European journal of emergency medicine : official journal of the European Society for Emergency Medicine
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Jugular bulb oximetry provides the first bedside available information on cerebral oxygen utilization. An extensive analysis was made of all initial jugular bulb oximetry data obtained in 150 patients within the first 12 h after severe traumatic brain injury. ⋯ Jugular bulb desaturation was especially related to systemic causes (such as a lowered cerebral perfusion pressure observed in 29 patients, and a lowered arterial carbon dioxide tension in 24 patients). These findings could have important implications for the emergency management of severely head-injured patients, as outcome might possibly be improved by better attention to all systemic factors that might reduce cerebral perfusion in the early hours after traumatic insult.
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Embolization of small foreign body particles from peripheral veins to the heart or lungs is an uncommon occurrence and, once released into the circulation, localization and retrieval may be difficult. We present a case of accidental separation and embolization of a 28 mm long distal portion of a polytetrafluoroethylene intravenous cannula that was sited in a superficial right wrist vein. ⋯ It was then accurately located in the cephalic vein using contiguous axial computed tomography with reconstructions, and was easily retrieved under local anaesthesia. A management approach to this uncommon but potentially serious problem is suggested.
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Eighteen patients with small intestine or mesenteric injury following blunt abdominal trauma were operated over a 34-month period. Early diagnosis and surgery, less than 6 hours after admission, was achieved in 10 patients (56%), seven of whom had haemorrhagic shock and had positive diagnostic peritoneal lavage or ultrasonography on admission. Three haemodynamically stable patients had a diagnostic abdominal computed tomography. ⋯ Delayed diagnosis is often related to isolation of intestinal and mesenteric injury and results in increased morbidity and hospital stay. Every attempt should be made to reach a diagnosis within six hours of admission to the trauma unit. A management algorithm is proposed.
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This paper reviews the nature and the frequency of adverse events in the everyday functioning of a French trauma emergency unit, and evaluates the feasibility of their detection by the means of a daily record review. A senior surgeon identified the adverse events by reviewing the complete record with a minimal 6-months follow-up for every patient attending the emergency unit during a 10-week period. To test the reliability of this review, a blind re-review of all records corresponding to the detected adverse events, mixed with an equal number of controls, was carried out by two independent experts. ⋯ The re-review evaluated the positive predictive value of the initial review to be 97.5% and its negative predictive value to be 96%. It is concluded that the review of the initial record by a single senior is effective in detecting the adverse events. Prevention of two-thirds of them could be possible by the implementation and monitoring of protocols.