Trauma calls: role of the general surgeon and CT scanning

Background and objective: General surgeons are required in only a minority of trauma call cases to assess for abdominal injuries. Computed tomography (CT) accurately detects blunt abdominal injuries and may have replaced the need for general surgeons at trauma calls. This study evaluated the role of general surgeons at trauma calls and assessed use of CT in cases of suspected abdominal trauma.

Methods: (a) Eighteen month analysis of trauma calls at a district general hospital and (b) three month prospective study of all trauma cases presenting to A&E.

Results: (a) There were 73 trauma calls and the mechanism of injury in most cases was a road traffic accident (RTA). Most patients had orthopaedic and/or neurosurgical injuries. The general surgeons assessed 22 trauma call patients. Abdominal injury was excluded in 13 (four by clinical examination and nine following CT). (b) Forty three patients fulfilled the criteria for a trauma call and 14 trauma calls were made. The mechanism of injury in most was RTA and most had orthopaedic and/or neurosurgical injuries. The general surgeons assessed 10/43 potential trauma call patients, and abdominal injury was excluded in five (one by clinical examination and four following CT).

Conclusion: A&E staff managed most trauma calls. Most patients did not require general surgical intervention. For penetrating injuries, presence of a general surgeon remained crucial. For blunt injuries CT was an important adjunct. These data suggest that general surgeons do not routinely have to attend all trauma calls but can be called if abdominal and/or vascular injuries are specifically suspected.

     

Distracting Painful Injuries Associated with Cervical Spinal Injuries in Blunt Trauma

Distracting painful injuries (DPIs) may mask symptoms of spinal injury in blunt trauma victims and form an important element in a decision instrument used to identify individuals who require cervical spine radiography. OBJECTIVE: To identify the types and frequencies of injuries that actually act as DPIs among blunt trauma patients undergoing cervical spinal radiography. METHODS: This was a prospective observational study of consecutive blunt trauma victims presenting to an urban Level 1 regional trauma center between April 1, 1998, and September 30, 1998. Prior to cervical spinal radiography, treating physicians evaluated each patient to determine whether a DPI was present or absent and, if present, what type of injury was sustained. Injuries were categorized as fractures, soft-tissue injuries and lacerations, burns, visceral injuries, crush injuries, or other injuries. RESULTS: Data were collected for 778 patients, between 1 month and 98 years old, of whom 264 (34%) were considered to have DPIs. Physicians were unable to determine the DPI status in 47 (6%) additional cases. Fractures accounted for a majority of DPIs (154, or 58%), 42 (16%) were soft-tissue injuries or lacerations, and 86 (34%) were due to a variety of other entities, including visceral, crush, burn, or other miscellaneous injuries. Among the 37 (5%) patients with an acute cervical spinal injury, 20 (54%) had a DPI, including three (8%) who had DPI as the only indication for cervical radiography. CONCLUSIONS: A significant number of blunt trauma patients are believed by clinicians to have DPIs that can possibly mask the presence of cervical spinal injury. Fractures and trauma to soft tissues are the most common types of DPI.     

Lésions par explosion

Explosions are the leading cause of trauma in current conflicts and the number of victims in the civilian world is constantly increasing. When a bomb explodes, the area around the explosion becomes overpressurized, creating a shock wave responsible of blast injuries. Other injuries due to explosion may be classified into secondary lesions (shrapnels and penetrating trauma), tertiary (projection) and quaternary (burns, crushing, smoke inhalation injuries…). Recently, quinary lesions have been described (hyperinflammatory state). Explosions cause mass casualties. Patient care management is based on a rapid triage and treatments are similar to typical penetrating or blunt traumatic injuries.     

