blunt injury

INTRODUCTION: Illegal immigration from Africa to Israel expanded in recent years, bringing illegal immigrants, mostly from Eritrea and Sudan. No data regarding the ophthalmic conditions of this population was previously published. AIMS: To delineate reasons for ophthalmologic emergency room visits and hospitalizations in the ophthalmology department at a tertiary center in Tel Aviv, Israel. METHODS: In this retrospective study we reviewed the records of patients of Eritrean and Sudanese origin arriving at the ophthalmic emergency room at the Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center between June 2012 and August 2012 and hospitalized in the ophthalmology ward between August 2011 and August 2012...

Geriatric trauma constitutes an increasingly recognized problem. Aging results in a progressive decline in cellular function which leads to a loose of their capacity to respond to injury. Some medications commonly used in this population can mask or blunt the response to injury. Falls constitute the most common cause of trauma and the leading cause of trauma-related deaths in this population. Falls are complicated by the widespread use of antiplatelets and anticoagulants, especially in patients with brain injury...

STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective review. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate computed tomography angiogram (CTA) use for diagnosing blunt vertebral artery injury (BVAI) at a single institution, to assess the incidence of BVAI in the studied population, and determine if diagnosis affected care. We also wanted to evaluate if testing and treatment resulted in complications. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: BVAI is an example of a previously underdiagnosed injury. Ease of CTA has simplified vertebral artery evaluation...

OBJECTIVE: To determine if beta-(β)-blockers improve outcomes after acute traumatic brain injury (TBI). BACKGROUND: There have been no new inpatient pharmacologic therapies to improve TBI outcomes in a half-century. Treatment of TBI patients with β-blockers offers a potentially beneficial approach. METHODS: Using MEDLINE, EMBASE, and CENTRAL databases, eligible articles for our systematic review and meta-analysis (PROSPERO CRD42016048547) included adult (age ≥ 16 years) blunt trauma patients admitted with TBI...

Craniomaxillofacial injuries can be complex, requiring a multidisciplinary approach. The primary survey is always the first step in trauma management prior to proceeding with further evaluation and treatment. A 26-year-old man presented with a penetrating nail gun injury through the oral and nasal cavities. He did not present in extremis but required elective endotracheal intubation for intraoperative assessment and treatment. Airway management was enhanced by the use of lingual nerve and inferior alveolar nerve blocks via the Vazirani-Akinosi technique to maintain spontaneous respiration while the tongue was distracted from the palate...

The regulatory control of cardiac endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress is incompletely characterized. As ER stress signaling upregulates the E3-ubiquitin ligase Parkin, we investigated the role of Parkin in cardiac ER stress. Parkin knockout mice exposed to aortic constriction-induced cardiac pressure-overload or in response to systemic tunicamycin (TM) developed adverse ventricular remodeling with excessive levels of the ER regulatory C/EBP homologous protein CHOP. CHOP was identified as a Parkin substrate and its turnover was Parkin-dose and proteasome-dependent...

Tracheobronchial damage is very rare in clinical practice and represents no more than 1% of all injuries caused by blunt trauma. Nearly 80% of patients die before reaching the hospital. Most ruptures are observed in the right main bronchus and are located within 2 cm of the carina trachea. The highest mortality rate applies to patients with bilateral bronchial injuries. Nonspecific symptoms, additionally masked by complaints regarding other damaged organs, delay the diagnosis and surgical treatment. The aim of this article is to present one particular clinical case and to discuss it in conjunction with a literature review...

A 27-year-old woman sustained a blunt chest trauma after a car accident. Computed tomography revealed tension pneumopericardium, bilateral pneumothorax, and a suspected rupture of the left main bronchus. Emergent pericardial needle aspiration was successfully performed. Bronchial amputation was confirmed by bronchofiberoscopy. Despite total detachment of the distal part of the bronchial tree, the ventilation of the left lung was maintained without air leakage by use of pleural drains. Bronchial obturation resulted from the injury, and was effectively treated by bronchoscopic sputum suction at the distal end of the bronchus...

INTRODUCTION: Trauma-hemorrhagic shock (THS) is a leading cause of death. Female rats and women experience better outcomes in terms of survival after major trauma as compared to males. There are limited data in Indian population. Authors studied the gender-based outcome of patients with Class IV hemorrhagic shock due to blunt trauma and the distribution of factors among males and females which are known to affect outcome. MATERIALS AND METHODS: It was a retrospective study with data of trauma victims between January 2008 and July 2013...

OBJECTIVE: To examine the outcomes of trauma patients who tested positive for alcohol at the time of hospital arrival versus those who tested negative. METHODS: Data were pulled from the National Trauma Data Bank (2007-2010). All injured patients who were ≥14 years of age, sustained a "blunt" or "penetrating" injury, had complete systolic blood pressure (SBP) and heart rate (HR) records, were taken to a level 1 or 2 trauma center, and who received a confirmed blood alcohol test were included in the study...

