Search

Purpose: This study aims to review complications and union rates of ballistic femoral neck fractures when compared to their blunt counterparts. We hypothesize that gunshot injuries to the femoral neck may have higher rates of complications (nonunion, avascular necrosis [AVN], and implant failure) as a result of increasing comminution and disruption to the already tenuous blood supply through the femoral neck., Methods: Following the Institutional Review Board approval, a retrospective chart review was performed identifying femoral neck fractures at a single level 1 trauma center from 2018 to 2023. Inclusion criteria were age 16-45 years old with intracapsular femoral neck fractures. Exclusion criteria were absence of radiographic and clinical follow-up beyond 6 weeks, prior femur fractures, pathologic fractures, or primary surgery of total hip arthroplasty. Garden classification and Pauwels angle were reported. Clinical union was defined as the absence of pain with ambulation in the absence of radiographic changes. Radiographic union was defined using the validated Radiographic Union Score for Hip (RUSH) scoring system. Complication rates (deep and superficial infection, failure of fixation, and AVN) and subsequent surgery were recorded., Results: After exclusion, 12 ballistic and 16 blunt femoral neck fractures met inclusion criteria and were reviewed. The ballistic cohort had significant more Garden I fractures than the blunt cohort (4 [33%] vs. 0 [0%]), and significantly fewer Garden IV fractures than the blunt cohort (2 [17%] vs. 9 [56%]). Despite different Garden classification types of fracture patterns, the Pauwels angle between the two cohorts was similar (51° ballistic vs. 60° blunt, p = 0.16). The overall nonunion rate was 24.1%. Nonunion rates were similar between the two cohorts (3, 25% ballistic vs. 4, 25% blunt, p = 0.99). The mean final RUSH score between the two cohorts was similar (20.1 ballistic vs. 23.4 blunt [p = 0.05]). The total complication rate was 31% (9/28) consisting of 7 nonunions and 2 malunions across both cohorts., Conclusion: The current study found no difference in the union rates between blunt and ballistic femoral neck fractures. Although comparing these fractures using traditional classification systems (Garden and Pauwels) are difficult due to the inherent differences in mechanism and the applicability of these tools, both groups presented with high rates of nonunion and complications. We believe the similar RUSH scores and complication rates in both cohorts show these fractures fundamentally behave similarly and remain challenging injuries to manage with ORIF., Competing Interests: Declarations Conflict of interest The authors have no relevant financial or nonfinancial interests to disclose. The authors have no competing interests to declare that are relevant to the content of this article. All authors certify that they have no affiliations with or involvement in any organization or entity with any financial interest or nonfinancial interest in the subject matter or materials discussed in this manuscript. The authors have no financial or proprietary interests in any material discussed in this article., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag France SAS, part of Springer Nature.)

Background: Splenorrhaphy was once used to achieve splenic preservation in up to 40% of splenic injuries. With increasing use of nonoperative management and angioembolization, operative therapy is less common and splenic injuries treated operatively are usually high grade. Patients are often unstable, making splenic salvage unwise. Modern surgeons may no longer possess the knowledge to perform splenorrhaphy., Methods: The records of adult trauma patients with splenic injuries from September 2014 to November 2018 at an urban level I trauma center were reviewed retrospectively. Data including American Association for the Surgery of Trauma splenic organ injury scale, type of intervention, splenorrhaphy technique, and need for delayed splenectomy were collected. This contemporary cohort (CC) was compared to a historical cohort (HC) of splenic injuries at a single center from 1980 to 1989 (Ann Surg 1990; 211: 369)., Results: From 2014 to 2018, 717 adult patients had splenic injuries. Initial management included 157 (21.9%) emergent splenectomy, 158 (22.0%) angiogram ± embolization, 371 (51.7%) observation, and only 10 (1.4%) splenorrhaphy. The HC included a total of 553 splenic injuries, of which 313 (56.6%) underwent splenectomy, while splenorrhaphy was performed in 240 (43.4%). Those who underwent splenorrhaphy in each cohort (CC vs HC) were compared., Conclusion: The success rate of splenorrhaphy has not changed. However, splenorrhaphy now involves only electrocautery with topical hemostatic agents and is used primarily in low-grade injuries. Suture repair and partial splenectomy seem to be "lost arts" in modern trauma care.

Background: While injury is a leading cause of death and debility in older adults, the relationship between intensity of care and trauma remains unknown. The focus of this analysis is to measure the overall intensity of care delivered to injured older adults during hospitalization., Methods: We used Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Medicare fee-for-service claims data (2013-2014), to identify emergency department-based claims for moderate and severe blunt trauma in age-eligible beneficiaries. Medical procedures associated with care intensity were identified using a modified Delphi method. A latent class model was estimated using the identified procedures, intensive care unit length of stay, demographics, and injury characteristics. Clinical phenotypes for each class were explored., Results: A total of 683,398 cases were classified as low- (73%), moderate- (23%), and high-intensity care (4%). Greater age and reduced injury severity were indicators of lower intensity, while males, non-Whites, and nonfall mechanisms were more common with high intensity. Intubation/mechanical ventilation was an indicator of high intensity and often occurred with at least one other procedure or an extended intensive care unit stay., Conclusion: This work demonstrates that, although heterogeneous, care for blunt trauma can be evaluated using a single novel measure., Level of Evidence: For prognostic/epidemiological studies, level III., (Copyright © 2021 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.)

Introduction: Extensive research relying on Injury Severity Scores (ISS) reports a mortality benefit from routine non-selective thoracic CTs (an integral part of pan-computed tomography (pan-CT)s). Recent research suggests this mortality benefit may be artifact. We hypothesized that the use of pan-CTs inflates ISS categorization in patients, artificially affecting admission rates and apparent mortality benefit., Methods: Eight hundred and eleven patients were identified with an ISS >15 with significant findings in the chest area. Patient charts were reviewed and scores were adjusted to exclude only occult injuries that did not affect treatment plan. Pearson chi-square tests and multivariable logistic regression were used to compare adjusted cases vs non-adjusted cases., Results: After adjusting for inflation, 388 (47.8%) patients remained in the same ISS category, 378 (46.6%) were reclassified into 1 lower ISS category, and 45 (5.6%) patients were reclassified into 2 lower ISS categories. Patients reclassified by 1 category had a lower rate of mortality ( P < 0.001), lower median total hospital LOS ( P < .001), ICU days ( P < .001), and ventilator days ( P = 0.008), compared to those that remained in the same ISS category., Conclusion: Injury Severity Score inflation artificially increases survival rate, perpetuating the increased use of pan-CTs. This artifact has been propagated by outdated mortality prediction calculation methods. Thus, prospective evaluations of algorithms for more selective CT scanning are warranted.

Background: This study aimed to provide a reference for the clinical treatment of patients with spleen ruptures by analyzing and discussing the clinical effects of the conservative treatment., Methods: The clinical data of 93 patients with blunt spleen rupture treated in the First Affiliated Hospital of University of Science and Technology of China from April 2015 to April 2018 were retrospectively analyzed. Among them, 84 cases were treated conservatively and 9 cases were treated surgically. The general information of conservative treatment and surgical treatment were compared. The relationship between different conservative treatment methods and CT classification of spleen rupture and the changes of abdominal drainage were analyzed., Results: The CT classification grade and trauma score of patients with spleen rupture in surgical treatment were higher than those in conservative treatment group (P<0.05). A total of 90.3% patients were treated conservatively. Among them, 7.1% (83.4% were in CT classification of spleen injury grade 1-2) were from the observation group, 14.3% (83.3% were in CT classification of spleen injury grade 1-2) were from abdominal drainage group, 3.6% were from splenic artery embolization group, and 75% (9.5% were in CT classification of spleen injury grade 2, 77.8% in grade 3 and 12.7% in grade 4) were from splenic artery embolization plus abdominal drainage group. There was no significant difference in the total amount of abdominal drainage on day 1, day 2 and day 3, and the CT classification of spleen rupture (P>0.05). However, there significant differences on the amount of abdominal drainage among day 1, day 2 and day 3 (P<0.05). Meanwhile, 2 complications occurred in the splenic artery embolization plus abdominal drainage group., Conclusions: Conservative treatment is feasible in blunt spleen rupture patients of CT classification grade of 1-4 with stable hemodynamical. Splenic rupture patients of CT classification grade 4-5 with instable hemodynamical should be treated surgically.