Retroperitoneal injuries: pitfalls in diagnosis and management

Retroperitoneal injury caused by penetrating trauma or associated with progressive shock following blunt trauma is usually recognized promptly and managed appropriately. Isolated retroperitoneal injury from blunt trauma, unless accompanied by major hemorrhage or gross hematuria, is often difficult to diagnose and needed treatment may be delayed. Although clinical examination remains the cornerstone of diagnosis, the high incidence of ethanol abuse and/or concurrent head injury in trauma patients has led to increased use of computed tomography in the diagnosis of abdominal trauma. To determine the effect, if any, of CT examination on the diagnosis and management of retroperitoneal trauma, we reviewed our patient experience. During the 16-month period ending in April 1986, 135 patients sustained 177 retroperitoneal injuries (116 by blunt and 19 by penetrating trauma). There were 26 deaths (19% mortality). There were 90 pelvic fractures and 31 lumbar spine fractures, as well as 21 genitourinary, 12 gastrointestinal, five pancreatic, and eight major vascular injuries. Ten patients had isolated retroperitoneal hematomas. We conclude that (1) patients with retroperitoneal injuries and coexisting intraperitoneal injuries should have early operation; (2) isolated retroperitoneal trauma tends to lead to observation unless CT is used as part of the early assessment; and (3) routine use of CT in patients at risk accurately defines the extent of injury and enhances clinical management.     

Ocular injuries in patients with major trauma

Aim

To study the epidemiology of ocular injuries in patients with major trauma in the UK, determining the incidence and causes of ocular injuries, and their association with facial fractures.

Methods

A retrospective analysis of the Trauma Audit Research Network database from 1989 to 2004, looking at data from 39 073 patients with major trauma.

Results

Of the 39 073 patients with major trauma, 905 (2.3%) patients had associated ocular injuries and 4082 (10.4%) patients had a facial fracture (zygoma, orbit or maxilla). The risk of an eye injury for a patient with a facial fracture is 6.7 times as that for a patient with no facial fracture (95%, confidence interval 5.9 to 7.6). Of the patients with major trauma and an eye injury, 75.1% were men, and the median age was 31 years. 57.3% of ocular injuries were due to road traffic accidents (RTAs).

Conclusion

The incidence of ocular injuries in patients with major trauma is low, but considerable association was found between eye injuries and facial fractures. Young adults have the highest incidence of ocular injury. RTAs are the leading cause of ocular injuries in patients with major trauma. It is vital that all patients with major trauma are examined specifically for an ocular injury.Worldwide, an estimated 1.6 million people are blind as a result of eye injuries, and a further 19 million have monocular blindness or low vision due to eye trauma.¹ Eye injuries in association with major trauma are particularly important as these injuries have a high risk of threatening vision.² Even minor eye injuries can cause considerable morbidity³ and time lost from work.⁴Eye injuries in association with major trauma can pose diagnostic difficulties, as patients with a reduced conscious level may not report visual symptoms, and assessment of the eye can be awkward in a supine patient. Eye injuries may be associated with facial injuries: in patients with periorbital haematomas and swelling, it may not be possible to see the eye properly at the initial examination. Treating life‐threatening injuries will be the immediate priority in a patient with multiple injuries, but the potential for vision loss due to ocular trauma should not be forgotten.Although penetrating eye injuries from road traffic accidents (RTAs) have decreased considerably after seatbelt legislation in 1983 and the introduction of laminated windscreens,^5,6 little is known about the current epidemiology of ocular injuries in patients with major trauma in the UK. To investigate this group of patients, we performed a retrospective analysis of a UK trauma database, looking at the incidence of ocular injuries with major trauma, and their association with facial fractures.     

Trauma nursing: an advanced practice case study.

Trauma is the leading cause of death in people less than 40 years of age. Blunt or penetrating trauma injuries may be a result of gunshot wounds, stabbings, head injuries,burns, falls or motor vehicle collisions. Unlike other patients entering the health care system, trauma victims have no time for hospital preparation. The physiologic and psychosocial complications resulting directly from the traumatic incident provide response patterns not typical of other patients. Further to this unpredictability, the trauma patient usually sustains multiple system injuries, making it difficult to design critical pathways in care plans. The complexity is heightened by the patient's unique perception of the traumatic event, which can be even more important than the physical injury in determining the ultimate impact of the trauma.     

