Brachial artery injuries in children.

Treatment of brachial artery injuries in children, particularly those resulting from supracondylar humeral fractures, is controversial when distal pulses are absent yet the hand remains warm and pink. This article presents a retrospective study of eight children, ages 3 to 13, who underwent brachial arterial exploration because of absent distal pulses following arm trauma. Absent pulses indicate diminished blood flow, and in all eight cases brachial artery obstruction or severance was confirmed at surgery.

Lawsuit verdicts and settlements involving reflex sympathetic dystrophy and complex regional pain syndrome.

Litigation involving Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy (RSD) or Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS), because of its complexities, is often difficult to prove or defend. In our review of 56 verdicts and settlements in the state of Florida, in cases involving a diagnosis or misdiagnosis of RSD or CRPS, over half resulted in a substantial verdict or settlement for the plaintiff.

Hemorrhagic upper extremity complications from tissue plasminogen activator.

Five patients, ages 63 to 79, had hemorrhagic complications involving the upper extremity from fibrinolytic therapy using intravenous tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) for acute myocardial infarction. The hemorrhages varied in severity. Three patients were treated for superficial hematomas, one with a deep subcutaneous hematoma producing skin necrosis, and one compartment syndrome with posterior interosseous nerve palsy and marked intramuscular bleeding.