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Chest trauma is the leading cause of death in people under 40. It is estimated to cause around 140,000 deaths each year. The key aims are to reduce mortality and the impact of associated complications to expedite recovery and to restore patient’s conditions. The recognition of lesions through appropriate imaging and early treatment already in the emergency department are fundamental. The majority can be managed in a non-surgical way, but especially after traumatic cardiac arrest, a surgical approach is required. One of the most important surgical procedures is the Emergency Department Thoracotomy (EDT). The aim of this review is to provide a comprehensive synthesis about the management of thoracic trauma, the surgical procedures, accepted indications, and technical details adopted during the most important surgical procedures for different thoracic trauma injuries. Literature from 1990 to 2023 was retrieved from multiple databases and reviewed. It is also important to emphasize the medico-legal implications of this type of trauma, both from the point of view of collaboration with the judicial authority and in the prevention of any litigation.

Chest trauma is the leading cause of death in people under 40. It is estimated to cause around 140,000 deaths each year. The key aims are to reduce mortality and the impact of associated complications to expedite recovery and to restore patient's conditions. The recognition of lesions through appropriate imaging and early treatment already in the emergency department are fundamental. The majority can be managed in a non-surgical way, but especially after traumatic cardiac arrest, a surgical approach is required. One of the most important surgical procedures is the Emergency Department Thoracotomy (EDT). The aim of this review is to provide a comprehensive synthesis about the management of thoracic trauma, the surgical procedures, accepted indications, and technical details adopted during the most important surgical procedures for different thoracic trauma injuries. Literature from 1990 to 2023 was retrieved from multiple databases and reviewed. It is also important to emphasize the medico-legal implications of this type of trauma, both from the point of view of collaboration with the judicial authority and in the prevention of any litigation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Traumatic hemorrhage of the thyroid gland resulting from blunt injury to the neck is a very rare event. Particular neck positions can expose the thyroid to trauma, especially in motor vehicle collisions, falls, direct blows, or sport activities. Preexisting conditions such as goiters, adenomas, and cysts can increase the risk of bleeding, reducing the force required to rupture the gland and make the thyroid more prone to injury. The authors report the case of a 53-year-old man who was involved in a fire while working on maintenance of a liquid petroleum gas (LPG)–powered car. He subsequently presented to the emergency department with painful swelling of his right anterior neck with a palpable mass. CT scan showed a right thyroid hemorrhagic cyst. The worker reported that he had jumped into the car trunk to extinguish the fire and covered the gas tank nozzle with his own body to prevent dispersal of the accelerant. In this case, the medico-legal evaluation was useful to delineate between natural and traumatic causes of the injury. Medico-legal assessment is key in understanding the dynamics involved in work-related events to identify any legal responsibilities of the worker or the employer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The worldwide increase in road traffic crashes and use of firearms has increased the incidence of duodenal injuries. Upper gastrointestinal radiological studies and computed tomography (CT) in resource settings may lead to the diagnosis of blunt duodenal injury. Exploratory laparotomy remains the ultimate diagnostic test if a high suspicion of duodenal injury continues in the face of absent or equivocal radiographic signs. Although the majority of duodenal injuries may be managed by simple repair, high-risk duodenal injuries are followed by a high incidence of suture line dehiscence and should be treated by duodenal diversion. Case presentation: We report a case of a failed primary repair of a blunt injury to the second part of the duodenum (D2) in a 24-year-old African man. This was successfully managed by a tube duodenostomy, a bypass gastrojejunostomy and a feeding jejunostomy in a low resource setting. Conclusions: Detailed knowledge of the available operative choices in duodenal injury and their correct application is important. When duodenal repair is needed, conservative repair techniques over complex reconstructions should be utilised. The technique of tube duodenostomy can be successfully applied to cases of large defects in the second part of the duodenum (D2), failed previous repair attempts and with defects caused by different aetiology. It may remain especially useful as a damage-control procedure in patients with multiple injuries, significant comorbidities and/or haemodynamic instability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Blunt carotid artery injury (BCAI) is a rare sequelae of blunt neck trauma. It may lead to stroke and major neurological deficits. Therefore, early diagnosis and management are crucial to prevent or reduce associated morbidity. We report a 22-year-old male who sustained an accidental left BCAI with an air-gun bullet. The injury was suspected on clinical assessment and confirmed by a CT/angiogram of the neck. The patient was promptly started on therapeutic anticoagulation and did not develop any neurological deficits. Our case emphasizes the importance of non-invasive management of BCAI, which requires a high index of clinical suspicion for diagnosis. Once confirmed, starting therapeutic anticoagulation early is vital to avoid fatal consequences, namely strokes, in such patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: After cardiovascular and cancer, the third leading cause of death is trauma. Death due to trauma usually occurs in the first four decades of life. Thoracic injuries are a severe problem due to high-speed vehicle accidents. The two significant types of trauma are penetrating trauma and blunt trauma. Penetrating injuries usually result in the disruption of tissue structure, while blunt injuries result in organ damage or any structure under the tissue without damaging the integrity of that tissue. Blunt injuries include falling from a height, a traffic accident, or job-related injuries. Method: This is a cross-sectional study conducted for one year, and a sample size of 293 was taken. The study encompassed the bodies of patients eligible for autopsy, excluding those with mutilated or decomposed bodies, as well as those with insufficient historical information. Autopsies were conducted following proper patient identification and examination. A T-test was employed to compare male and female groups, while the chi-squared test assessed differences in categorical variables between groups. Data analysis was performed using SPSS version 24.0. A value of P < 0.05 was considered significant. Result: The study revealed that most of the chest trauma cases occurred in males 70.3% and females 29.7%. Maximum number of trauma was seen between the age group of 21 to 30 years. Out of 293 victims, 235 have blunt injuries, and 58 have penetrating injuries, lung contusion is the most common 51.8% followed by rib fracture, which has occurred in 46.4% victims. Conclusion: The rate of occurrence of chest trauma is higher in males between the age group of 21 to 30 years than females of the same age group. Similarly, the prevalence of blunt chest trauma is much higher as compared to penetrating chest trauma. In blunt injury, the incidence of traffic-related injuries is higher, while in penetrating injuries, stabbing is more common than any other injuries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A male pedestrian in his 30’s was hit by a car and immediately taken to hospital by ambulance. On arrival, his blood pressure was 83/64 mmHg and his heart rate was 140 beats/min. Computed tomography showed extravasation of contrast medium from the lateral segment of the liver. Given the exacerbation caused by hypotension, an emergency laparotomy was performed. Temporary hemostasis was achieved by packing with gauze and a subsequent transcatheter arterial embolization. At the 2nd laparotomy, a small amount of active bleeding from the injury site was noted; therefore, an emergency lateral segmentectomy was performed. The postoperative course was uneventful and he was discharged home 8 days later. The pathology of the liver specimen revealed that a 2.5 cm hepatic hemangioma was the cause of bleeding. Traumatic rupture of hepatic hemangiomas is rare, and most reported cases are of giant hemangiomas. Our case demonstrated that even a small hemangioma can elicit life-threatening bleeding in blunt abdominal trauma.

