Management options in penetrating rectal injuries.

A retrospective analysis of 54 patients (1976-1989) with penetrating rectal injuries was carried out to evaluate the options in management. The diagnosis was made on proctosigmoidoscopy in 39 patients and at laparotomy in 15. Three patients died within 24 hours from extensive associated trauma (Abdominal Trauma Index [ATI] 39.

Open management of the posttraumatic septic abdomen.

Thirteen patients with abdominal trauma who developed abdominal sepsis resistant to conventional methods of reexploration and drainage were managed by an open method. Eleven of these patients had multiorgan failure. The extent of anatomic and physiologic injury was defined by Abdominal Trauma Index and Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation (APACHE) scores, respectively.

Penetrating pancreatic injuries. Analysis of 103 consecutive cases.

The optimal management of penetrating pancreatic injuries continues to be a matter of debate and controversy. The present study analyzes 103 consecutive patients with these wounds treated at a level I Trauma Center in a 14-year period (1975-1988). Twenty-seven patients died within 48 hours from extensive associated trauma (Abdominal Trauma Index [ATI] 46.

Indications for barium enema preceding colostomy closure in trauma patients.

The need for a barium enema (BE) preceding colostomy closure is controversial. In the process of evaluating the usefulness of BE before closure of colostomies performed for colorectal injuries, we reviewed our experience with 84 trauma patients who underwent BE before colostomy closure. Patients who had their colonic injuries repaired or diverted during the initial procedure did not benefit from the precolostomy closure contrast study.

Penetrating renovascular trauma.

A 10-year experience with 39 patients having 40 renovascular injuries is presented. The overall mortality rate was 30%, predominantly from extensive associated trauma. Nephrectomy was performed in 20 patients (51%).

Open management of the septic abdomen: therapeutic and prognostic considerations based on APACHE II.

We analyzed the results of open treatment in 30 patients with abdominal sepsis (11 patients after trauma [group 1], five patients with pancreatic abscess [group 2], and 14 patients with acute GI pathology [group 3]) uncontrolled by conventional methods as evidenced by continuing fever with leukocytosis and worsening organ functions. APACHE scores at the time of initial laparotomy and at the time of open management, respectively, were: group 1, 19.8 and 16.

The injured heart.

Penetrating and blunt injuries to the heart, ranging from cardiac concussion to rupture, are seen more and more frequently. Prompt diagnosis because of a high index of suspicion and timely, well-executed resuscitative efforts are rewarded by remarkable survival rates, even in the patients presenting in extremis, whereas hesitancy in diagnosis and therapeutic action militates against a successful result.

Selective conservatism in abdominal stab wounds: the efficacy of serial physical examination.

An analysis of 186 consecutive patients with anterior abdominal stab wounds in a 2-year period was carried out to assess the efficacy of serial physical examination as the determining factor for the need for laparotomy. Of 106 patients managed by clinical evaluation, the incidence of negative laparotomy was 0.9% and three patients (2.

Intra-abdominal abscess after penetrating abdominal trauma.

We reviewed our experience with intra-abdominal abscess after penetrating abdominal trauma. Of a total of 872 laparotomies (1980-1986), 29 patients (0.7% of stab wounds and 6% of gunshot wounds) developed abscesses.

Nonoperative management versus early operation for blunt splenic trauma in adults.

Forty-eight adult patients with isolated splenic trauma from blunt injury were analyzed during a six year period (1980 to 1986). Early laparotomy was performed upon 38 patients and splenic preservation was accomplished in 18. The remaining ten patients who were hemodynamically stable were managed nonoperatively with close monitoring.

Portal vein injuries. Noninvasive follow-up of venorrhaphy.

The authors report their experience with 14 patients with portal vein injuries (1976-1986) treated at a level I trauma center. Seven patients (50%) survived and included six of 10 patients (60%) who had venorrhaphy and one in whom the portal vein was ligated. Associated injuries were present in all the patients (mean Abdominal Trauma Index: 39.

The use of peritoneal lavage and urological studies in major fractures of the pelvis--a reassessment.

Fifty patients with major fractures of the pelvis (Trunkey's classification types I and II) treated in an urban Level I Trauma Center were analysed to assess the role of peritoneal lavage and urological studies in the initial evaluation. The mechanisms of injury were automobile v. pedestrian (44 per cent), falls from heights (44 per cent), and motor vehicular accidents (12 per cent).

Penetrating thoracic injuries: in-field stabilization vs. prompt transport.

One hundred patients who were in extremis and required Emergency Room Thoracotomy (ERT) after sustaining penetrating thoracic injuries were analyzed to compare the results of attempted stabilization in the field (n = 51) with those who had immediate transportation (n = 49). The clinical status of the patients in the field and in the E.R.

Is limb loss avoidable in civilian vascular injuries?

