Thromboelastography-Based Evaluation of Gender-Associated Hypercoagulability.

Background: Age, race, and gender differences in coagulation status of healthy volunteers have been reported in previous case series; however, rigorous multivariate analysis adjusting for these factors is lacking. We aimed to investigate the effects of age, race, and gender on baseline coagulation status in healthy volunteers.

Methods: Thirty healthy volunteer controls with no history of bleeding or thrombotic events and no previous anticoagulant or antiplatelet use were recruited.

Acquired Factor XIII Deficiency in a 19-year-Old Male Following Ballistic Injury.

Factor XIII deficiency is a rare cause of post-operative bleeding. It poses a diagnostic challenge as standard coagulation tests including prothrombin time, international normalized ratio, and activated partial thromboplastin time are usually normal in factor XIII deficiency. We present the case of our patient, a 19-year-old male with acquired factor XIII deficiency diagnosed after ballistic injury with a post-operative course complicated by hemorrhage.

Traumatic Spigelian Hernia in a Pediatric Patient Following a Bicycle Injury.

Blunt abdominal trauma due to bicycle accident is a common occurrence in the pediatric population; however, traumatic abdominal wall hernia as the result of blunt trauma is a rare presentation. Abdominal wall injuries can be isolated or associated with multiple intra-abdominal pathologies. A high index of suspicion is essential for prompt intervention, especially when there is concurrent intra-abdominal pathology.

Impedance Planimetry and the Changing Paradigm of Esophageal Dysphagia.

Objectives: Patients presenting with dysphagia can encounter a pathway to therapy and relief that is expensive and frustrating. High resolution impedance planimetry (HRIP) is a new mechanism for enhancing and possibly hastening that process. A balloon with integrated pressure sensors is utilized to measure luminal geometry and pressure by volume-controlled distention.