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Subcutaneous emphysema can be a secondary complication of chest trauma or one of the complications of ruptured bullae in advanced chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Massive subcutaneous emphysema impairs the respiratory mechanics and affects the venous returns of the head and neck. It can lead to respiratory insufficiency with the need for mechanical ventilation. The treatment should focus on the primary pathology. Nonetheless, in patients with subcutaneous emphysema as the only but serious symptom, the treatment can zero in solely on this complication. The standard procedure consists in the insertion of chest drain which does not necessarily have to lead to successful treatment results. The authors present a case study of a 77-year-old man with major comorbidities, with extensive subcutaneous emphysema after blunt chest wall trauma, in which respiratory insufficiency developed. The chest drain was ineffective. The solution was to apply subfascial negative pressure therapy infraclavicularly to the area of the pectoral muscle, which made the subcutaneous emphysema almost immediately subside and which substantially improved the clinical condition of the patient. Local negative pressure therapy can be used as the method of choice for treating massive subcutaneous emphysema in patients, in whom the standardised treatment by chest drain with active suction mechanism failed and the lung is expanded in the pleural cavity, and for whom surgery is far too risky. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

PURPOSE OF THE STUDY Rib fractures represent one of the most common fractures sustained by 10-40% of all patients with blunt chest trauma, their incidence increases with age. In the current literature, however, new indication criteria continue to emerge. The purpose of this study is to assess the indication criteria, the timing of surgery and the use of individual plates in dependence on fracture location in our patients after the chest wall stabilisation in a retrospective analysis. MATERIAL AND METHODS Our group of patients (n = 349) included the patients who were hospitalised in the Trauma Centre of the University Hospital Olomouc from 1 January 2015 to 31 January 2019, of whom 16 patients were indicated for a surgery. In case of polytrauma, spiral CT was performed, while all patients with a more serious wall chest trauma underwent 3D CT chest wall reconstruction. The surgical approach was chosen based on the fracture location, most frequently posterolateral thoracotomy was opted for. The type of plates was chosen based on the location and type of the fracture. The most common was the lateral type of fracture. RESULTS The most common indication for surgery was multiple rib fractures with major chest wall disfiguration with the risk of injury to intrathoracic organs, present hemothorax or pneumothorax. The age of patients ranged from 44 to 92 years. 8 patients sustained a thoracic monotrauma, the remaining patients suffered multiple injuries, mostly craniocerebral trauma, pelvic or long bone fractures or parenchymal organ injury. The patients were indicated for surgery between 1 hour and 7 days after the hospital admission, on average 3 plates per patient were used and the most commonly used type of plate was the newly modified Judet plate made by Medin. All the patients underwent a surgical revision of pleural cavity, in 3 patients diaphragmatic rupture was found despite a negative preoperative CT scan. The duration of mechanical ventilation in polytrauma patients was 16 days, in thoracic monotrauma patients it was 2 days. CONCLUSIONS Prevailing majority of patients with a blunt chest trauma with rib fractures is still treated non-operatively, which is confirmed also by our group of patients. Nonetheless, correctly and early indicated stabilisation of the chest wall based on accurate indication criteria is of a great benefit to the patients. The aim of each and every trauma centre should be to develop a standardised protocol for the management of blunt chest trauma (the so-called "rib fracture protocol"), which comprises precisely defined criteria for patient admission, multimodal analgesia, indications for surgery, comprehensive perioperative and postoperative care and a subsequent rehabilitation of patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The spleen is one of the most commonly injured organ in blunt traumas to the chest and abdomen. Splenic injury can be a serious complication of fracture of the left 9th to 11th rib. The authors present a case report of a 65-year-old male patient with a blunt trauma to the left chest and abdomen, diagnosed with multiple left rib fractures, left hemothorax and splenic injury with a small subcapsular hematoma with no signs of active splenic bleeding. Due to hemodynamic instability and a large volume of blood loss via the chest drain, the patient was indicated for emergency left thoracotomy. A perforation in the lower lobe of the left lung caused by rib fractures was found, which was treated with sutures. Furthermore, the diaphragm was examined, two ruptures were identified from which blood was coming out, and thus a phrenotomy was performed. The bleeding central splenic rupture came as a big surprise. A spleen preserving surgery was impossible, therefore a splenectomy had to be performed, followed by chest wall stabilization with splints. Transthoracic approach to manage the splenic injury through phrenotomy should not be used as a standard. In a selected group of patients with concomitant chest and upper abdominal organ injuries, the use of this surgical approach appears to be highly beneficial. Key words: splenic injury, splenectomy, thoracotomy, rib fractures, diaphragmatic rupture.

