Der Unfallchirurg
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Blast injuries are a rare cause of potentially life-threatening injuries in Germany. During the past 30 years such injuries were seldom the cause of mass casualties, therefore, knowledge and skills in dealing with this type of injury are not very extensive. ⋯ This article generates several hypotheses, which should be confirmed with additional investigations. Until then it has to be concluded that patients who suffer from accidental blast injuries in the civilian setting (excluding military operations and terrorist attacks) show a combination of classical severe trauma with blunt and penetrating injuries and additionally a high proportion of severe burns (combined thermomechanical injury). They stay longer in the ICU than other trauma patients and suffer more complications, such as sepsis and multiorgan failure. Established scores, such as RISC, RISC II and TASH tend to underestimate the severity of the underlying trauma.
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Case Reports
[An exceptional cause of a penetrating thoracic trauma : High-pressure injection injury of the left upper lung lobe].
We report a thoracic high-pressure injection injury caused by hydraulic fluid. Immediate surgical intervention without resection of lung tissue ensured an uneventful postoperative course. ⋯ The unimpressive entry wound conceals the underlying tissue damage. Hence, prompt surgical inspection, basic wound debridement, and drainage or open wound therapy determine the outcome.
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Tibiotalocalcaneal arthrodesis has recently become more popular as a form of reconstructive surgery. The precise anatomical orientation and the functional extrinsic musculature of the hindfoot are essential for a satisfactory result. Fixation of the arthrodesis is a mechanical problem. ⋯ The instrumentation was applied in 11 cases, with the following indications: post-traumatic conditions, congenital deformities, chronic polyarthritis and diabetic Charcot arthropathy. The desired alignment of the hindfoot is not affected while the nail is being introduced. The fixation achieves primary stability thus allowing for early functional treatment.
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Percutaneous internal fixation of pelvic fractures is increasing in popularity with multiple new techniques reported. ⋯ Percutaneous fixation of pelvic fractures requires high-quality imaging and can be aided by computer navigation. Safe techniques are reproducible; however, not all patients and fracture patterns can be treated using these techniques.