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Impalement injuries are relatively uncommon during vehicular trauma. We present a dual case report of patients sustaining simultaneous impalement injuries during a high-speed motor vehicle collision in a rural (austere) environment. After Institutional Review Board approval, we performed a review of the patients' medical records. Two young men were traveling in an automobile at high speed when the driver lost control of the vehicle, causing it to strike a wooden fence. Portions of the fence were dislodged, penetrated the windshield, and impaled both the driver and passenger. Both patients were extricated rapidly and transported to our trauma center. Multidisciplinary teams consisting of trauma, thoracic, plastic, and hepatobiliary surgeons addressed the injuries of both patients. Both survived their injuries and have since returned to their homes. This case of dual impalements highlights three key points: first, the principles of management of thoracoabdominal impalement injuries; second, the importance of rapid action of first responders in complex traumas; and finally, the value of using a multidisciplinary surgical team in complicated trauma cases.

Hyaluronate carboxymethylcellulose (Seprafilm; Genzyme Corp., Cambridge, MA) has been demonstrated to be safe and efficacious for the prevention of abdominal and pelvic adhesions; however, information is scarce regarding its use in children and adolescents. We wanted to characterize our experience with Seprafilm in a pediatric surgical population. After Institutional Review Board approval, we searched our hospital and pediatric surgery database for cases in which Seprafilm was used and retrospectively reviewed medical records for demographic and clinical information. Between July 2000 and October 2005, 18 patients had Seprafilm placed. Patients ranged in age from 0.25 to 18 years. Seven patients had not undergone any previous operations. Of patients having undergone prior surgery, the most common preceding intervention was a Ladd's procedure. Seprafilm was applied in a variety of scenarios, the most frequently being adhesiolysis for bowel obstruction. No patient required reoperation for obstruction. Two patients underwent subsequent operations for unrelated reasons; one was noted to have no significant adhesions, but the other had extensive adhesions. No patient demonstrated signs or symptoms of small bowel obstruction, intraperitoneal abscess, or localized inflammatory reaction to Seprafilm. Seprafilm was successfully used in our pediatric surgical population without complications.