BACKGROUND: To describe the spectrum of noniatrogenic pediatric vascular injuries and their outcomes at a large tertiary pediatric hospital. METHODS: Retrospective review of a prospectively-maintained trauma database, identifying children with noniatrogenic vascular injuries managed between 1994 and 2014. RESULTS: A total of 198 patients were identified. Those patients with a digital or intracerebral vascular injury (92/198) were excluded from further analysis...

Mitochondria are the central hubs for cellular bioenergetics and are crucial to cell survival. It is well accepted that compromised mitochondrial function is linked with hepatocytes injury and contribute to progression of liver diseases. Despite the therapeutic potential of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) transplantation on hepatic disorders have been extensively investigated, the effects of MSCs on mitochondrial function in liver injury models remain unknown. Here we investigated the effects of treatment with umbilical cord (UC) MSC in a rat model of D-Gal induced liver injury, characterized by organ damage, oxidative stress and mitochondrial dysfunction...

Insulin resistance and metabolic dysfunction are common following injury. Polytrauma is defined as combined injuries to more than one body part or organ system, and is common in modern warfare, as well as automobile and industrial accidents. Polytrauma can include any combination of burn injury, fracture, hemorrhage, trauma to the extremities, and blunt or penetrating trauma. Multiple minor injuries are often more deleterious than a more severe single injury. To investigate the mechanisms of development of insulin resistance following injury, we have developed a rat model of polytrauma which combined soft tissue trauma with burn injury and penetrating gastrointestinal (GI) trauma...

STUDY DESIGN: Prospective cohort study. INTRODUCTION: Identification of risk factors for CRPS development in patients with surgically treated traumatic injuries attending hand therapy allows to watch at-risk patients more closely for early diagnosis and to take precautionary measures as required. PURPOSE OF THE STUDY: The aim of this study was to evaluate the risk factors for the development of complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) after surgical treatment of traumatic hand injuries...

BACKGROUND: Delayed splenic vascular injury (DSVI) is traditionally considered a rare, often clinically occult, harbinger of splenic rupture in patients with splenic trauma that are managed conservatively. The purpose of our study was to assess the incidence of DSVI and associated features in patients admitted with blunt splenic trauma and managed nonoperatively. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A retrospective analysis was conducted over a 4-y time. Patients admitted with blunt splenic trauma, managed no-operatively and with a follow-up contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CT) scan study during admission were included...

BACKGROUND: Spinal motion restriction (SMR) after traumatic injury has been a mainstay of prehospital trauma care for more than 3 decades. Recent guidelines recommend a selective approach with cervical spine clearance in the field when criteria are met. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In January 2014, the Department of Health Services of the City of Los Angeles, California, implemented revised guidelines for cervical SMR after blunt mechanism trauma. Adult patients (aged ≥18 y) with an initial Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) score of ≥13 presented to a single level I trauma center after blunt mechanism trauma over the following 1-y period were retrospectively reviewed...

BACKGROUND: Blunt traumatic aortic injury is the second leading cause of death in trauma patients age 4 to 34. Of the patients that are able to receive treatment, mortality rates as high as 40% have been reported. Endovascular repair options have allowed for more expeditious repairs with reduced iatrogenic trauma; however, when the injury involves the ascending aorta or arch, current endografts lack fenestrations needed for cerebral blood flow. Traditionally, on pump cardiopulmonary bypass with systemic anticoagulation has been used to repair these injuries...

INTRODUCTION: The Brain Trauma Foundation (BTF) recently updated recommendations for intracranial pressure (ICP) monitoring in severe traumatic brain injury (TBI). The effect of ICP monitoring on outcomes is controversial, and compliance with BTF guidelines is variable. The purpose of this study was to assess both compliance and outcomes at level I trauma centers. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The American College of Surgeons Trauma Quality Improvement Program database was queried for all patients admitted to level I trauma centers with isolated blunt severe TBI (AIS>3, GCS<9) who met criteria for ICP monitoring...

INTRODUCTION: Precise diagnostics and an adequate therapeutic approach are mandatory in the treatment of air leak in polytrauma patients with blunt chest trauma. The aim of this study was to evaluate the incidence, characteristics, and management of air leak following this injury pattern. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Data from 110 polytrauma patients was collected retrospectively. Fifty-four patients received initial treatment by chest tube placement for pneumothorax. These patients were classified into two groups, one with severe air leak and one with minor air leak...

BACKGROUND: Non-operative management (NOM) of blunt splenic injury, initially touted for the care of pediatric patients, has become the standard of care for stable trauma patients of all ages. In our institution, trauma patients <16 years old are managed by the pediatric surgery service and patients ≥16 years are managed by the adult trauma service. Angioembolization is routinely employed for adults with blunt splenic injury but rarely used for pediatric patients. A retrospective chart review was performed to determine if more liberal use of angioembolization increases the success rate of NOM of blunt splenic injury in adolescents...