Background: Undertriage of older trauma patients is implicated as a cause for outcome disparities. Undertriage is defined by an Injury Severity Score (ISS) ≥16 without full trauma activation. We hypothesized that in patients ≥65 years, undertriage is associated with unfavorable discharge., Methods: This is a retrospective study of patients ≥65 years admitted at a Level 1 Trauma Center between July 2016 and June 2018 with blunt trauma. The Matrix method was used to determine the undertriage rate, and outcomes were compared between undertriaged and fully activated patients with ISS ≥16. Favorable outcomes in undertriaged patients instigated further analyses to determine factors that predicted unfavorable discharge condition, defined by discharge from the hospital with severe disability, persistent vegetative state, and in-hospital death., Results: The undertriage rate was 7.9%. When compared to fully activated patients with ISS ≥16, a lower percentage of undertriaged patients were discharged in an unfavorable condition (16.6% vs 64.7%, P < .001). On the multivariate analysis, male sex (OR = 1.52), preexisting coronary artery disease (OR = 1.86), age >90 years (OR = 2.31), ISS 16-25 (OR = 3.50), Glasgow Coma Score (GCS) ≤14 (OR = 6.34), and ISS >25 (OR = 9.64) were significant independent risk factors for unfavorable discharge., Discussion: The undertriage rate in patients ≥65 years was higher than the accepted standard (5%). However, undertriaged patients had better outcomes than those fully activated with ISS ≥16. Factors more predictive of unfavorable discharge condition were GCS ≤14 and ISS >25. These data suggest that ISS alone is a poor marker for assessing undertriage in older patients. Additional parameters established in this study should be considered as potential markers for better predicting outcomes in older trauma patients.

Introduction: The aim of the study was to review the appearances of Morel-Lavallée (ML) lesions on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)., Patients and Methods: 14 patients diagnosed with the ML lesion on MRI were analysed retrospectively (mean age = 35 years). Mechanism of injury, time frame from injury to MRI, location, shape, T1 and proton-density fat-suppression (PDFS) signal intensity (SI), presence of a (pseudo)capsule, septations or nodules within the collection, mass effect and fluid-fluid levels were analyzed. The Mellado and Bencardino classification was utilized to classify the lesions., Results: In most cases, mechanism of injury was distortion. Mean time frame between the injury and MRI was 17 days. Lesions were located around the knee in 9 patients and in the peritrochanteric region in 5 patients. Collections were fusiform in 12 patients and oval in 2 patients. 9 collections were T1 hypointense and PDFS hyperintense. 4 collections had intermediate T1 and high PDFS SI. 1 collection had intermediate T1 and PDFS SI. (Pseudo)capsule was noted in 3 cases. Septations or nodules were found in 4 cases. According to the Mellado and Bencardino, collections were classified as seroma (type 1) in 9, subacute hematoma (type 2) in 1 and chronic organizing hematoma (type 3) in 4 cases., Conclusions: Characteristic features of ML lesion include a fusiform fluid collection between the subcutaneous fat and the underlying fascia after shearing injury. Six types can be differentiated on MRI, with the seroma, the subacute hematoma and the chronic organizing hematoma being the commonest., (© 2021 Tajda Srot Volavc, Mitja Rupreht, published by Sciendo.)

Purpose: To determine whether an additional arterial phase (AP) leads to a change in the grade of splenic injury according to the 2018 revision of the AAST Organ Injury Scale, which has incorporated vascular injuries into the grading system and also to study its impact on management., Methods: In this retrospective study, 527 patients who sustained blunt abdominal trauma and had underwent dual-phase CT (AP and portal venous phase (PVP)) from December 2014 to October 2016 (23 months) were included. Two experienced radiologists independently graded the splenic injury according to the revised system in 2 blinded ways (AP + PVP and PVP alone). Receiver operator characteristic (ROC) curves were generated for grade of injury on both the phases for all splenic interventions., Results: Splenic injuries were detected in 154 patients, and splenic vascular injuries were detected in 52 of them. Of these, 22 vascular injuries were detected only on the AP, leading to a change in the grade of injury according to the new system in 18 patients. The AUC for ROC curves was generated for the grade of injury on AP + PVP vs. PVP alone for angioembolization (0.80 vs. 0.71, p value 0.002), and all splenic interventions (0.89 vs. 0.83, p value 0.003) showed higher AUC for AP + PVP., Conclusion: Addition of AP leads to a significant change in the grading of splenic injuries according to the revised grading system due to increased detection of vascular injuries. Accurate classification of splenic injuries using additional AP would lead to better triage of patients for splenic interventions or conservative management.

Background: In-hospital mortality in trauma patients has decreased recently owing to improved trauma injury prevention systems. However, no study has evaluated the validity of the Trauma and Injury Severity Score (TRISS) in pediatric patients by a detailed classification of patients' age and injury severity in Japan. This retrospective nationwide study evaluated the validity of TRISS in predicting survival in Japanese pediatric patients with blunt trauma by age and injury severity., Methods: Data were obtained from the Japan Trauma Data Bank during 2009-2018. The outcomes were as follows: (1) patients' characteristics and mortality by age groups (neonates/infants aged 0 years, preschool children aged 1-5 years, schoolchildren aged 6-11 years, and adolescents aged 12-18 years), (2) validity of survival probability (Ps) assessed using the TRISS methodology by the four age groups and six Ps-interval groups (0.00-0.25, 0.26-0.50, 0.51-0.75, 0.76-0.90, 0.91-0.95, and 0.96-1.00), and (3) the observed/expected survivor ratio by age- and Ps-interval groups. The validity of TRISS was evaluated by the predictive ability of the TRISS method using the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves that present the sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value, accuracy, area under the receiver operator characteristic curve (AUC) of TRISS., Results: In all the age categories considered, the AUC for TRISS demonstrated high performance (0.935, 0.981, 0.979, and 0.977). The AUC for TRISS was 0.865, 0.585, 0.614, 0.585, 0.591, and 0.600 in Ps-interval groups (0.96-1.00), (0.91-0.95), (0.76. - 0.90), (0.51-0.75), (0.26-0.50), and (0.00-0.25), respectively. In all the age categories considered, the observed survivors among patients with Ps interval (0.00-0.25) were 1.5 times or more than the expected survivors calculated using the TRISS method., Conclusions: The TRISS methodology appears to predict survival accurately in Japanese pediatric patients with blunt trauma; however, there were several problems in adopting the TRISS methodology for younger blunt trauma patients with higher injury severity. In the next step, it may be necessary to develop a simple, high-quality prediction model that is more suitable for pediatric trauma patients than the current TRISS model.

Patients assigned lower-tier trauma activation may be undertriaged. Delayed recognition and intervention may adversely affect outcome. For critically injured intubated patients, research shows that abnormally low end-tidal carbon dioxide (EtCO2) values correlate with need for blood transfusion, surgery, and mortality. The purpose of this study was to evaluate EtCO2 monitoring for patients triaged to lower-tier trauma activation. EtCO2 monitoring may aid in the recognition of patients who have greater needs than anticipated. This is a prospective observational study conducted at a Level I trauma center. Potential subjects presenting from the field were identified by lower-tier trauma activation for blunt mechanism. EtCO2 measurements acquired using nasal cannula sidestream technology were prospectively recorded in the trauma bay during the initial assessment. The medical record and trauma registry were queried for demographics, injury data, mortality, and critical resource data defined as intubation, blood transfusion, surgery, intensive care unit admission, and vasoactive medication infusion. EtCO2 data were obtained for 682 subjects during a 10.5-month period. Following exclusions, 262 patients were enrolled for data collection. EtCO2 values less than 30 mmHg were significantly associated with blood transfusion (p = .03) but not with other critical resources or mortality. Although capnography had limited utility for patients triaged to lower-tier trauma activation, EtCO2 values less than 30 mmHg correlated with blood transfusion, consistent with previous studies of critically injured intubated patients. EtCO2 monitoring is noninvasive and may serve as a simple prompt for earlier initiation of blood transfusion, a resource-intensive intervention.

Purpose: To better characterize traumatic renal injury a revision to the 1989 American Association for the Surgery of Trauma renal injury scale was proposed in which grade IV includes all collecting system and segmental vascular injuries and grade V includes main renal hilar injury. We sought to validate the 2009 grading scale, emphasizing reclassifications between the 1989 and 2009 versions, and subsequent management., Materials and Methods: Patient demographics and renal injury characteristics, computerized tomography imaging, radiology reports and subsequent management were recorded in a prospective trauma database. Multivariable logistic regression models for intervention were compared using 1989 and 2009 grades to evaluate which grading scale better predicted management., Results: Of 256 renal injury cases 56 (21.9%) were reclassified using the revised 2009 scale, including 50 (19.5%) which were upgraded, 6 (2.3%) which were downgraded and 200 (78.1%) which were unchanged. Of grade III or higher cases management was nonoperative in 112 (78.9%), angioembolization in 9 (6.3%), nephrectomy in 9 (6.3%) and renorrhaphy in 12 (8.5%). Management was significantly associated with original and revised grades (chi-square p=0.02 and <0.001, respectively). Further, the multivariable model using the 2009 grades significantly outperformed the 1989 model. Radiology reports rarely included renal injury scales., Conclusions: Using the revised renal injury grading scale led to more definitive classification of renal injury and a stronger association with renal trauma management. Applying the revised criteria may facilitate and improve the multidisciplinary care of renal trauma.

Blunt chest wall injuries are a significant cause of mortality and morbidity in trauma patients. Accurate identification and description of chest wall injuries by the radiologist can aid in guiding proper patient management. The American Association for the Surgery of Trauma (AAST) has devised a classification system based on severity. This article describes the features of each injury grade according to the AAST injury scale and discusses the implications for management. Additionally, common mechanisms of blunt chest trauma and multimodal imaging techniques are discussed.

