J Trauma
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An unusual case of migration of an intracranial bullet fragment within a brain abscess is reported. Movement of the bullet was first detected on skull films, and the significance of this finding on plain radiographs is emphasized.
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Computed tomography is used with increasing frequency to evaluate blunt chest trauma. Since traumatic aortic rupture (TAR) is a rapidly lethal condition, unnecessary CT scanning may not be justified. To determine the accuracy of chest CT scanning for TAR, we reviewed 17 patients who underwent both chest CT scanning and aortography. ⋯ The specificity was 23% and the sensitivity was 83% compared with aortography. The overall accuracy for CT scanning was 53%. From these data we conclude that in the presence of an unstable patient or where there is a strong clinical suspicion of TAR the patient should proceed directly to aortography.
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Comparative Study
Combined hemorrhagic shock and head injury: effects of hypertonic saline (7.5%) resuscitation.
Hypertonic saline resuscitation was compared to isotonic fluid resuscitation in a large animal model combining hemorrhagic shock with head injury. Sheep were subjected to a freeze injury of one cerebral hemisphere as well as 2 hours of hypotension at a mean arterial pressure (MAP) of 40 mm Hg. Resuscitation was then carried out (MAP = 80 mm Hg) for 1 hour with either lactated Ringer's (LR, n = 6) or 7.5% hypertonic saline (HS, n = 6). ⋯ No differences were detected in the injured hemispheres. We conclude that hypertonic saline abolishes increases in ICP seen during resuscitation in a model combining hemorrhagic shock with brain injury by dehydrating areas where the blood-brain barrier is still intact. Hypertonic saline may prove useful in the early management of multiple trauma patients.
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Comparative Study
Techniques of emergency ventilation: a model to evaluate tidal volume, airway pressure, and gastric insufflation.
We designed a model to evaluate the effectiveness of various noninvasive methods of ventilation. The upper airway was simulated with the head of a Resusci-Annie which was attached to a test lung. The esophagus and stomach were simulated with a Penrose drain connected to a rolling seal spirometer via a PEEP valve. ⋯ Mouth-to-mouth and mouth-to-mask techniques generated the largest tidal volumes but also created the largest volume of gastric insufflation. The Impact ventilator provided an acceptable tidal volume with minimal gastric insufflation. Our results suggest that mouth-to-mask ventilation with supplemental oxygen enrichment is the most efficient technique for non-invasive airway management.
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Over a 54-month period 6,142 patients were consecutively admitted to our Level I trauma center. Ninety-two blunt trauma patients required massive transfusion (MT) of 20 or more units of packed red blood cells (range, 20-126). Eighty-two per cent of all transfused blood was given within 24 hours of admission. ⋯ Thirty-two patients (74%) returned to work. We conclude that: 1) blunt and penetrating trauma patients receiving MT have similar survival rates of 50%; 2) shock, closed head injury, and age predict increased mortality but do not preclude survival; 3) long-term outcome in blunt patients requiring MT is excellent. Post-discharge death is rare and 3/4 of the survivors return to work, justifying the high cost of acute care.