Limb salvage is virtually guaranteed when arterial injury is associated with a gunshot or stab wound. In this setting, associated injury is limited, and arterial injury is uniformly suspected, deliberately sought, and expeditiously repaired. Blunt trauma and massive injuries to the soft tissue, bones, and joints of the extremities augur amputation.

Penetrating colon injuries: exteriorized repair vs. loop colostomy.

Eighty-five patients with penetrating colon injuries, treated either by exteriorized repair (39) or loop colostomy (46), were analyzed. Missile wounds accounted for 75.3% of the injuries.

Acid burns of the rectum and colon. Report of a case.

The case of a patient with acid burns of the large bowel from a self-administered enema of 95 percent sulfuric acid solution is reported. The authors were unable to find a similar case in the English medical literature. The patient presented in metabolic acidosis, and flexible sigmoidoscopy was of limited value.

Pyogenic splenic abscess in intravenous drug addiction.

Among the surgical complications of intravenous drug addiction, pyogenic splenic abscess is considered to be a rare entity. A review of the literature reveals only 24 cases of splenic abscess secondary to this particular etiology. The authors report five patients with intravenous drug addiction who underwent splenectomy for pyogenic splenic abscess within 1 year.

Penetrating cardiac injuries: twenty-year experience.

Analysis of 228 patients who sustained penetrating cardiac injuries (1963-1983) reveals that among patients who arrived with vital signs, survival was 73 per cent as opposed to 29 per cent of patients who arrived in extremis; and delay in thoracotomy contributed to an increased mortality among patients in profound shock who failed to respond promptly to volume expansion and agonal patients who were transported to the operating room for thoracotomy. An increasing incidence of gunshot wounds and a greater frequency of patients presenting in extremis was noted in the latter years of the study as compared with the earlier period. Our data indicate that there is an increasing need for emergency room thoracotomy in the management of cardiac injuries.

Penetrating right colon trauma. The ever diminishing role for colostomy.

Ninety consecutive patients with penetrating trauma to the right colon were analyzed. The severity of injury to the colon and other abdominal organs was quantified in each patient by the Colon Injury Score (CIS) and the Penetrating Abdominal Trauma Index (PATI). Sixty-five patients (72%) were managed definitively, i.

Emergency department thoracotomy for trauma: a collective review.

A decade of experience with resuscitative thoracotomy for the trauma victim in extremis has been gained since the pioneering efforts of Mattox and his associates in 1974. It appears, from a review of the various reports from different trauma centers, that there is an emergence of a consensus as to the best indications for the procedure. It is generally agreed upon that ERT is fruitless in the patient with severe head trauma or when vital signs were absent at the scene of the injury.

Craniocervical necrotizing fasciitis: critical factors in management.

Necrotizing fasciitis involving the head and neck is rare. The authors describe two such patients treated at their institution and analyse 39 cases reported in the literature. This entity may be divided into two groups based on the site of origin of the infection: group 1 (13 cases) infections, originating in the scalp and eyelids, mostly secondary to trauma, do not progress rapidly, respond well to medical and operative measures and result in minimal permanent disability.

Penetrating cardiac trauma. Quantifying the severity of anatomic and physiologic injury.

A method of quantifying the anatomic extent of injury to the heart, Penetrating Cardiac Trauma Index, (PCTI) and other thoracic organs has been proposed. The total extent of thoracic injury, Penetrating Thoracic Trauma Index (PTTI), was measured. When associated abdominal injury was present, it was assessed by the Penetrating Abdominal Trauma Index (PATI) of Moore et al.

Liver packing for uncontrolled hemorrhage: a reappraisal.

The efficacy of liver packing for uncontrolled hemorrhage was assessed in 345 patients with hepatic injuries divided into two groups: Group I (1977-1980; n = 177), when packing was not used and Group II (1981-1985; n = 168) when the technique was employed. Despite similar clinical details, mortality from bleeding was unchanged (19.2% and 19.

Emergency department thoracotomy for penetrating injuries: predictive value of patient classification.

In 18 months, 44 patients underwent thoracotomy in an emergency department (ED) for penetrating thoracic injuries. Of 14 patients resuscitated, seven (50%) survived, and all were neurologically intact. Patients were classified according to the quality of signs of life in transit or upon arrival at the ED.

The morbidity of injuries of the extra-hepatic biliary system.

Blunt and penetrating injuries of the extrahepatic biliary system are rare and appear to be increasing in frequency. The severe morbidity associated with these lesions is related to incomplete efforts at diagnosis and errors in therapeutic decisions. The morbidity may be minimized by a high index of suspicion and awareness of these lesions; complete exploration of all hematomas around the bile ducts to reduce the incidence of overlooked injuries; meticulous repair of tangential injuries; and primary biliary-enteric diversion for complete transection of the ducts.