Objective: To summarize the experience of treatment for blunt pancreatic trauma. Methods: The clinical data of 52 patients with blunt pancreatic trauma admitted to the Department of Pancreatic and Biliary Surgery of the First Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University from January 2013 to June 2018 were analyzed retrospectively.There were 40 male and 12 female patients, aging from 12 to 112 years with a median age of 35.5 years.According to the organ injury scale by American Association for the Surgery of Trauma(AAST) for pancreatic injury severity, 15 cases were in grade Ⅰ(28.8%), 20 cases were in grade Ⅱ(38.5%), 10 cases were in grade Ⅲ(19.2%),5 cases were in grade Ⅳ(9.6%) and 2 cases were in grade Ⅴ(3.8%). Isolated blunt pancreatic trauma occurred in 11(21.2%) patients including 5 cases of grade Ⅰ,5 cases of grade Ⅱ and 1 case of grade Ⅲ, and associated injuries existed in 41 patients(78.8%). Results: Among 52 patients, 36 patients(69.2%) were transferred from other hospitals and 16(30.8%) patients were admitted through the emergency department. Finally, 49 patients(94.2%) were cured and 3 patients (5.8%) died.For the 15 cases of grade Ⅰ,9 patients were managed non-operatively, 5 cases underwent peritoneal lavage and drainage after surgery for the other injured abdominal organs, and 1 patient received percutaneous catheter drainage(PCD) with non-operative treatment. For the 20 cases of grade Ⅱ,4 cases only received non-operative treatment and 2 cases also received PCD. Besides, 2 cases underwent debridement and drainage for peripancreatic necrotic tissue and external drainage for pancreatic pseudocyst retrospectively after about 25 days of getting injured. As for patients who received exploratory laparotomy, 5 patients underwent suture repair associated with external drainage, and 7 patients were managed only with external drainage. For the 10 cases of grade Ⅲ,6 patients were cured through distal pancreatectomy and splenectomy with external drainage, while 2 patients underwent endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography and ductal stenting, and the other 2 patients just received debridement and drainage for peripancreatic necrotic tissue.For the 5 cases of grade Ⅳ,2 patients underwent jejunostomy and abdominal cavity drainage, 1 patient had a pancreaticoduodenectomy with drainage,1 patient received suture repair of the pancreas and pancreaticojejunostomy, and 1 patient was managed with suture repair of the head of pancreas and external drainage.For the 2 patients of grade Ⅴ,1 patient received exploratory laparotomy and gauze compression packing hemostasis, and the other patient underwent pancreaticoduodenal repair, gastrointestinal anastomosis, duodenal exclusion surgery and external drainage. Conclusion: According to the AAST classifications, associated injuries, physiological status and intraoperative situation, it could be better to make a comprehensive judgment, achieve early diagnosis and take appropriate individualized treatment strategy, and to improve the overall therapeutic effect for blunt pancreatic trauma.

Background: Limited data Exists ? on the Australian epidemiology of renal trauma, with very few studies published in the literature. The authors aim to detail the trends of renal trauma in the coastal city of the Gold Coast., Methods: Retrospective data collection yielded 81 patients who sustained renal trauma from our 3-year period. Data included information on demographics, mechanism, American Association for the Surgery of Trauma (AAST) grade, presence of haematuria, associated injuries, management, and complications., Results: Male patients accounted for 83% (n = 67) of cases, and the average age of all injuries was 36 years. Low-grade AAST Grade I-III injuries comprised of 76% (n = 62) of injuries, AAST Grade IV contributed to 20% (n = 16) and 4% (n = 3) of injuries were AAST Grade V. The most common mechanism of injury was road accidents accounting for 35% (n = 28) followed by fall-related injuries (26%, n = 21). Other mechanisms included sport-related (13.5%, n = 11), non-motorized bicycle injuries (8.5%, n = 7), alleged assault (8.5%, n = 7), pedestrian injuries (5%, n = 4) and horse-related injuries (2%, n = 2). Ninety-six percent (n = 78) of kidney injuries were managed conservatively. Of the patients requiring intervention, all were AAST Grade V kidney injuries., Conclusion: Males accounted for the majority of renal trauma cases, similar to the 3:1 ratio of male-to-female injuries found in other studies. In line with other studies, renal trauma reviewed on the Gold Coast also revealed road trauma as the leading cause, closely followed by falls. The majority of high-grade renal trauma was managed conservatively., (© 2019 Royal Australasian College of Surgeons.)

Aim: To describe the management of blunt liver injury and to study the potential relation between delayed complications, type of trauma mechanisms and liver lesions., Patients and Methods: This is a retrospective single center study including 116 consecutive patients admitted with blunt liver injury between 2007 and 2015., Results: Initial CT-scan identified an active bleeding in 33 (28%) patients. AAST (American Association for the Surgery of Trauma) grade was 1 to 3 in 82 (71%) patients and equal to 5 in 15 (13%) patients. Eighty (69%) patients had NOM, with a success rate of 96%. Other abdominal organ lesions were associated to invasive initial management. A follow-up CT-scan was useful to detect hepatic and extra-hepatic complications (46 complications in 80 patients), even without clinical or biological abnormalities. Subsequent hepatic complications such as bleeding, pseudo aneurysms, biloma and biliary peritonitis developed in 15 patients and were associated with the severity of blunt liver injury according to AAST classification (3.7±1.0 vs. 3.0±1.1, P=0.010). Total biliary complications occurred in 13 patients and were significantly more frequently observed in patients with injury of central segments 1, 4 and 9 (69% vs. 36%, P=0.033)., Conclusions: Non-operative management is possible in most blunt liver injury with a success rate of 96%. A systematic CT-scan should be advocated during follow-up, especially when AAST grade is equal or superior to 3. Biliary complications should be suspected when lesions involve segments 1, 4 and 9., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.)

Objective: In a motor vehicle crash, compressive forces from the lap component of the seat belt may produce an abdominal abrasion/contusion known as the 'seat belt sign', and is associated with abdominal and lumbar injuries. Previous research has not taken into account the position of this sign in relation to the anterior superior iliac spine (ASIS). Our aim was to demonstrate an association between the seat belt sign position in relation to ASIS and the presence of abdominal/lumbar injury., Methods: A mixed prospective and retrospective observational study of patients involved in a motor vehicle crash was conducted. The presence of a seat belt sign was recorded as above ASIS, at/below ASIS, or none. Injury data were extracted from discharge summaries, radiology reports and operation reports. Proportions of patients with injuries were compared across the three groups., Results: Four hundred and sixty-four participants were enrolled. For participants with a seat belt sign above ASIS, compared to those with no seat belt sign, the positive likelihood ratio for a seat belt related injury was 4.2 (95% CI 2.6-6.8). When the seat belt sign was at/below the level of ASIS the positive likelihood ratio was 1.5 (95% CI 0.4-5.7)., Conclusion: The seat belt sign is associated with abdominal and lumbar injury; however, the location is important. This association is strong when the seat belt sign is above ASIS, but when the sign is at/below the ASIS the injury rate is similar to participants with no seat belt sign. Routine imaging of the abdomen may be appropriate only for those with a seat belt sign above ASIS., (© 2018 Australasian College for Emergency Medicine and Australasian Society for Emergency Medicine.)

Purpose: Determining the integrity of the pancreatic duct is important in high-grade pancreatic trauma to guide decision making for operative vs non-operative management. Computed tomography (CT) is generally an inadequate study for this purpose, and magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography (MRCP) is sometimes obtained to gain additional information regarding the duct. The purpose of this multi-institutional study was to directly compare the results from CT and MRCP for evaluating pancreatic duct disruption in children with these rare injuries., Methods: Retrospective study of data obtained from eleven pediatric trauma centers from 2010 to 2015. Children up to age 18 with suspected blunt pancreatic duct injury who had both CT and MRCP within 1 week of injury were included. Imaging findings of both studies were directly compared and analyzed using descriptive statistics, Chi square, Wilcoxon rank-sum, and McNemar's tests., Results: Data were collected for 21 patients (mean age 7.8 years). The duct was visualized more often on MRCP than CT (48 vs 5%, p < 0.05). Duct disruption was confirmed more often on MRCP than CT (24 vs 0%), suspected based on secondary findings equally (38 vs 38%), and more often indeterminate on CT (62 vs 38%). Overall, MRCP was not superior to CT for determining duct integrity (62 vs 38%, p = 0.28)., Conclusions: In children with blunt pancreatic injury, MRCP is more useful than CT for identifying the pancreatic duct but may not be superior for confirmation of duct integrity. Endoscopic retrograde cholangiogram (ERCP) may be necessary to confirm duct disruption when considering pancreatic resection., Level of Evidence: III.

