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Introduction Chest injuries occur in a significant portion of trauma patients and hemothorax is a common result. While the initial management of traumatic hemothorax is most commonly treated with tube thoracostomy, the management of retained hemothorax is a subject of debate. Recent literature has proposed different methods for treating or preventing retained hemothorax, yet the approach to this pathology is not straightforward. Methods The literature was reviewed for relevant studies regarding the prevention and management of post-traumatic retained hemothorax. What follows is a review of the recent literature and an algorithm for the approach to treating a traumatic retained hemothorax. Results Identifying a traumatic retained hemothorax and preventing subsequent complications such as pneumonia, empyema, and fibrothorax are significant issues faced by surgeons. Studies for preventing retained hemothorax have focused on initial chest tube size, location, and peri-procedural placement conditions, as well as thoracic lavage. Several treatment modalities exist, including second drainage procedure and intra-pleural fibrinolytic drug instillation, but video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery is the most common and successful approach. Regardless of the approach to evacuation, early intervention is paramount. Conclusion Further studies will help characterize appropriate candidates, timing, treatment modalities, and guide therapy for retained hemothorax. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study is to compare end-tidal carbon dioxide (EtCO₂) during resuscitation of open-chest cardiac massage (OCCM) with aortic cross-clamp (ACC) versus receiving resuscitative endovascular balloon occlusion of the aorta (REBOA) with closed-chest compressions (CCCs). Patients who received REBOA were compared with patients receiving OCCM for traumatic arrest using continuous vital sign monitoring and videography. Thirty-three patients were enrolled in the REBOA group and 18 patients were enrolled in the OCCM group. Of the total patients, 86.3 per cent were male with a mean age of 36.2 ± 13.9 years. Ninety-four percent of patients suffered penetrating trauma in the OCCM group compared with 30.3 per cent of the REBOA group (P = <0.001). Before aortic occlusion (AO), there was no difference in initial EtCO₂ values, but mean, median, peak, and final EtCO₂ values were lower in OCCM (P < 0.005). During CPR after AO, the initial, mean, and median values were higher with REBOA (P = 0.015, 0.036, and 0.038). The rate of return of spontaneous circulation was higher in REBOA versus OCCM (20/33 [60.1%] vs 5/18 [33.3%]; P = 0.04), and REBOA patients survived to operative intervention more frequently (P = 0.038). REBOA patients had greater total cardiac compression fraction (CCF) before AO than OCCM (85.3 ± 12.7% vs 35.2 ± 18.6%, P < 0.0001) and after AO (88.3 ± 7.8% vs 71.9 ± 24.4%, P = 0.0052). REBOA patients have higher EtCO₂ and cardiac compression fraction before and after AO compared with patients who receive OCCM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this study was to describe the natural history of primary pulmonary thrombus (PPT) in combat casualties. This was a retrospective study of casualties treated at a major military treatment facility from 2010 to 2012. Patients with a downrange chest CT were included. CTs were reviewed by two independent, blinded radiologists to confirm PPT on initial imaging. Follow-up CTs, if obtained, were also independently reviewed to determine the extent of clot burden. Two hundred and forty-nine casualties with a downrange, acceptable quality chest CT were included. 9 per cent (23/249) of patients sustained PPT. Thirty nine per cent (9/23) were initially treated with therapeutic anticoagulation (AC). Conversely, 61 per cent (14/23) arrived to our military treatment facility without AC. Seven arriving without AC-developed pulmonary symptoms during their hospitalization and had interval chest CTs. Of those, three had no evidence of pulmonary thrombus. The other four had subsegmental filling defects and three were started AC whereas one had an IVC (Inferior Vena Cava) filter inserted. In total, 11/23 (48%) PPT patients were managed without AC and discharged without complications. This is the first study attempting to look at PPT natural history. There were no adverse sequelae from managing PPT without AC. Further studies are warranted to further characterize PPT. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Duodenal trauma represents a unique challenge to the surgeon due to its relative rarity, anatomic location, and often the difficulty in diagnosing and managing these injuries. Despite these challenges, significant advances have been made over the previous century, and mortality has fallen to as low as 17%. The CT scan is the primary modality for diagnosis in the blunt trauma patient, and thorough surgical exploration at laparotomy is the mainstay for penetrating injuries. Management is guided by the grade of injury, with low-grade hematomas managed by observation, intermediate grade injuries by primary repair, and high-grade injuries with a damage control surgery approach. While pyloric exclusion remains the most common technique to augment primary repair in intermediate and higher grade injuries, the utility of this procedure has come into question in current literature, and an overall ‘less-is-more’ surgical approach has been advocated in recent publications. Complications following duodenal trauma are common and include fistulae, duodenal obstruction, and infectious complications. However, the overall morbidity and mortality have improved with these injuries. Future investigation is needed to determine the optimal management approach for these challenging patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article describes the case of a critically ill 73-year-old male diagnosed with hemorrhagic cholecystitis which resulted in hemorrhagic shock. Topics covered include some of the medical conditions of the patient such as atrial fibrillation, heart failure and chronic kidney disease, symptoms of the patient consistent with hemorrhagic cholecystitis, treatment administered to the patient and the disease process.

