Eur J Trauma Emerg S
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Eur J Trauma Emerg S · Oct 2009
A case of delayed diagnosis of a right-sided diaphragm rupture with a review of the literature.
Right-sided diaphragm rupture is one of the typical injuries found during a secondary or tertiary survey after a major blunt trauma. This is mainly due to the apparently normal aspect of primary X-rays of the thorax. ⋯ We present a case of a delayed diagnosis of right-sided diaphragm rupture, which was discovered by accident because of a new trauma. We review the literature on right-sided diaphragm rupture and its treatment.
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Police departments in Europe are increasingly using nonlethal weapons and/or ammunitions such as a bean bag to restrain and disable a person temporarily. A bean bag is a small nylon bag filled with metal balls that is fired from a shotgun and weighs approximately 50 g. It is successfully used in the United States by law enforcement personnel. This report describes a case in which use of a bean bag resulted in a contusion of the liver, which was treated conservatively.
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Eur J Trauma Emerg S · Oct 2009
Role of lung contusions on posttraumatic inflammatory response and organ dysfunction in traumatized patients.
Multiple trauma is often accompanied by lung contusion leading to secondary pulmonary inflammation and organ dysfunction. The particular role of lung contusions on the systemic inflammatory response remains unclear. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to compare the degree of lung contusion with markers of inflammation and multiple organ failure (MOF) in trauma patients. ⋯ Our data show that severe lung contusions contributes to an immediate onset of posttraumatic inflammation in severely traumatized patients, resulting in MOF, while in severely injured patients without lung contusion, this development requires up to 5 days.
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Eur J Trauma Emerg S · Oct 2009
Traumatic deaths in the emergency room: A retrospective analysis of 115 consecutive cases.
The aim of the present study was to characterise traumatic deaths occurring in the emergency room (ER) and to assess retrospectively the quality of given emergency care by evaluating whether any of the deaths could be identified as potentially preventable. ⋯ Missed injuries did not play a major role in the preventable deaths. Seven potentially preventable deaths were considered to be failures in the surgical decision-making process, resulting in futile non-operative treatment or a delay in surgical bleeding control.
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Eur J Trauma Emerg S · Oct 2009
Pneumatosis intestinalis with gastric pneumatosis and hepatoportal venous gas in blunt abdominal trauma: A case report.
A case of transient pneumatosis intestinalis with gastric pneumatosis and hepatoportal venous gas following blunt abdominal trauma is described. The presence of intramural gas mostly implies intestinal necrosis, which needs emergent surgical exploration. This case demonstrates that conservative management with close clinical observation and follow-up computed tomography scan can be safely applied in selected cases of pneumatosis intestinalis with gastric pneumatosis and hepatoportal venous gas.