Objectives: To evaluate the efficacy of early transcatheter arterial embolization for hemodynamically stable patients with The American Association for the Surgery of Trauma (AAST) grade 4 blunt renal trauma., Materials and Methods: The medical records of consecutive patients with grade 4 blunt renal trauma who were transported to our two critical care centers in Japan and treated with early transcatheter arterial embolization (TAE) between 2001 and 2013 were retrospectively reviewed. Treatment failure was defined as the need for further surgical intervention or re-embolization after initial embolization. We divided these cases into two groups, a group who survived and a group who died, investigating the factors that led to death., Results: Seventeen patients underwent early TAE, with an average time between presentation and embolization for renal trauma of 125 minutes (66-214 minutes). There was no case of treatment failure. Three of the patients died, but none solely because of renal injury. Significant factors associated with patient death were the number of concomitant injured organs (p=0.04), the presence of pelvic fractures (p<0.01), and the presence of visceral injuries (p<0.01). The presence of lumber fractures (p=0.09) also tended to be associated with patient death., Conclusions: Early TAE is an effective treatment and should be actively performed for hemodynamically stable patients with grade 4 blunt renal injuries without multiple concomitant organ injuries.

Background: Despite increases in imaging guidelines for other body-regions during initial trauma assessment and the demonstrated utility of chest radiographs (CXR), guidelines for use of thoracic computed-tomography (TCT) are lacking. We hypothesized that TCT utilization had not decreased relative to other protocolized CTs, and mechanism and CXR could together predict significant injury independent of TCT., Methods: We performed a retrospective review of blunt trauma patients ≤18 y.o. (2007-2015) at two level-1 trauma centers who received chest imaging. Baseline characteristics and incidences of body region-specific CT were compared. Injury mechanism, intrathoracic pathology, and interventions among other data were examined (significance: p<0.05)., Results: Although other body-region CT incidence decreased (p<0.05), TCT incidence did not change (p=0.65). Of the 2951 patients, 567 had both CXR and TCT, 933 received TCT-only, and 1451 had CXR-only. TCT altered management in 17 patients: 2 operations, 1 stent-placement, 1 medical management, 9 thoracostomy tube placements, and 4 negative diagnostic workups. All clinically significant changes were predicted by vehicle-related mechanism and abnormal CXR findings., Conclusions: TCT utilization has not decreased over time. All meaningful interventions were predicted by CXR and mechanism of injury. We propose a rule, for prospective validation, reserving TCT for patients with abnormal CXR findings and severe vehicle-related trauma., Level of Evidence: Diagnostic study, Level III., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Pancreatic injuries in children are rare and most often caused by mechanisms of blunt injury. Injury to the pancreas in children may be difficult to diagnose and treat., Material and Method: The article is based on literature searches in PubMed from the last 10 years (performed on 20 October 2015 and terminating on 20 October 2016) and on the authors’ own clinical experience and knowledge of the literature., Results: The search yielded a total of 20 articles, of which 6 concerned diagnostics and 14 dealt with treatment. Pancreatic injuries are rare and constitute around 0.3 % of all injuries in children, and 0.6 % of all abdominal traumas. Pancreatic injury is the fourth most frequent abdominal organ injury in children, and most occur in the age group 5 – 18 years. A little less than one fifth are isolated injuries. Computed tomography is the first choice in diagnostics, supported by magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography to achieve optimum sensitivity. Where findings are unclear or pancreatic duct injury is suspected, early endoscopic resonance cholangiopancreatography and stent treatment are relevant to determine pancreatic duct injury. Less severe (grade I–II) injuries are treated conservatively. The choice of surgery or conservative treatment of severe injuries (grade III–V) where the pancreatic duct is involved must be considered for each individual patient. Mortality is generally associated with other severe traumas such as head injuries and multiple organ injuries., Interpretation: Pancreatic injuries or blunt traumas are rare in children and in most cases can be managed by observation. The evidence base is scant, particularly for severe injuries.

Objective: to study the correlation of trauma mechanism with frequency and severity of injuries in blunt trauma patients., Methods: retrospective analysis of trauma registry in a 15-month period was carried out. Trauma mechanism was classified into six types: occupants of four-wheeled vehicles involved in road traffic accidents (AUTO), pedestrians struck by road vehicles (PED), motorcyclists involved in road traffic accidents (MOTO), falls from height (FALL), physical assault with blunt instruments (ASSA) and falls on same level (FSL). Injuries with AIS>2 were considered severe. One-way ANOVA, Students t and Chi-square tests were used for statistical analysis, considering p<0.05 significant., Results: trauma mechanism was classified by group for 3639 cases, comprising 337 (9.3%) AUTO, 855 (23.5%) PED, 924 (25.4%) MOTO, 455 (12.5%) FALL, 424 (11.7%) ASSA and 644 (17.7%) FSL. There was significant difference among groups when comparing the Revised Trauma Score (RTS), the Injury Severity Score (ISS) and the Abbreviated Injury Scale (AIS) of the head, thorax, abdomen and extremities (p<0.001). Severe injuries in the head and in the extremities were more frequent in PED patients (p<0.001). Severe injuries to the chest were more frequent in AUTO (p<0.001). Abdominal injuries were less frequent in FSL (p=0.004). Complex fractures of the pelvis and spine were more frequent in FALL (p<0.001). Lethality was greater in PED, followed by FALL and AUTO (p<0.001)., Conclusion: trauma mechanism analysis predicted frequency and severity of injuries in blunt trauma patients.

Purpose: The authors evaluated the usefulness of the American Association for the Surgery of Trauma (AAST) testis injury scale based on preoperative scrotal ultrasonography (US) and physical examination compared to peroperative findings., Methods: A retrospective review was performed on 107 patients (mean age=29,2±5.8 years) with a testis blunt trauma treated between January 2005 and August 2015. All patients underwent surgical scrotal exploration. Preoperative US was performed in all cases. Testis trauma was classified according to the AAST organ injury scale, preoperatively based on physical examination and scrotal US and then compared to peroperative definitif grading scale., Results: Of the included patients, 14 were found to have abnormal testis contours on US, 25 had a rupture of the tunica albuginea, with a sensitivity of 70,8% and a specificity of 71,2%. Orchidectomy was performed in 12 cases, partial orchidectomy in 32 and tunica albuginea repair in 35 patients., Conclusions: Through this series, US was not a specific and sensitive exam to really precise the severity grade of testis trauma. Pre- and preoperative findings were significantly different. Thus, we continue to support history and clinical findings and we encourage surgical exploration when testis lesion is suspected.

Background: Trauma is the leading cause of death in individuals younger than 40 years. There are many different models for predicting patient outcome following trauma. To our knowledge, no comprehensive review has been performed on prognostic models for the general trauma population. Therefore, this review aimed to describe (1) existing mortality prediction models for the general trauma population, (2) the methodological quality and (3) which variables are most relevant for the model prediction of mortality in the general trauma population., Methods: An online search was conducted in June 2015 using Embase, Medline, Web of Science, Cinahl, Cochrane, Google Scholar and PubMed. Relevant English peer-reviewed articles that developed, validated or updated mortality prediction models in a general trauma population were included., Results: A total of 90 articles were included. The cohort sizes ranged from 100 to 1,115,389 patients, with overall mortality rates that ranged from 0.6% to 35%. The Trauma and Injury Severity Score (TRISS) was the most commonly used model. A total of 258 models were described in the articles, of which only 103 models (40%) were externally validated. Cases with missing values were often excluded and discrimination of the different prediction models ranged widely (AUROC between 0.59 and 0.98). The predictors were often included as dichotomized or categorical variables, while continuous variables showed better performance., Conclusion: Researchers are still searching for a better mortality prediction model in the general trauma population. Models should 1) be developed and/or validated using an adequate sample size with sufficient events per predictor variable, 2) use multiple imputation models to address missing values, 3) use the continuous variant of the predictor if available and 4) incorporate all different types of readily available predictors (i.e., physiological variables, anatomical variables, injury cause/mechanism, and demographic variables). Furthermore, while mortality rates are decreasing, it is important to develop models that predict physical, cognitive status, or quality of life to measure quality of care., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Background: Blunt pancreatic trauma is rare, and the reported mortality is high. The true outcomes in isolated pancreas trauma are not known, and the optimal management according to injury severity is controversial. The present study evaluated the incidence, outcomes, and optimal management of isolated blunt pancreatic injuries., Methods: National Trauma Data Bank study, including patients with blunt pancreatic trauma. Patients with major associated injuries or other severe intra-abdominal injuries were excluded. Patients' demographics, vital signs on admission, Abbreviated Injury Scale for each body area, Injury Severity Score (ISS), and therapeutic modality were extracted. Mortality and hospital length of stay were stratified according to the severity of pancreatic injury and therapeutic modality., Results: There were 388,137 patients with blunt abdominal trauma. Overall, 12,112 patients (3.1%) sustained pancreatic injury. Isolated pancreatic injury occurred in 2,528 (0.7%) of all abdominal injuries or 20.9% of pancreatic injuries. Most injuries were low-grade Organ Injury Scale ((OIS) score of 2, 82.7%) with only a small percentage of higher-grade injuries (OIS score of 3, 7.9%; OIS score of 4, 3.9%; and OIS score of 5, 5.5%). Overall, most patients (74.1%) were managed nonoperatively. Nonoperative management was selected in 80.5% of pancreas OIS score of 2, 48.5% of OIS score of 3, and 40.9% of OIS scores of 4 to 5. The overall mortality rate was 2.4%, while in severe pancreatic trauma it was 3.0%. In minor pancreatic trauma, nonoperative management was associated with lower mortality and shorter hospital length of stay than operative management. However, in the group of patients with severe pancreatic trauma (OIS scores, 4-5) nonoperative management was associated with higher mortality and longer hospital stay than definitive operative management of the pancreas., Conclusions: The mortality in isolated pancreatic trauma is low, even in severe injuries. Nonoperative management of minor pancreatic injuries is associated with lower mortality and shorter hospital stay than operative management. However, in severe trauma, nonoperative management is associated with higher mortality and longer hospital stay than operative management., Level of Evidence: Prognostic study, level III; therapeutic study, level IV.

