Surgery, gynecology & obstetrics
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Stab wounds of the chest may be associated with a spectrum of injuries ranging from the lethal to the insignificant. The management of asymptomatic patients with stab wounds of the chest is controversial. The results of previous reports have asserted that asymptomatic patients with stab wounds of the chest do not have delayed complications develop if roentgenograms of the chest taken six hours after the injury are normal. ⋯ An asymptomatic patient with a stab wound of the chest that is not precordial, not in proximity to the subclavian artery and not suspected of diaphragmatic penetration should be serially examined and have a follow-up roentgenogram of the chest at six hours. If the patient remains asymptomatic and the six hour film is normal, delayed complications are rarely, if ever, encountered and the patient does not require further studies or hospitalization. The six hour rule for stab wounds of the chest is valid.
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Although individual reports have indicated that a fracture of the first or second rib is predictive of injury to the thoracic aorta and its major branches, the results of a careful review of the literature do not support this contention. In patients suffering blunt trauma, the risk of disruption of the aorta is not greater in patients with fracture of the upper two ribs, compared with victims of trauma with fracture of other ribs or those without fracture of ribs. Clinical manifestations are often absent in patients with disruption of the aorta or the innominate artery, but evidence of mediastinal hemorrhage is almost always present on roentgenograms of the chest. ⋯ Repeat examinations must be performed and serial roentgenograms of the chest must be obtained for several days after injury to assess the possibility of unrecognized vascular trauma. If clinical or roentgenographic evidence of vascular injury is revealed, arteriography is mandatory. Thoracic CT scanning in patients with evidence of mediastinal hemorrhage on plain film may be of value in selecting patients for angiography, but additional experience must be obtained before such a protocol becomes an established policy.
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Surg Gynecol Obstet · Aug 1989
Comparative StudyInfusion of small volume of 7.5 per cent sodium chloride in 6.0 per cent dextran 70 for the treatment of uncontrolled hemorrhagic shock.
The effect of a solution of 7.5 per cent sodium chloride in 6.0 percent dextran 70 was studied in a rat model of uncontrolled hemorrhagic shock induced by partial resection of the tail of the rat. Fifty rats were randomly assorted into five groups of ten rats each. In group 1, uncontrolled hemorrhagic shock was induced by sharp resection of 10 per cent of the terminal portion of the tail of the rat. ⋯ Increased bleeding was followed by a fall in mean arterial pressure in groups 4 and 5 with a 60 per cent mortality rate (p less than 0.01) in both groups and respective, mean survival times of 135 +/- 29 and 144 +/- 26 minutes, which were significantly increased compared with group 1 (p less than 0.01 for both). The intravenous infusion of 6 per cent dextran 70 alone in group 3 resulted in delayed bleeding of 1.23 +/- 0.6 milliliters (p less than 0.04) after 180 minutes. It is concluded that infusions of small volume of 7.5 per cent sodium chloride or 7.5 per cent sodium chloride in 6.0 per cent dextran 70 solutions in rats in a state of uncontrolled hemorrhagic shock led to increased bleeding, decrease in mean arterial pressure and increased mortality.
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Surg Gynecol Obstet · Aug 1989
Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study Clinical TrialPresumptive antibiotics for penetrating abdominal wounds.
The optimal antimicrobial agent or agents for penetrating abdominal injuries remains undetermined. During the three year period ending August 1987, 317 consecutive patients undergoing celiotomy for penetrating abdominal trauma were prospectively randomized to receive either mezlocillin, 4 grams every six hours, or clindamycin, 600 milligrams every six hours, and gentamicin, loading dose of 2.0 milligrams per kilogram, then 1.5 kilograms every eight hours. Antibiotics were begun in the emergency department with duration of coverage based on the pattern of injury: the colon, five days; other hollow visceral injury, two days, and all others, one day. ⋯ The offending pathogens were similar. The most common isolates in intra-abdominal abscess were Escherichia coli, Klebsiella and Enterococcus species and anaerobic Bacteroides species. Mezlocillin, an extended spectrum penicillin, achieved similar results, compared with the expensive and potentially toxic combination regimen in patients with penetrating abdominal injuries.
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Surg Gynecol Obstet · May 1989
Metabolism of D lactate in patients receiving hypertonic sodium lactate solution.
The use of hypertonic saline solutions for resuscitation of patients with a decreased extracellular fluid volume is generating more clinical interest. One of the solutions, hypertonic lactated Ringer's solution (HLS), contains lactate in both the D(-) and L(+) forms. Because humans lack D lactate dehydrogenase, the metabolism of D lactate in patients receiving large amounts of lactate in a clinical setting was examined. ⋯ The volume of distribution was 20 per cent of the body weight. These results demonstrate that D lactate is metabolized rapidly even when given in large amounts to humans during the perioperative period. Whether or not this metabolism occurs during hypoperfusion is not known.