Blunt breast trauma occurs in 2% of blunt chest injuries. This study aimed to evaluate the evidence on breast reconstruction after blunt trauma associated with the use of a seat belt. Also, we describe the first case of breast reconstruction using the Ribeiro technique. In November 2022, a systematic search of MEDLINE, EMBASE, and Google Scholar databases was conducted. The literature was screened independently by two reviewers, and the data was extracted. Our search terms included breast, mammoplasty, blunt injury, and seat belts. In addition, we present the case of a woman with a left breast deformity and her reconstruction using the inferior Ribeiro flap technique. Six articles were included. All included studies were published between 2010 and 2021. The studies recruited seven patients. According to the Teo and Song classification, seven class 2b cases were reported. In five cases a breast reduction was performed in the deformed breast with different types of pedicles (three superomedial flaps, one lower flap, one superior flap). Only one case presented complications. The case here presented was a type 2b breast deformity in which the lower Ribeiro pedicle was used successfully without complications during follow-up. Until now there has been no consensus on reconstructive treatment due to the rarity of this entity. However, we must consider surgical treatment individually for each patient. We believe that the Ribeiro technique is a feasible and safe alternative in the treatment of posttraumatic breast deformities, offering very good long-term results.

Blunt breast trauma occurs in 2% of blunt chest injuries. This study aimed to evaluate the evidence on breast reconstruction after blunt trauma associated with the use of a seat belt. Also, we describe the first case of breast reconstruction using the Ribeiro technique. In November 2022, a systematic search of MEDLINE, EMBASE, and Google Scholar databases was conducted. The literature was screened independently by two reviewers, and the data was extracted. Our search terms included breast, mammoplasty, blunt injury, and seat belts. In addition, we present the case of a woman with a left breast deformity and her reconstruction using the inferior Ribeiro flap technique. Six articles were included. All included studies were published between 2010 and 2021. The studies recruited seven patients. According to the Teo and Song classification, seven class 2b cases were reported. In five cases a breast reduction was performed in the deformed breast with different types of pedicles (three superomedial flaps, one lower flap, one superior flap). Only one case presented complications. The case here presented was a type 2b breast deformity in which the lower Ribeiro pedicle was used successfully without complications during follow-up. Until now there has been no consensus on reconstructive treatment due to the rarity of this entity. However, we must consider surgical treatment individually for each patient. We believe that the Ribeiro technique is a feasible and safe alternative in the treatment of posttraumatic breast deformities, offering very good long-term results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]