Acta Chir Belg
-
Comparative Study
Multiple trauma in patients of 65 and over. Injury patterns. Factors influencing outcome. The importance of an aggressive care.
In a first study of 416 polytrauma patients, 49 were aged 65 years or older. These "old patients" (mean age 72.1) were compared with the remaining 367 "young patients" (mean age 31.3). In a second study concerning 126 polytrauma patients of 65 and over, the survivors and non survivors were profiled and compared. ⋯ On the other hand the Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) was of important prognostic value, as well as to survival as to functional recovery (p < 0.001). Also the need for early intubation and continued ventilation were predictive of survival (p < 0.001). Nevertheless this need for respiratory assistance was not an indication for withdrawing support as also 9% of the survivors required endotracheal intubation for 5 days or longer.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
-
Abdomino-thoracic wounds caused by shooting are very serious as they frequently affect several organs and require extreme emergency surgery. Within traumatic abdominal vascular wounds, aortic injury in the supramesocolic segment is associated with a high mortality, 64% (2). ⋯ The evolution has been simple, the patient leaving the hospital 19 days after surgery. This case presents a tactical peculiarity about the access procedure to the supramesocolic abdominal aorta through the great epiploon, dividing the gastro-colic and the gastro-splenic ligaments.