The American surgeon
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The American surgeon · Dec 2007
Excess mortality, length of stay, and costs associated with serious hemorrhage among trauma patients: findings from the National Trauma Data Bank.
Trauma is a serious injury or shock to the body from violence or crash and is an important and growing global health risk. Using 2000 to 2004 data from a comprehensive trauma registry, we estimated the prevalence of serious blunt and penetrating trauma-related hemorrhage among patients admitted to U. S. trauma centers along with excess in-hospital mortality, length of hospital stay, and inpatient costs. ⋯ In-hospital mortality rates were significantly (P < 0.05) higher for patients with serious hemorrhage than for patients without (24.9 per cent versus 8.4 per cent for blunt; 23.4 per cent versus 4.2 per cent for penetrating). Patients with serious hemorrhage had adjusted mean excess lengths of stay of 0.4 days for blunt trauma and 2.7 days for penetrating trauma (P < 0.05); adjusted excess costs were $296 per day for patients sustaining blunt trauma and $637 per day for patients sustaining penetrating trauma (P < 0.05). In both blunt and penetrating trauma cases, serious hemorrhage is significantly associated with excess mortality, longer hospital stays, and higher costs.
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The American surgeon · Dec 2007
ReviewDiagnosis and management of extremity compartment syndromes: an orthopaedic perspective.
More than 200,000 people in the United States are diagnosed annually with compartment syndrome. This condition is commonly established based on clinical parameters. ⋯ Surgical release of the enveloping fascia remains the acceptable standard treatment for compartment syndrome. This article reviews the evaluation and treatment of compartment syndrome.
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Isolated thyroid gland injury due to blunt neck trauma is uncommon and rarely complicated by thyroid storm in patients without known hyperthyroidism. The aim of this study was to report our experience on blunt thyroid gland injury followed by massive gland hemorrhage, acute airway obstruction, and symptoms of thyroid storm. Among 231 patients with neck trauma, four patients appeared with isolated thyroid gland injury. ⋯ Left lobectomy and total thyroidectomy were performed and, along with postoperative medical measures, led to uneventful recovery. This study demonstrates that thyroid gland injury due to blunt neck trauma, although uncommon, may result in potentially life-threatening thyroid storm due to rupture of acini and liberation of thyroid hormones into the bloodstream. This may occur in patients without known hyperthyroidism.
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The American surgeon · Dec 2007
Efficacy of feeding tube placement during pancreaticoduodenectomy for chronic pancreatitis.
Malnutrition, intestinal dysmotility, and gastroparesis are frequent problems in patients with chronic pancreatitis who undergo pancreaticoduodenectomy. This has led to the practice of operative placement of enteral feeding tubes. The purpose of this study is to examine the efficacy of feeding tubes placed during pancreaticoduodenectomy in patients with chronic pancreatitis. ⋯ Length of hospital stay and hospital readmission during the first postoperative year were not affected by feeding tube placement. In conclusion, simultaneous feeding tube placement along with pancreatic head resection for chronic pancreatitis can be performed safely. The majority of the feeding tubes are used in postoperative care, but they do not prevent the need for total parenteral nutrition and do not shorten length of hospital stay.
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Serial venous duplex scans (VDS) were done in 507 trauma patients with at least one risk factor (RF) for venous thromboembolism (VTE) during a 2-year study period. Deep vein thrombosis (DVT) was detected in 31 (6.1%) patients. This incidence was 3.1 per cent in low (1-2 RFs), 3.4 per cent in moderate (3-5 RFs), and 7.7 per cent in high (> or =6 RFs) VTE scores (P = 0.172). ⋯ First two VDS diagnosed 77 per cent of DVTs. Patients with injury severity score of > or =15 and 25 had higher DVTs compared with the ones with lower injury severity score levels (P < or = 0.05). Pulmonary embolism was silent in 63 per cent and DVTs were asymptomatic in 68 per cent.