Study Objective: The NEXUS chest decision instrument identifies a very-low-risk population of patients with blunt trauma for whom chest imaging can be avoided. However, it requires that all 7 National Emergency X-Ray Utilization Study (NEXUS) chest criteria be absent. To inform patient and physician shared decisionmaking about imaging, we describe the test characteristics of individual criteria of the NEXUS chest decision instrument and provide the prevalence of injuries when 1, 2, or 3 of the 7 criteria are present., Methods: We conducted this secondary analysis of 2 prospectively collected cohorts of patients with blunt trauma who were older than 14 years and enrolled in NEXUS chest studies between December 2009 and January 2012. Physicians at 9 US Level I trauma centers recorded the presence or absence of the 7 NEXUS chest criteria. We calculated test characteristics of each criterion and combinations of criteria for the outcome measures of major clinical injuries and thoracic injury observed on chest imaging., Results: We enrolled 21,382 patients, of whom 992 (4.6%) had major clinical injuries and 3,135 (14.7%) had thoracic injuries observed on chest imaging. Sensitivities of individual test characteristics ranged from 15% to 56% for major clinical injury and 14% to 53% for thoracic injury observed on chest imaging, with specificities varying from 71% to 84% for major clinical injury and 67% to 84% for thoracic injury observed on chest imaging. Individual criteria were associated with a prevalence of major clinical injury between 1.9% and 3.8% and of thoracic injury observed on chest imaging between 5.3% and 11.5%., Conclusion: Patients with isolated NEXUS chest criteria have low rates of major clinical injury. The risk of major clinical injury for patients with 2 or 3 factors range from 1.7% to 16.6%, depending on the combination of criteria. Criteria-specific risks could be used to inform shared decisionmaking about the need for imaging by patients and their physicians., (Copyright © 2015 American College of Emergency Physicians. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objective: The current Society for Vascular Surgery (SVS) classification scheme for blunt aortic injury (BAI) is descriptive but does not guide therapy. We propose a simplified classification scheme based on our robust experience with BAI that is descriptive and guides therapy., Methods: Patients presenting with BAI between January 1999 and September 2014 were identified from our institution's trauma registry. We divided patients into eras by time. Era 1: before the first United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR) device (1999-2005); era 2: FDA-approved TEVAR devices (2005-2010); and era 3: FDA-approved BAI-specific devices (2010-present). Baseline demographic information, Injury Severity Score, hospital details, and survival were collected and compared. Our classification scheme was minimal aortic injury, SVS grade 1 and 2; moderate aortic injury, SVS grade 3; and severe aortic injury, SVS grade 4., Results: We identified 226 patients with a diagnosis of BAI: 75 patients in era 1, 84 in era 2, and 67 in era 3. Mean Injury Severity Score was 39.5 (range, 16-75). The BAI-related in-hospital mortality was significantly higher before endovascular introduction in era 1 (14.6% vs 4.8%; P = .03), but was not significantly different between eras 2 and 3 or before and after BAI-specific devices were introduced (P = .43). Of 146 patients (64.6%) who underwent aortic intervention, 91 underwent endovascular repair, and 55 underwent open repair. All but nine patients (94%) had a moderate or severe injury. Survival across all three eras of patients undergoing operative intervention was 80.2%. Survival in eras 2 and 3 was higher than in era 1 (86.4% vs 73.8%) but was not significant (P = .38). Of 47 patients in eras 2 and 3 with minimal aortic injury, 45 (96%) were managed nonoperatively, with no BAI-related deaths. After 2007, follow-up imaging was obtained in 38 patients (80%) with minimal aortic injury, and progression was not observed. Computed tomography scans showed the injury in 13 patients appeared stable, 19 had complete resolution (50%), and 6 had a decreasing size of injury., Conclusions: Our experience confirms that BAI-related mortality for patients who survive to presentation is now 5%. From our findings during the past 15 years, we propose simplification of the SVS grading criteria of BAI into minimal, moderate, and severe based on treatment differences among the three groups. Minimal aortic injury can be successfully managed nonoperatively without mandatory follow-up imaging. Moderate aortic injury can be managed semielectively with TEVAR, and severe aortic injury, requires emergency TEVAR., (Copyright © 2016 Society for Vascular Surgery. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Blunt aortic injuries (BAIs) are traditionally treated as surgical emergencies, with the majority of repairs performed in an urgent fashion within 24 hours, irrespective of the grade of aortic injury. These patients are often underresuscitated and often have multiple other trauma issues that need to be addressed. This study reviews a single center's experience comparing urgent (<24 hours) thoracic endovascular aneurysm repair (TEVAR) versus delayed (>24 hours) TEVAR for Grade III BAI., Methods: All patients undergoing TEVAR for BAI at a single institution between March 2004 and March 2014 were reviewed (n = 43). Patients with Grade I, II, or IV aortic injuries as well as those who were repaired with an open procedure or who lacked preoperative imaging were excluded from the analysis. Demographics, intraoperative data, postoperative survival, and complications were compared., Results: During this period, there were 43 patients with blunt thoracic aortic injury. There were 29 patients with Grade III or higher aortic injuries. Of these 29 patients, 1 declined surgery, 2 were repaired with an open procedure, 10 underwent urgent TEVAR, and 16 had initial observation. Of these 16, 13 underwent TEVAR in a delayed fashion (median, 9 days; range, 2-91 days), and 3 died of non-aortic-related pathology. Comparing the immediate repair group versus the delayed repair group, there were no significant demographic differences. Trauma classification scores were similar, although patients in the delayed group had a higher number of nonaortic injuries. The 30-day survival was similar between the two groups (9 of 10 vs. 12 of 16), with no mortalities caused by aortic pathology in either group., Conclusion: Watchful waiting may be permissible in patients with Grade III BAI with other associated multisystem trauma. This allows for a repair in a more controlled environment., Level of Evidence: Therapeutic study, level V.

Introduction: The AAST renal injury grading scale is currently the most important variable predicting the need for kidney repair or removal, morbidity and mortality after blunt or penetrating kidney injuries. The 2011 revised version included renal pelvis, uretero-pelvic junction and segmental vascular injuries as grade IV, limiting grade V to severe hilar injuries. However, patients requiring surgery cannot be properly identified because of hemodynamic instability due to grade IV renal injuries. This study proposes an add-on for the AAST grade IV renal injury scale to improve the management of these patients., Method: We searched the Medline and Scopus databases up to September 2014. Searches were not restricted by date, language or publication status. Pediatric studies were excluded., Results: 71 articles were found, 57 were pertinent, including 6 directly related to the topic. 3 risk factors were identified to be associated with surgery for hemodynamic instability: perirenal hematoma >3.5 cm, intravascular contrast extravasation and medial renal laceration. Presence of two or more of these criteria has been validated in two other studies to predict the need for intervention. Patients with >25 % devascularized fragments also have poor prognosis and should be treated more aggressively., Conclusion: These elements should be included in future classification reassessment to efficiently determine the time for surgery in grade IV renal traumas, generally leading to nephrectomy.

(Objective) We retrospectively investigated the applicability of the Japanese Association for the Surgery of Trauma (JAST) classification version 2008 for renal injuries as predictive factors of the initial treatment for 207 blunt renal injury cases. (Materials and methods) We reviewed 207 patients between 1982 and 2013 who were admitted to our institution with blunt renal trauma. Patients were classified as conservative management group, immediate transcatheter arterial embolization (TAE) group, and immediate nephrectomy group by initial treatment. We retrospectively assessed several parameters including JAST criteria version 2008 type of renal injury (type), severity of hematoma (H factor) and extravasation of urine (U factor), the shock on arrival, associated abdominal injuries, serum hemoglobin levels, and macrohematuria as predicting factors of initial treatment of blunt renal trauma. (Result) TypeIII and PV injuries, H2 factor and associated non-renal abdominal injuries were predictive factors of immediate nephrectomy (p=0.001, p=0.000, p=0.003). TypeIII and PV injuries and H2 factor were predictive factors of immediate TAE. Both of H2 and U2 factors were significant predictors of immediate nephrectomy in patients with typeIII injury. H factor was a significantly predictive factor of immediate TAE in patients with typeI/II injuries (p=0.040). The rate of immediate TAE has been increasing but the rate of partial nephrectomy except for nephrectomy has been decreasing since the year 2007 when TAE was immediately available in our hospital. (Conclusion) The type category and severity of hematoma of JAST classification version 2008 would be predictive factors of initial management of blunt renal injuries. Patients with typeIII injuries and both of H2 and U2 factors, can be adapted to immediate nephrectomy. Patients with typeI/II and H2 factors can be adapted to immediate TAE.

