: In 30 patients studied, there were four deaths (13%) and an overall complication rate of 47%.