Specialty Coverage at Non-Tertiary Care Centers

The fundamental tenet of a trauma system is to get the right patient to the right hospital at the right time. Although most injuries are minor or moderate andcan be managed at local community hospitals, a significant minority of injured patients require extensive andexpensive care to survive or minimize injury. Most prehospital trauma triage criteria address a combination of factors to consider, but this approach sometimes fails to identify patients with severe injuries andoften burdens trauma centers with patients suffering minor injuries. It is critical to utilize a method to differentiate those injury victims who need the specialized expertise andresources available in trauma centers from those who can be adequately cared for locally. Although trauma centers assume the leadership role, in a truly inclusive system, all health care providers (prehospital, community hospitals, andtrauma centers) have a defined role in providing care to patients with trauma. All these institutions should establish andmaintain transfer agreements for the transfer of patients meeting system trauma triage criteria. Because prehospital triage criteria are not 100% sensitive, there should be a mechanism in place for the secondary triage of patients. Initial management of patients should continue while efforts are made to transfer the patient.     

Pediatric sledding trauma: avoiding the collision

During 2006-2007, a midwest pediatric level I trauma center and affiliated urgent care centers treated 181 children for sledding-related trauma. Twenty-one children required hospitalization for injuries. Some children sustained injuries that were severe including cervical fracture with spinal cord injury, splenic laceration, pulmonary contusion, and head injury. The most frequent mechanism of injury was collision with an object or a person. Although most injuries are minor, some are serious and may have life-changing outcomes. Sledding in unobstructed areas may decrease injuries. An increased public awareness of the risks of serious injury associated with sledding is needed.     

Review of branch aortic injuries in blunt chest trauma

Objectives: To review the incidence, mechanisms of injury, diagnosis and treatment of injuries to the major branches of the thoracic aorta within the thoracic cavity following blunt trauma. Methods: Medline, Embase and Cochrane were searched using appropriate key word and MeSH headings. Full text articles were retrieved where there was any information relating to the mechanism of injury, incidence of injury, diagnosis, treatment or outcome in patients with injuries to the brachiocephalic, subclavian or carotid arteries within the thoracic cavity following blunt chest trauma. Results: The reported incidence of these injuries varied widely, most injuries were related to rapid deceleration injuries or falls. Diagnosis depends on a high level of clinic suspicion and appropriate investigations include helical CT scanning and arteriography. Treatment options have expanded in recent years with the use of endovascular stents; however, the optimal treatment remains uncertain. Conclusions: Aortic branch injuries must be actively excluded in patients with suspicious mechanisms of injury. Guidelines determining appropriate investigative pathways and methods of treatment should be developed at all trauma centres.     

Ureteral injury due to penetrating trauma

OBJECTIVES: We sought to evaluate the diagnosis and management of penetrating ureteral injuries at our trauma center. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed the cases of 12 patients with ureteral injuries secondary to penetrating ureteral trauma. RESULTS: From January 1995 to December 2000, a total of 12 patients were diagnosed and treated for penetrating ureteral injuries. The diagnosis was made acutely in nine patients, and a delayed diagnosis was made in three patients. Hematuria was present in the nine patients diagnosed acutely, and these patients had either preoperative or intraoperative imaging. All patients underwent exploratory laparotomy, and ureteral injuries were missed in the three patients without radiologic imaging or hematuria. Repair of the ureteral injuries was highly successful, and patients diagnosed acutely had decreased morbidity. CONCLUSIONS: Traumatic ureteral injuries from penetrating trauma are uncommon, and a high index of suspicion is necessary to diagnose ureteral injuries when hematuria is not present and imaging is nondiagnostic.     

Penetrating injuries of the larynx

Patients with penetrating laryngeal trauma can present a wide spectrum of signs and symptoms. Severe trauma frequently leads to life-threatening airway compromise, whereas lesser injuries are often overlooked because of the subtlety of physical and roentgenographic findings or the severity of vascular and neurologic injuries. Increased suspicion should accompany the examination of patients who have sustained a penetrating neck injury, and such injuries demand examination by an experienced laryngoscopist. Early surgical repair is mandatory to avoid delayed complications, which can permanently impair airway, speech, and deglutition. In a series of 19 patients presented here, diagnosis was delayed in seven (37%). The most relevant factor determining return to normal voice appeared to be the presence or absence of vocal cord paralysis.     