Background: Hemodynamic stability (HS) based on vital sign (VS) is thought to be the most useful criteria for successful non-operative management (NOM) of blunt spleen injury (BSI). However, a consistent definition of HS has not been established. We wanted to evaluate the definition of HS through conducting a nationwide survey and find the factors affectting diversity., Methods: The questionnaire regarding the definition of HS was sent to the department of trauma surgery and emergency medicine of level I trauma center between October 2012 and November 2012. Data was compared using analysis of variance, t-test, χ2 test and logistic regression., Results: Among five hundred and sixty-three doctors, 507 responded (90%). Forty-eight responses were incomplete, and hence, 459 (81.5%) responses were analyzed. There was a significant diversity in the definition of HS on the subject of type of blood pressure (BP), cut off value of hypotension, measuring technique of BP, duration of hypotension, whether or not using heart rate (HR) as a determinant of HS, cut off value of hypotension when the patient has comorbidity or when the patient is a pediatric patient. 91.5% replied that they were confused defining HS and felt the need to have more objective determinants. Nevertheless, 90% of the responders were not using laboratory test to define HS., Conclusion: Many trauma doctors are using only VS to define HS. This is why there is a confusion regarding how to define which patient is hemodynamically stable. More objective determinants such as base deficit or lactate can be useful adjuncts.

Background: Surgery used to be the treatment of choice in cases of blunt hepatic injury, but this approach gradually changed over the last two decades as increasing non-operative management (NOM) of splenic injury led to its use for hepatic injury. The improvement in critical care monitoring and computed tomographic scanning, as well as the more frequent use of interventional radiology techniques, has helped to bring about this change to non-operative management. Liver trauma ranges from a small capsular tear, without parenchymal laceration, to massive parenchymal injury with major hepatic vein/retrohepatic vena cava lesions. In 1994, the Organ Injury Scaling Committee of the American Association for the Surgery of Trauma (AAST) revised the Hepatic Injury Scale to have a range from grade I to VI. Minor injuries (grade I or II) are the most frequent liver injuries (80% to 90% of all cases); severe injuries are grade III-V lesions; grade VI lesions are frequently incompatible with survival. In the medical literature, the majority of patients who have undergone NOM have low-grade liver injuries. The safety of NOM in high-grade liver lesions, AAST grade IV and V, remains a subject of debate as a high incidence of liver and collateral extra-abdominal complications are still described., Objectives: To assess the effects of non-operative management compared to operative management in high-grade (grade III-V) blunt hepatic injury., Search Methods: The search for studies was run on 14 April 2014. We searched the Cochrane Injuries Group's Specialised Register, The Cochrane Library, Ovid MEDLINE(R), Ovid MEDLINE(R) In-Process & Other Non-Indexed Citations, Ovid MEDLINE(R) Daily and Ovid OLDMEDLINE(R), Embase Classic+Embase (Ovid), PubMed, ISI WOS (SCI-EXPANDED, SSCI, CPCI-S & CPSI-SSH), clinical trials registries, conference proceedings, and we screened reference lists., Selection Criteria: All randomised trials that compare non-operative management versus operative management in high-grade blunt hepatic injury., Data Collection and Analysis: Two authors independently applied the selection criteria to relevant study reports. We used standard methodological procedures as defined by the Cochrane Collaboration., Main Results: We were unable to find any randomised controlled trials of non-operative management versus operative management in high-grade blunt hepatic injury., Authors' Conclusions: In order to further explore the preliminary findings provided by animal models and observational clinical studies that suggests there may be a beneficial effect of non-operative management versus operative management in high-grade blunt hepatic injury, large, high quality randomised trials are needed.

In polytrauma patients a thoracic trauma is one of the most critical injuries and an important trigger of post-traumatic inflammation. About 50% of patients with thoracic trauma are additionally affected by bone fractures. The risk for fracture malunion is considerably increased in such patients, the pathomechanisms being poorly understood. Thoracic trauma causes regional alveolar hypoxia and, subsequently, hypoxemia, which in turn triggers local and systemic inflammation. Therefore, we aimed to unravel the role of oxygen in impaired bone regeneration after thoracic trauma. We hypothesized that short-term breathing of 100% oxygen in the early post-traumatic phase ameliorates inflammation and improves bone regeneration. Mice underwent a femur osteotomy alone or combined with blunt chest trauma 100% oxygen was administered immediately after trauma for two separate 3 hour intervals. Arterial blood gas tensions, microcirculatory perfusion and oxygenation were assessed at 3, 9 and 24 hours after injury. Inflammatory cytokines and markers of oxidative/nitrosative stress were measured in plasma, lung and fracture hematoma. Bone healing was assessed on day 7, 14 and 21. Thoracic trauma induced pulmonary and systemic inflammation and impaired bone healing. Short-term exposure to 100% oxygen in the acute post-traumatic phase significantly attenuated systemic and local inflammatory responses and improved fracture healing without provoking toxic side effects, suggesting that hyperoxia could induce anti-inflammatory and pro-regenerative effects after severe injury. These results suggest that breathing of 100% oxygen in the acute post-traumatic phase might reduce the risk of poorly healing fractures in severely injured patients.

American Association for the Surgery of Trauma (AAST) abdominopelvic organ laceration grading is used to determine which patients can be managed non-operatively. We assess a change in the use of AAST grading system by radiologists at a single, large, academic institution before and after a one-time departmental intervention and reviewed non-graded reports evaluating if grading could be inferred. After IRB approval, a keyword search for "laceration" identified traumatic abdominopelvic CT reports in a 2-year period before and after the one-time intervention. Reports were reviewed to determine if an organ laceration was seen, if it was graded by AAST criteria, and if grading could be inferred for non-graded reports. T test was performed to assess statistical significance. Before the intervention, 348 reports contained the keyword "laceration," 81 with lacerations, 31 graded (38 %). After the intervention, 302 reports were found, 79 with lacerations, 59 graded (75 %). The increase was statistically significant (p < 0.0001). A decreasing trend in grading was seen over time following the intervention. Two out of 50 (4 %) pre-intervention and four out of 20 (20 %) post-intervention reports gave enough detailed descriptions for the grading to be inferred when it was not explicitly stated. Non-graded reports did not describe laceration parenchymal depth and subcapsular hematoma surface area percentage; however, the presence/absence of active extravasation, omitted in the 20-year-old AAST grading scheme, was described in every report. One-time departmental intervention yielded a significant increase in adherence to AAST laceration grading. Lack of perfect compliance, which diminished over time, suggests a need for further reinforcement.

Traumatic aneurysms occur in up to 20% of blunt traumatic extracranial carotid artery injuries. Currently there is no standardized method for characterization of traumatic aneurysms. For the carotid and vertebral injury study (CAVIS), a prospective study of traumatic cerebrovascular injury, we established a method for aneurysm characterization and tested its reliability. Saccular aneurysm size was defined as the greatest linear distance between the expected location of the normal artery wall and the outer edge of the aneurysm lumen ("depth"). Fusiform aneurysm size was defined as the "depth" and longitudinal distance ("length") paralleling the normal artery. The size of the aneurysm relative to the normal artery was also assessed. Reliability measurements were made using four raters who independently reviewed 15 computed tomographic angiograms (CTAs) and 13 digital subtraction angiograms (DSAs) demonstrating a traumatic aneurysm of the internal carotid artery. Raters categorized the aneurysms as either "saccular" or "fusiform" and made measurements. Five scans of each imaging modality were repeated to evaluate intra-rater reliability. Fleiss's free-marginal multi-rater kappa (κ), Cohen's kappa (κ), and interclass correlation coefficient (ICC) determined inter- and intra-rater reliability. Inter-rater agreement as to the aneurysm "shape" was almost perfect for CTA (κ = 0.82) and DSA (κ = 0.897). Agreements on aneurysm "depth," "length," "aneurysm plus parent artery," and "parent artery" for CTA and DSA were excellent (ICC > 0.75). Intra-rater agreement as to aneurysm "shape" was substantial to almost perfect (κ > 0.60). The CAVIS method of traumatic aneurysm characterization has remarkable inter- and intra-rater reliability and will facilitate further studies of the natural history and management of extracranial cerebrovascular traumatic aneurysms., (© The Author(s) 2015 Reprints and permissions: sagepub.co.uk/journalsPermissions.nav.)

Blunt pancreatic trauma is a rare and challenging situation. In many cases, there are other associated injuries that mandate urgent operative treatment. Morbidity and mortality rates are high and complications after acute pancreatic resections are common. The diagnosis of pancreatic injuries can be difficult and often requires multimodal approach including Computed Tomography scans, Magnetic resonance imaging and Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreaticography (ERCP). The objective of this paper is to review the application of endoprothesis in the settings of pancreatic injury. A review of the English literature available was conducted and the experience of our centre described. While the classical recommended treatment of Grade III pancreatic injury (transection of the gland and the pancreatic duct in the body/tail) is surgical resection this approach carries high morbidity. ERCP was first reported as a diagnostic tool in the settings of pancreatic injury but has in recent years been used increasingly as a treatment option with promising results. This article reviews the literature on ERCP as treatment option for pancreatic injury and adds further to the limited number of cases reported that have been treated early after the trauma.