A quiz is concerning the case study of a 45-year-old female with blunt splenic injury is presented.

The article focuses on a case of jejunal mesenteric heterotopic pancreas causing necrotizing pancreatitis and small bowel obstruction. Topics include the description of heterotopic pancreas, its potential symptoms and complications, diagnostic challenges, and the unusual etiology of small bowel obstruction in this case due to the inflammatory response from acute pancreatitis.

Background: Patients who undergo cholecystectomy often do so for diagnoses related to the sequelae of gallstones. Many patients present acutely, requiring urgent removal due to complications of cholelithiasis. This study aims to characterize the patient population likely to present acutely during ongoing workup for cholelithiasis to better identify those who may benefit from expedited care.Methods: Medical records of all adult patients who underwent cholecystectomy for indications related to cholelithiasis between 2015 and 2016 were reviewed retrospectively. Qualitative data was analyzed using Chi square test and quantitative data was analyzed using independent t-tests.Results: One hundred and seventy-four cholecystectomies were performed. Overall, 74.2% of the procedures were done electively while 25.8% were done urgently. And 42.2% of patients who underwent acute surgical intervention had evidence of prior workup. Patients requiring urgent intervention during ongoing diagnostic evaluation were more likely to have initially presented to an emergency department (ED) than another provider (68.4% vs 31.3%, P < .001) and had an odds ratio of 4.7 for undergoing acute intervention if they initially presented to the ED. They also tended to be more temporally remote from their initial diagnosis (119 ± 142 vs 74.6 ± 68.2 days, P < .19) relative to those who underwent elective operations.Discussion: Patients who require urgent intervention during ongoing workup for cholelithiasis have prolonged courses of care and present to the ED more often for initial evaluation when compared to those who undergo elective intervention. These findings suggest that an emphasis on expedited workup of cholelithiasis and early surgical referral may be warranted, especially for those who initially present in the ED. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lung herniation is a rare pathology seen after trauma. A case of acquired lung hernia is presented after blunt thoracic trauma that was repaired primarily. Surgical management and decision-making for this process are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Intestinal anastomoses in military settings are performed in severely injured patients who often undergo damage control laparotomy in austere environments. We describe anastomotic outcomes of patients from recent wars.Methods: Military personnel with combat-related intra-abdominal injuries (June 2009-December 2014) requiring laparotomy with resection and anastomosis were analyzed. Patients were evacuated from Iraq or Afghanistan to Landstuhl Regional Medical Center (Germany) before being transferred to participating U.S. military hospitals.Results: Among 341 patients who underwent 1053 laparotomies, 87 (25.5%) required ≥1 anastomosis. Stapled anastomosis only was performed in 57.5% of patients, while hand-sewn only was performed in 14.9%, and 9.2% had both stapled and hand-sewn techniques (type unknown for 18.4%). Anastomotic failure occurred in 15% of patients. Those with anastomotic failure required more anastomoses (median 2 anastomoses, interquartile range [IQR] 1-3 vs. 1 anastomosis, IQR 1-2, P = .03) and more total laparotomies (median 5 laparotomies, IQR 3-12 vs. 3, IQR 2-4, P = .01). There were no leaks in patients that had only hand-sewn anastomoses, though a significant difference was not seen with those who had stapled anastomoses. While there was an increasing trend regarding surgical site infections (SSIs) with anastomotic failure after excluding superficial SSIs, it was not significant. There was no difference in mortality.Discussion: Military trauma patients have a similar anastomotic failure rate to civilian trauma patients. Patients with anastomotic failure were more likely to have had more anastomoses and more total laparotomies. No definitive conclusions can be drawn about anastomotic outcome differences between hand-sewn and stapled techniques. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the utilization of pelvic binders, the proper placement of binders, and to determine any differences in blood product transfusions between combat casualties with and without a pelvic binder identified on initial imaging immediately after the injury.Methods: We conducted a retrospective review of all combat-injured patients who arrived at our military treatment hospital between 2010 and 2012 with a documented pelvic fracture. Initial imaging (X-ray or computed tomography) immediately after injury were evaluated by 2 independent radiologists. Young-Burgess (YB) classification, pelvic diastasis, correct binder placement over the greater trochanters, and the presence of a pelvic external fixator (ex-fix) was recorded. Injury severity score (ISS), whole blood, and blood component therapy administered within the first 24-hours after injury were compared between casualties with and without a pelvic binder.Results: 39 casualties had overseas imaging to confirm and radiographically classify a YB pelvic ring injury. The most common fracture patterns were anteroposterior (53%) and lateral compression (28%). 