J Trauma
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The changing profiles of spinal cord injuries in South Africa are addressed in this study. ⋯ Gunshots carry a heavier prognosis. Only 32% of our gunshot cases underwent a significant recovery as opposed to 61% of stab cases and 44% of the motor vehicle crash victims.
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Case Reports
Lobectomy for traumatic pulmonary pseudocysts with disseminated intravascular coagulation: case report.
A 10-year-old boy was injured in a traffic accident, and computed tomography revealed cavitary pulmonary lesions in the left lower lobe. Although there was no evidence of bacterial infection, thrombocytopenia due to disseminated intravascular coagulation progressed. We performed a left lower lobectomy, and the patient improved rapidly.
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Determine if laparotomy further destabilizes an unstable pelvic injury and increases pelvic volume, and if reduction and stabilization restores pelvic volume and prevents volume changes secondary to laparotomy. ⋯ We believe that the abdominal wall provides stability to an unstable pelvic ring injury via a tension band effect on the iliac wings. Our results demonstrate that a laparotomy further destabilized an open-book pelvic injury and subsequently increased pelvic volume and pubic diastasis. This could potentially increase blood loss from the pelvic injury and delay the tamponade effect of reduction and stabilization. A single-pin external fixator prevents the destabilizing effect of the laparotomy and effectively reduces pelvic volume. These data support reduction and temporary stabilization of unstable pelvic injuries before or concomitantly with laparotomy.
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Great emphasis is placed on the lethality of modern high-powered street weapons, and their impact on mortality from firearm injuries. Presented is a case of an air rifle BB injury to the chest, resulting in a penetrating injury of the right heart, with apparent retrograde embolization to the inferior vena cava. ⋯ This case exemplifies three important principles regarding penetrating chest trauma and air guns: (1) Modern air rifles, capable of muzzle velocities as high as 900 fps, are intrinsically lethal weapons; (2) missiles within the cardiovascular system have a propensity for embolization, and often follow an intuitively unexpected course; and (3) young healthy patients with potentially lethal penetrating cardiac injuries, particularly those caused by low velocity firearms, may appear stable and minimally injured in the emergency room. A strong suspicion of cardiac injury and prompt intervention should be extended to airgun injuries of the thorax.
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Open reduction and internal fixation of unstable posterior pelvic ring injury provides better bony stability and less long term morbidity than nonoperative treatment. However, open reduction and internal fixation of the posterior pelvis may involve substantial intraoperative blood loss, reported infection rates of 6 to 25%, and wound complications in 25%. Our hypothesis was that percutaneous cannulated iliosacral screws placed by fluoroscopic control would provide early, rapid, definitive stabilization with minimal blood loss, infection, and wound complications. ⋯ Percutaneous iliosacral screw fixation for unstable posterior pelvic disruption provided early fixation with minimal operative time, minimal blood loss, and wound-related morbidity.