Liver trauma is the most common abdominal emergency with high morbidity and mortality. Now, non-operative management (NOM) is a selective method for liver trauma. The aim of this study was to determine the success rate, mortality and morbidity of NOM for isolated liver trauma. Medical records of 81 patients with isolated liver trauma in our unit were analyzed retrospectively. The success rate, mortality and morbidity of NOM were evaluated. In this series, 9 patients with grade IV-V liver injuries underwent emergent operation due to hemodynamic instability; 72 patients, 6 with grade V, 18 grade IV, 29 grade III, 15 grade II and 4 grade I, with hemodynamic stability received NOM. The overall success rate of NOM was 97.2% (70/72). The success rates of NOM in the patients with grade I-III, IV and V liver trauma were 100%, 94.4% and 83.3%. The complication rates were 10.0% and 45.5% in the patients who underwent NOM and surgical treatment, respectively. No patient with grade I-II liver trauma had complications. All patients who underwent NOM survived. NOM is the first option for the treatment of liver trauma if the patient is hemodynamically stable. The grade of liver injury and the volume of hemoperitoneum are not suitable criteria for selecting NOM. Hepatic angioembolization associated with the correction of hypothermia, coagulopathy and acidosis is important in the conservative treatment for liver trauma.

Objective: To analyse the correlation between contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS)-based classification of the severity of abdominal parenchymal organ trauma and clinical outcomes, and to explore CEUS in classifying patients with such trauma, expecting that the use of CEUS will potentially enhance the quality and speed of the emergency management of abdominal trauma., Methods: Three hundred six consecutive patients with blunt abdominal parenchymal organ trauma who received CEUS examination were retrospectively analysed. Two CEUS radiologists (identified as Reader A and Reader B in this study) who were not involved in the CEUS examinations of the patients were then asked to classify the patients independently according to their CEUS results. The classification results were later compared with patients' clinical outcomes using Spearman's rank correlation., Results: The final clinical outcomes showed that 25.5 % (78/306) of patients received conservative treatment, 52.0 % (159/306) received minimally invasive treatment, and 22.5 % (69/306) received surgery. Spearman's rank correlation coefficients between the CEUS-based classification and clinical outcome were 0.952 from Reader A and 0.960 from Reader B., Conclusions: CEUS can play an important role in the emergency management of abdominal trauma through the classification of patients for different treatment methods., Key Points: • The severity of abdominal trauma was classified by contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) • There was a high correlation between CEUS-based classification and clinical outcomes • CEUS-based classification is helpful for surgeons in the emergency management of abdominal trauma.

Object: Screening of blunt vertebral artery (VA) injuries has increased since research has shown that they occur at a higher incidence than originally reported. Grade 1 and 2 injuries are the most common form of blunt VA injury. Proper screening, management, and follow-up of these injuries remain controversial. In this report, imaging, progression, treatment, and outcomes of Grade 1 and 2 blunt VA injuries were analyzed to better define their natural history and to establish a rational management plan based upon their risk of progression and cerebral infarct., Methods: A retrospective review of all blunt traumatic carotid artery and VA injuries from December 2003 to April 2013 was performed. For the purposes of this report, focus was given to Grade 1 and 2 VA injuries. Grade 1 injuries were defined as a vessel lumen stenosis of less than 25%, and Grade 2 injuries were defined as vessel lumen stenosis between 25% and 50%. Demographic information, radiological imaging, number of images performed per individual, length of radiological follow-up, radiological outcome at the end of follow-up, treatment provided, and documentation of stroke or transient ischemic attack were recorded., Results: One hundred eighty-seven Grade 1 and 2 VA injuries in 143 patients were identified. Of these 143 patients, 120 with 152 Grade 1 or 2 blunt VA injuries were available for follow-up. The mean duration of follow-up was 40 days. Repeat imaging showed that 148 (97.4%) Grade 1 or 2 blunt VA injuries were stable, improved, or resolved on final follow-up imaging. Seventy-nine patients (66%) were treated with aspirin, whereas 35 patients (29%) received no treatment. The remaining patients were treated with other antiplatelet agents or anticoagulant medication. Neuroimaging demonstrated 2 cases (1.7%) with posterior circulation infarcts that were believed to be related to their blunt VA injuries, both of which occurred during the initial hospitalization and within the first 4 days after injury., Conclusions: Although follow-up imaging showed progressive worsening without radiological improvement in only a small number of patients with low-grade blunt VA injuries, these findings did not correlate with adverse clinical outcome. The posttraumatic cerebral infarction rate of 1.7% may be overestimated, and the use of acetylsalicylic acid or other antiplatelet or anticoagulant medication did not correlate with radiological changes or rate of cerebral infarction. While these data suggest the possibility that these low-grade VA injuries may not require treatment or follow-up, future prospective studies are needed to make conclusive changes related to management.

Purposes: The current classifications for blunt liver trauma focus only on the extent of liver injury. However, these scores are independent from the localization of liver injury and mechanism of trauma., Methods: The type of liver injury after blunt abdominal trauma was newly classified as type A when it was along the falciform ligament with involvement of segments IVa/b, III, or II, and type B when there was involvement of segments V-VIII. With the use of a prospectively established database, the clinical, perioperative, and outcome data were analyzed regarding the trauma mechanism, as well as the radiological and intraoperative findings., Results: In 64 patients, the type of liver injury following blunt abdominal trauma was clearly linked with the mechanism of trauma: type A injuries (n = 28) were associated with a frontal trauma, whereas type B injuries (n = 36) were found after complex trauma mechanisms. The demographic data, mortality, ICU stay, and hospital stay showed no significant differences between the two groups. Interestingly, all patients with type A ruptures required immediate surgical intervention, whereas six patients (16.7 %) with type B ruptures could be managed conservatively., Conclusions: This new classification for blunt traumatic hepatic injury is based on the localization of parenchymal disruption and correlates with the mechanism of trauma. The type of liver injury correlated with the necessity for surgical therapy.

Background: Renal segmental vascular injury (SVI) following blunt abdominal trauma is not part of the original American Association for the Surgery of Trauma (AAST) renal injury grading system. Recent recommendations support classifying SVI as an AAST Grade 4 (G4) injury. Our primary aim was to compare outcomes following blunt renal SVI and blunt renal collecting system lacerations (CSLs). We hypothesize that renal SVI fare well with conservative management alone and should be relegated a less severe renal AAST grade., Methods: We retrospectively identified patients with SVI and G4 CSL admitted to a Level 1 trauma center between 2003 and 2010. Penetrating trauma was excluded. Need for surgical intervention, length of stay, kidney salvage (>25% renal preservation on renography 6-12 weeks after injury), and delayed complication rates were compared between the SVI and CSL injuries. Statistical analysis used χ, Fisher's exact, and t tests., Results: A total of 56 patients with SVI and 88 patients with G4 CSL sustained blunt trauma. Age, Injury Severity Score (ISS), and length of stay were similar for the two groups. Five patients in each group died of concomitant, nonrenal injuries. In the G4 CSL group, 15 patients underwent major interventions, and 32 patients underwent minor interventions. Only one patient in the SVI group underwent a major intervention. The renal salvage rate was 85.7% following SVI versus 62.5% following CSL (p = 0.107)., Conclusion: Overall, surgical interventions are significantly lower among the SVI cohort than the G4 CSL cohort. Further analysis using a larger cohort of patients is recommended before revising the current renal grading system. Adding SVI as a G4 injury could potentially increase the heterogeneity of G4 injuries and decrease the ability of the AAST renal injury grading system to predict outcomes, such as nephrectomy rate., Level of Evidence: Epidemiologic study, level IV.

Unlabelled: The probability of survival (PS) in blunt trauma as calculated by Trauma and Injury Severity Score (TRISS) has been an indispensable tool in trauma audit. The aim of this study is to explore the predictive performance of the latest updated TRISS model by investigating the Age variable recategorisations and application of local Injury Severity Score (ISS) and Revised Trauma Score (RTS) coefficients in a logistic model using a level I trauma centre database involving Asian population., Methods: Prospectively and consecutively collected 5684 trauma patients' data over a 10-year period at a regional level I trauma centre were reviewed. Four modified TRISS (mTRISS) models using Age coefficient from reclassifications of the Age variable according to their correlation with survival by logistic regression on the local dataset were acquired. RTS and ISS coefficients were derived from the local dataset and then applied to the mTRISS models. mTRISS models were compared with the existing Major Trauma Outcome Study (MTOS)-derived TRISS (eTRISS) model. Model 1=Age effect taken as linear; Model 2=Age classified into two groups (0-54, 55+); Model 3=Age classified into four groups (0-15, 16-54, 55-79, 80+) and Model 4=Age classified into two groups (0-69, 70+). Performance measures including sensitivity, specificity, accuracy and area under the Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curve were used to assess the various models. The cross-validation procedure consisted of comparing the P(S) obtained from mTRISS Models 1 and 2 with the P(S) obtained from the MTOS derived from eTRISS., Results: A 5147 blunt trauma patients' dataset was reviewed. Model 1, where Age was taken as a scale variable, demonstrated a substantial improvement in the survival prediction with 91.6% accuracy in blunt injuries as compared with 89.2% in the MTOS-derived TRISS. The 95% CI for ROC derived from mTRISS Model 1 was (0.923, 0.940), when compared with the hypothesised ROC value 0.886 obtained from eTRISS, it clearly indicated a significant improvement in predicting survival at 5% level. Furthermore, ROCs have shown clearly the superiority of Model 1 over Model 2, and of Model 2 over MTOS-derived TRISS. The recategorisation of the Age variable (Models 3 and 4) also demonstrated improved performance, but their strength was not as intense as in Model 1. Overall, the results point to the adoption of Model 1 as the best model for PS. Cross-validation analysis has further assured the validity of these findings., Conclusions: The present study has demonstrated that (1) having the Age variable being dichotomised (cut-off at 55 years) as in the eTRISS, but with the application of a local dataset-derived coefficients give better TRISS survival prediction in Asian blunt trauma patients; (2) improved performance are found with certain recategorisation of the Age variable and (3) the accuracy can further be enhanced if the Age effect is taken to be linear, with the application of local dataset-derived coefficients.