49% (19/39) did not have a binder or ex-fix identified on initial imaging or in any documentation after injury. Ten patients had a binder, with 30% positioned incorrectly over the iliac crest. ISS (34 ± 1.6) was not statistically different between the binder and the no-binder group. Pubic symphysis diastasis was significantly lower in the binder group (1.4 ± 0.2 vs 3.7 ± 0.5, P < .001). There was a trend toward decreased 24-hour total blood products between the binder and no-binder groups (75 ± 11 vs 82 ± 13, P = .67). This was due to less cryoprecipitate in the binder group (6 ± 2 vs 19 ± 5, P = .01).Conclusions: Pelvic binder placement in combat trauma may be inconsistent and an important area for continued training. While 24-hour total transfusions do not appear to be different, no-binder patients received significantly more cryoprecipitate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The intent of this study was to characterize the management and subsequent complications of combat injury tube thoracostomies and to determine risk factors for the development of pneumonia (PNA) and retained hemothorax (RH). One hundred fifteen patients with 173 tube thoracostomies met the inclusion criteria and were analyzed. The mean injury severity score was 30.8 + 11.6, 23.5 per cent had traumatic amputations, 49.7 per cent had a hemothorax, and 50.3 per cent had a pneumothorax as indications for tube thoracostomy (TT) placement. Within 24 hours of injury, 89.6 per cent were intubated, the majority (54%) were injured by improvised explosive devices, 35.6 per cent sustained rib fractures, and 12.2 per cent had a diaphragm injury. A mean of 1.5 + 0.7(range 1–4) tube thoracostomies were placed, 18.3 per cent of patients had bilateral tube thoracostomies, and the average TT duration was 6.7 1 3.9 days. The incidence of PNA was 27 per cent (n 531), RH was 9.6 per cent (n511), and empyema was 1.7 per cent (n 52). Multivariable analysis identified the duration of ventilation [OR 1.2, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.097–1.313, P < 0.001] as independently associated with the development of PNA. Bilateral TT placement (OR 3.848, 95% CI: 1.219–12.143, P50.0216) and injury severity score (OR 1.050, 95% CI: 1.001–1.102, P5 0.0443) were independently associated with PNA development when a patient was intubated for eight days or less. The number of tube thoracostomies placed (OR 3.08, 95% CI: 1.03–9.18, P 5 0.0439) was independently associated with the development of RH. Further research is warranted to identify modifiable risk factors to reduce the incidence of PNA and RH in patients with TT placed for traumatic injuries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents the issue of Percutaneous Endoscopic Gastrostomy (PEG) Tube Placement by an emergency surgery service. Topics discussed include the primary indication for enteral feeding is to provide nutritional support in patients; mentions include discussion regarding suitability of patients for PEG, which are relegated in the role of a technician; and PEG tube performed with low morbidity and mortality.

Management of patients undergoing damage control laparotomy (DCL) involves many surgical, medical, and logistical factors. Ideal patient management optimizing fascial closure with regard to timing and closure techniques remains unclear. A retrospective review of patients undergoing DCL from 2000 to 2012 at an urban Level I trauma center was undertaken. Mortality of DCL decreased over the study period from 62.5 to 34.6 per cent, whereas enterocutaneous fistula rate decreased from 12.5 to 3.8 per cent. Delayed primary fascial closure rate improved from 22.2 to 88.2 per cent. Time to closure (P < 0.001), time to first attempted closure (P < 0.001), and number of explorations (P < 0.001) were associated with ability to achieve delayed primary fascial closure. In subgroup analysis, achievement of delayed primary fascial closure was decreased with time to closure after one week (91.7% vs 52.0%, P = 0.002) and time to first attempted closure after two days (86.5% vs 70.0%, P = 0.042). In multivariate analysis, time to closure (odds ratio: 0.13, 95% confidence interval: 0.04-0.39; P < 0.001) and time to first attempted closure (odds ratio: 0.61, 95% confidence interval: 0.37-0.99; P = 0.046) were the only factors associated with achieving delayed primary fascial closure. Timing of attempted closure plays a significant role in attaining delayed primary fascial closure, highlighting the importance of early re-exploration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]