Blunt bowel and mesenteric injury: MDCT diagnosis

Multidetector computed tomography (MDCT) has emerged as the imaging modality of choice for evaluating the abdomen and pelvis in trauma patients. MDCT readily detects injury of the solid organs as well as direct and indirect features of bowel and/or mesenteric injury—an important advance given that unrecognized bowel and mesenteric injuries may result in high morbidity and mortality. Nonetheless, challenges persist in the interpretation of abdominal and pelvic CT images in trauma patients. Difficulty in interpretation may result from lack of familiarity with or misunderstanding of CT features of bowel and/or mesenteric injury. Moreover, due to major technical advances afforded by MDCT, new CT features of bowel and/or mesenteric injuries have been recognized. Beading and termination of mesenteric vessels indicating surgically important mesenteric injury is an example of one of these new features. MDCT also allows for the detection of small or trace amounts of isolated intraperitoneal fluid in trauma patients, although the clinical management of these patients is still controversial. This pictorial essay illustrates the spectrum of typical, atypical, and newly reported MDCT features of bowel and mesenteric injuries due to blunt trauma. The features that help to differentiate these injuries from pitfalls are emphasized in these proven cases.     

Anesthetic management of neck trauma.

In a retrospective review of one year's experience in the management of neck trauma, 88 cases comprising 42 gunshot wounds, 29 stab or slash injuries, and 17 injuries by blunt trauma were reviewed. Multiple injuries were noted in all groups, but a higher percentage was found in the blunt trauma series. Anesthetic management is reviewed, and emphasis is placed on careful evaluation of the patient's airway, using physical and roentgenographic examination to plan adequate airway management.     

Facial trauma in motor vehicle accidents: Etiological factors

The effects of seat belts and the use of alcohol and drugs have been studied as etiological factors in facial trauma to occupants of motor vehicle accidents (MVAs). During a 15-month period, 461 patients were admitted to a regional trauma center as a result of injuries sustained in MVAs. Two hundred thirty-seven (51%) of these patients had facial trauma. Facial trauma was the single most common injury in these patients. One hundred eighty-five patients (78%) had major soft tissue injury, and 52 patients (22%) had facial bone fractures. Forty-two of 237 patients (18%) with facial trauma were wearing seat belts compared with 74 of 224 patients (33%) without facial trauma who were wearing seat belts at the time of the accident. Large numbers of patients who were wearing seat belts at the time of the accident had minor injuries and were never admitted to the hospital. Sixty-five of 224 patients (24%) without facial trauma and 121 of 237 patients (51%) with facial trauma tested positive for alcohol or drugs. The majority of the patients who tested positive for alcohol had blood alcohol levels of more than 100 mg/dL. Head injuries and blunt chest trauma were most commonly associated injuries in these patients. This study suggests that use of alcohol and drugs in occupants of the motor vehicle had a major effect on the etiology of facial trauma. Also it supports the data that suggests that the use of seat belts prevents a wide range of injuries including facial trauma in MVAs.     

Abdominal and genitourinary trauma in children

Children, especially multitrauma victims, are at significant risk for abdominal and GU trauma. Frequently, external indicators of trauma to these systems may be subtle or nonspecific. Expert assessment skills and a knowledge of potential injuries are required. Nonoperative management of these injuries is frequently the treatment of choice, requiring the nurse to understand the type of injury sustained, as well as potential complications of the injury. The nurse is often the first to detect subtle signs of deterioration in the child's condition and must be able to intervene appropriately to promote optimal outcomes for the child. The families of children who sustain abdominal or GU trauma have special teaching needs related to inhospital or home management, as well as long-term outcomes of the injury. It is the responsibility of the nurse to identify and address these needs in a timely fashion to promote optimal outcomes as well as appropriate development for the child.     