Pediatric trauma is commonly encountered in the emergency department, and trauma to the head, chest, and abdomen may be a source of significant morbidity and mortality. As children have unique thoracic anatomical and physiological properties, they may present with diagnostic challenges that the emergency clinician must be aware of. This review examines the effects of blunt trauma to the pediatric chest, as well as its relevant etiologies and associated mortality. Diagnostic and treatment options for commonly encountered injuries such as pulmonary contusions, rib fractures, and pneumothoraces are examined. Additionally, this review discusses rarely encountered--yet highly lethal--chest wall injuries such as blunt cardiac injuries, commotio cordis, nonaccidental trauma, and aortic injuries.

Purpose: We evaluated usefulness of transcatheter arterial embolization (TAE) for deep renal injury, and investigated whether there is any difference in outcomes for transcatheter arterial embolization (TAE) performed for deep renal injury in a large-sized hospital (university hospital) in comparison with a middle-sized hospital (local hospital)., Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the outcomes of 42 patients with renal injury who were transported to the critical care center of Nippon Medical School (NMS) Hospital in Tokyo from April 2001 to April 2011 and 33 patients of renal injury transported to the critical care center of Ohtawara Red Cross (ORC) Hospital in Tochigi prefecture from April 2001 to April 2009. Therefore, a total of 75 patients, which is the sum of the patients presenting to both the hospitals for renal injury were reevaluated according to the guidelines developed by the Japanese Association for the Surgery of Trauma (JAST) and published in 2008., Results: Forty-two patients in NMS hospital included 6 women and 36 men who were 16 to 88 years old (mean 41.6), and they were divided into Type I (16), Type II (11), and Type III (15) and were treated with bedrest (30), TAE (7), or laparotomy (5). Five patients died, but no one succumbed solely due to the renal injury. On the other hand, 33 Patients in ORC Hospital included 8 women and 25 men who were 16 to 87 years old (mean 46.6). They were divided into Type I (9). Type II (12), and Type III (12) and were treated with bedrest (24) or TAE (9). Eight patients died, but no one succumbed solely due to the renal injury. Sixteen patients were treated successfully with TAE in the 2 hospitals, and 15 of these 16 patients were divided into type III renal injury. Therefore, we believe that nephrectomy should be avoided in such patients because of the benefits offered by TAE., Conclusion: TAE was found to be useful for the treatment of type III renal injury in both institutions, irrespective of the size of a hospital.

Purpose: To investigate the morphologic characteristics of macular commotio retinae using spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SDOCT) and develop a grading system for traumatic photoreceptor damage., Design: Retrospective, observational case series., Methods: setting: Seoul National University Bundang Hospital. patients: Forty-nine patients with macular commotio retinae, examined by SDOCT within 7 days of the initial traumatic event. observations: A 4-step grading system was based on the morphology revealed by SDOCT. Best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) and structural integrity of the 3 photoreceptor layers (cone outer segment tips [COST], inner/outer segment [IS-OS] junction, external limiting membrane [ELM]) were evaluated at baseline, at 1 month, and at the final visit. Visual and anatomic outcomes at 1 month and at the final visit were compared among subgroups. main outcome measures: The severity of photoreceptor damage as revealed by SDOCT and BCVA., Results: The following 4 distinct photoreceptor morphologic features were observed: increase in IS-OS junction reflectivity with the disappearance of the thin hyporeflective optical space (n = 8, grade 1), COST defect only (n = 5, grade 2), COST and IS-OS junction defects (n = 16, grade 3), and COST, IS-OS junction, and ELM defects (n = 20, grade 4). Eyes with higher grades at baseline had significantly worse visual (final BCVA, P = .002) and anatomic outcomes (complete photoreceptor recovery, P < .001)., Conclusions: The number of disrupted photoreceptor layers, as determined using SDOCT images, can be used to grade macular commotio retinae. This system may be useful in documenting the baseline severity of photoreceptor damage and in predicting visual and anatomic outcomes., (Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Purpose: The aim of this article was to assess how regional facial fracture patterns predict mortality and occult intracranial injury after blunt trauma., Methods: Retrospective chart review was performed for blunt-mechanism craniofacial fracture patients who presented to an urban trauma center from 1998 to 2010. Fractures were confirmed by author review of computed tomographic imaging and then grouped into 1 of 5 patterns of regional involvement representing all possible permutations of facial-third injury. Mortality and the presence of occult intracranial injury, defined as those occurring in patients at low risk at presentation for head injury by Canadian CT Head Rule criteria, were evaluated. Relative risk estimates were obtained using multivariable regression., Results: Of 4540 patients identified, 338 (7.4%) died, and 171 (8.1%) had intracranial injury despite normal Glasgow Coma Scale at presentation. Cumulative mortality reached 18.8% for isolated upper face fractures, compared with 6.9% and 4.0% for middle and lower face fractures (P < 0.001), respectively. Upper face fractures were independently associated with 4.06-, 3.46-, and 3.59-fold increased risk of death for the following fracture patterns: isolated upper, combined upper, panfacial, respectively (P < 0.001). Patients who were at low risk for head injury remained 4 to 6 times more likely to suffer an occult intracranial injury if they had involvement of the upper face., Conclusions: The association between facial fractures, intracranial injury, and death varies by regional involvement, with increasing insult in those with upper face fractures. Cognizance of the increased risk for intracranial injury in patients with upper face fractures may supplement existing triage tools and should increase suspicion for underlying or impending neuropathology, regardless of clinical picture at presentation.

Importance: Severe renal injuries after blunt trauma cause diagnostic and therapeutic challenges for the treating clinicians. The need for an operative vs a nonoperative approach is debated., Objective: To determine the rate, causes, predictors, and consequences of failure of nonoperative management (NOM) in grade IV and grade V blunt renal injuries (BRIs)., Design: Retrospective case series., Setting: Twelve level I and II trauma centers in New England., Participants: A total of 206 adult patients with a grade IV or V BRI who were admitted between January 1, 2000, and December 31, 2011., Main Outcomes and Measures: Failure of NOM, defined as the need for a delayed operation or death due to renal-related complications during NOM., Results: Of 206 patients, 52 (25.2%) were operated on immediately, and 154 (74.8%) were managed nonoperatively (with the assistance of angiographic embolization for 25 patients). Nonoperative management failed for 12 of the 154 patients (7.8%) and was related to kidney injury in 10 (6.5%). None of these 10 patients had complications because of the delay in BRI management. The mean (SD) time from admission to failure was 17.6 (27.4) hours (median time, 7.5 hours; range, 4.5-102 hours), and the cause was hemodynamic instability in 10 of the 12 patients (83.3%). Multivariate analysis identified 2 independent predictors of NOM failure: older than 55 years of age and a road traffic crash as the mechanism of injury. When both risk factors were present, NOM failure occurred for 27.3% of the patients; when both were absent, there were no NOM failures. Of the 142 patients successfully managed nonoperatively, 46 (32.4%) developed renal-related complications, including hematuria (24 patients), urinoma (15 patients), urinary tract infection (8 patients), renal failure (7 patients), and abscess (2 patients). These patients were managed successfully with no loss of renal units (ie, kidneys). The renal salvage rate was 76.2% for the entire population and 90.3% among patients selected for NOM., Conclusions and Relevance: Hemodynamically stable patients with a grade IV or V BRI were safely managed nonoperatively. Nonoperative management failed for only 6.5% of patients owing to renal-related injuries, and three-fourths of the entire population retained their kidneys.

Traumatic cataract is one of the important causes of blindness after ocular trauma, either open or close globe. Visual outcome is unpredictable because it is not only lens that decides visual outcome. There is no standard classification, investigation, or treatment guidelines for the same. There are controversies regarding predictive models. We would like to highlight these controversies and try to reach certain guidelines that may help clinicians to manage traumatic cataracts., (Copyright © 2013 Canadian Ophthalmological Society. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)