A Treatment Algorithm for Free Vascularized Bone Reconstruction in Rare Large Osseous Defects Involving the Wrist.

Large bone defects of the distal radius and/or carpus following tumor resection, trauma, or infection are extremely rare. There are few case reports and series in the literature on the reconstruction approaches required in such cases. Therefore, large studies cannot be used to guide the therapeutic decisions of reconstructive plastic and hand surgeons.

Antibiotics in patients with severe burn injury-A modifiable variable in hypernatremia etiology.

Introduction: Hypernatremia is a common problem among patients with severe burn injuries and seems to be associated with an unfavorable clinical outcome. The current study was designed to evaluate the impact of antibiotics with a high proportion of sodium on this phenomenon.

Methods: All admissions to our burn center from 01/2017 till 06/2023 were retrospectively screened.

Semaphorin 7A coordinates neutrophil response during pulmonary inflammation and sepsis.

Pulmonary defense mechanisms are critical for host integrity during pneumonia and sepsis. This defense is fundamentally dependent on the activation of neutrophils during the innate immune response. Recent work has shown that semaphorin 7A (Sema7A) holds significant impact on platelet function, yet its role on neutrophil function within the lung is not well understood.

Severe Burn Injuries - The Day the Sodium Starts Rising.

Background/aim: The current study was designed to evaluate the etiologies of hypernatremic episodes in patients with severe burn injuries in comparison to critically ill non-burn patients.

Patients And Methods: The retrospective data acquisition was limited to the first 14 days and to patients with at least 20% total body surface area (TBSA) 2 degree burn injuries or more than 10% TBSA when including areas of 3 degree burn injuries. The results were compared to the results of a previously published study that analyzed the risk factors for hypernatremia in 390 non-burn intensive care unit patients.

Development of an Anticipatory Triage-Ranking Algorithm Using Dynamic Simulation of the Expected Time Course of Patients With Trauma: Modeling and Simulation Study.

Background: In cases of terrorism, disasters, or mass casualty incidents, far-reaching life-and-death decisions about prioritizing patients are currently made using triage algorithms that focus solely on the patient's current health status rather than their prognosis, thus leaving a fatal gap of patients who are under- or overtriaged.

Objective: The aim of this proof-of-concept study is to demonstrate a novel approach for triage that no longer classifies patients into triage categories but ranks their urgency according to the anticipated survival time without intervention. Using this approach, we aim to improve the prioritization of casualties by respecting individual injury patterns and vital signs, survival likelihoods, and the availability of rescue resources.

Left Atrioventricular Transvalvular Pressure Gradients Derived from Intraoperative and Postoperative Echocardiograms following Atrioventricular Septal Defect Repair.

Background: Left atrioventricular valve (LAVV) stenosis following an atrioventricular septal defect (AVSD) repair is a rare but potentially life-threatening complication. While echocardiographic quantification of diastolic transvalvular pressure gradients is paramount in the evaluation of a newly corrected valve function, it is hypothesized that these measured gradients are overestimated immediately following a cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) due to the altered hemodynamics when compared to postoperative valve assessments using awake transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) upon recovery after surgery.

Methods: Out of the 72 patients screened for inclusion at a tertiary center, 39 patients undergoing an AVSD repair with both intraoperative transesophageal echocardiograms (TEE, performed immediately after a CPB) and an awake TTE (performed prior to hospital discharge) were retrospectively selected.