Subcutaneous emphysema can be a secondary complication of chest trauma or one of the complications of ruptured bullae in advanced chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Massive subcutaneous emphysema impairs the respiratory mechanics and affects the venous returns of the head and neck. It can lead to respiratory insufficiency with the need for mechanical ventilation. The treatment should focus on the primary pathology. Nonetheless, in patients with subcutaneous emphysema as the only but serious symptom, the treatment can zero in solely on this complication. The standard procedure consists in the insertion of chest drain which does not necessarily have to lead to successful treatment results. The authors present a case study of a 77-year-old man with major comorbidities, with extensive subcutaneous emphysema after blunt chest wall trauma, in which respiratory insufficiency developed. The chest drain was ineffective. The solution was to apply subfascial negative pressure therapy infraclavicularly to the area of the pectoral muscle, which made the subcutaneous emphysema almost immediately subside and which substantially improved the clinical condition of the patient. Local negative pressure therapy can be used as the method of choice for treating massive subcutaneous emphysema in patients, in whom the standardised treatment by chest drain with active suction mechanism failed and the lung is expanded in the pleural cavity, and for whom surgery is far too risky. Key words: negative pressure wound therapy, subcutaneous emphysema, rib fracture.

PURPOSE OF THE STUDY Rib fractures represent one of the most common fractures sustained by 10-40% of all patients with blunt chest trauma, their incidence increases with age. In the current literature, however, new indication criteria continue to emerge. The purpose of this study is to assess the indication criteria, the timing of surgery and the use of individual plates in dependence on fracture location in our patients after the chest wall stabilisation in a retrospective analysis. MATERIAL AND METHODS Our group of patients (n = 349) included the patients who were hospitalised in the Trauma Centre of the University Hospital Olomouc from 1 January 2015 to 31 January 2019, of whom 16 patients were indicated for a surgery. In case of polytrauma, spiral CT was performed, while all patients with a more serious wall chest trauma underwent 3D CT chest wall reconstruction. The surgical approach was chosen based on the fracture location, most frequently posterolateral thoracotomy was opted for. The type of plates was chosen based on the location and type of the fracture. The most common was the lateral type of fracture. RESULTS The most common indication for surgery was multiple rib fractures with major chest wall disfiguration with the risk of injury to intrathoracic organs, present hemothorax or pneumothorax. The age of patients ranged from 44 to 92 years. 8 patients sustained a thoracic monotrauma, the remaining patients suffered multiple injuries, mostly craniocerebral trauma, pelvic or long bone fractures or parenchymal organ injury. The patients were indicated for surgery between 1 hour and 7 days after the hospital admission, on average 3 plates per patient were used and the most commonly used type of plate was the newly modified Judet plate made by Medin. All the patients underwent a surgical revision of pleural cavity, in 3 patients diaphragmatic rupture was found despite a negative preoperative CT scan. The duration of mechanical ventilation in polytrauma patients was 16 days, in thoracic monotrauma patients it was 2 days. CONCLUSIONS Prevailing majority of patients with a blunt chest trauma with rib fractures is still treated non-operatively, which is confirmed also by our group of patients. Nonetheless, correctly and early indicated stabilisation of the chest wall based on accurate indication criteria is of a great benefit to the patients. The aim of each and every trauma centre should be to develop a standardised protocol for the management of blunt chest trauma (the so-called "rib fracture protocol"), which comprises precisely defined criteria for patient admission, multimodal analgesia, indications for surgery, comprehensive perioperative and postoperative care and a subsequent rehabilitation of patients. Key words: rib fracture protocol, chest wall stabilisation, flail chest.

Extranodal lymphomas are quite rare, and they usually present as non-Hodgkin lymphomas. The most common localization is the gastrointestinal tract, mainly the stomach - primary gastric lymphoma; histologically, diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) is the most frequent type. The diagnosis is established based on endoscopic examination with biopsy of the tumor. It is an aggressive tumor, highly chemosensitive, which is why primary systemic chemotherapy is indicated in early, as well as late, stages of the disease. Surgery is indicated to treat complications such as perforation, bleeding or gastrointestinal obstruction. The authors present the case of a chemoresistant patient with hemodynamically significant bleeding, indicated for surgical revision after unsuccessful endoscopic treatment. Multiple organ resection was performed due to the large size of the tumor in the abdominal cavity.Key words: gastric lymphoma - surgical treatment.