Venous trauma: new lessons and old debates

Historically, epidemiology, diagnosis, and management of venous trauma have not been well understood. Venous injuries often have subtle presentations, unclear consequences, and debatable treatment options. Many venous injuries are asymptomatic and are diagnosed only during surgical exploration for other injuries. The obvious venous injury is the one found during surgical exploration of an arterial trauma. Isolated venous injuries are difficult to diagnose and often only discovered if massive swelling or life-threatening hemorrhage occurs. Once discovered, the question is how to treat: ligation or repair. The answer is the prudent use of both methods. For patients at the brink of hemodynamic collapse, ligation is the best choice. For stable patients, an effort should be made to reestablish venous outflow. Definitive repair in unstable patients should not attempted, instead temporary solutions should be used that will allow the patient to leave the operating room quickly and began correction of hypothermia, acidosis, and coagulopathy.     

Shaken baby syndrome

Non-accidental head trauma in infants is the leading cause of infant death from injury. Clinical features that suggest head trauma (also known as shaken baby syndrome or shaken impact syndrome) include the triad consisting of retinal hemorrhage, subdural, and/or subarachnoid hemorrhage in an infant with little signs of external trauma. Abusive head injuries are among the most common causes of serious and lethal injuries in children. These injuries may result from impact or shaking or a combination of these mechanisms. These mechanisms cause the child's head to undergo acceleration/ deceleration movements, which may create inertial movement of the brain within the cranial compartment.     

Improved trauma management with advanced trauma life support (ATLS) training.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the value of advanced trauma life support (ATLS) training for medical staff in a major incident situation, based upon performance in a simulated exercise. METHODS: A major incident exercise was used to assess the management of trauma victims arriving in hospital suffering from multiple or life threatening injuries. The effect of ATLS training, or exposure to an abbreviated form of ATLS training, on the management of patients with simulated life threatening traumatic injuries was examined. The treatment offered by medical staff of different grades and varying exposure to ATLS training was compared. RESULTS: Medical staff who had undertaken ATLS training attained a higher number of ATLS key treatment objectives when treating the simulated trauma victims. CONCLUSION: Medical staff who have either undertaken the full ATLS course or an abbreviated form of the course were more effective in their management of the simulated trauma cases.     

The significance of gallbladder trauma

This study reviewed patients with gallbladder trauma over a 14-year period treated at Truman Medical Center to determine the complications, associated injuries, and mortality rate. Fourteen patients had gallbladder trauma, 12 penetrating and two blunt. All patients underwent cholecystectomy and 10 had 3 or more associated injuries that required operative care. There were no biliary duct injuries or postoperative biliary complications. Seven patients had postoperative wound, pulmonary, or abdominal infections. There was one mortality due to delayed splenic hematoma, myocardial infarction, and cardiac dysrhythmia. Gallbladder trauma was always associated with significant multi-organ injuries that required early operative intervention.     

Thoracic trauma in children

Thoracic trauma is usually accompanied by other body system injury, most frequently head and skeletal injury. Developmental changes throughout childhood make the consequences of such injuries more severe, as children develop respiratory and circulatory compromise quickly. Blunt trauma predominates in pediatric thoracic trauma. Trauma to the thoracic cavity may involve fractures of the ribs or injuries where the ribs remain intact. Trauma involving the pleural space affects ventilation that may evolve into circulatory failure if not addressed promptly. Pulmonary contusion is among the most frequent and most fatal of thoracic injuries. Rupture of the tracheobronchial tree, esophagus, or diaphragm may have both short- and long-term consequences. Trauma to the heart and/or great vessels may be fatal at the scene of the accident, in the emergency department, or in the intensive care unit. Pain management is an essential part of caring for children with thoracic injury. A variety of methods have become available within the past several years that promote better pain relief and shorter recovery periods with less side effects. Nursing care of the child with PCA, epidural analgesia, or intercostal nerve blocks requires specific knowledge and assessment skills. Nonpharmacologic methods of pain relief may be used as an adjunct to pharmacologic methods.