This case report describes the management of a 51-year-old female patient who arrived at the emergency room with a stab wound to the upper right chest. Immediate medical interventions were undertaken, including blood transfusions and endotracheal intubation. To prevent tension and control bleeding, gauze packing was applied directly through the large open wound. Further surgical exploration identified a laceration in the lung, necessitating a right upper lobe resection. Postoperatively, the patient’s vital signs stabilized, and she was subsequently discharged without complications. This case highlights the decision-making process in selecting between an emergency department thoracotomy and an operating room thoracotomy for patients with penetrating chest trauma. It also illustrates the role of gauze packing in managing tension and hemorrhage. In summary, gauze packing can be an effective interim measure for stabilizing patients with traumatic injuries, unstable vital signs, and large open chest wounds, particularly when a chest tube is already in place, to prevent tension and facilitate bleeding control prior to surgical intervention.
The usual cause of penetrating thoracoabdominal injuries with evisceration are stab wounds with knives and other sharp weapons used during fights and conflicts. Evisceration of the abdominal viscera as a result of trauma, with its attendant morbidity and mortality, requires early intervention. Gunshot wounds can also cause penetrating thoracoabdominal injuries. We report the case of a 52-year-old male patient, a worker at a timber-processing factory, who was assaulted with a chainsaw by his colleague following a disagreement. He was seen at the accident and emergency department of our hospital with a thoracoabdominal injury about 1.5 hours after the attack. He had a left thoracoabdominal laceration with abdominal evisceration and an open left pneumothorax. He was managed operatively, made a full recovery, and was discharged 16 days after admission. He was readmitted 4 months after the initial surgery with acute intestinal obstruction secondary to adhesions. He underwent exploratory laparotomy and adhesiolysis. He made an uneventful recovery and was discharged on the ninth postoperative day for subsequent follow-up.
PURPOSE Tracheobronchial injuries caused by trauma are rare, but can be life threatening. The objective of this study was to evaluate the surgical outcome for patients with tracheobronchial injuries and to determine the difference, if any, between the outcomes for patients with penetrating trauma and those for patients with blunt trauma. METHODS From January 2010 to June 2015, 40 patients underwent tracheobronchial repair surgery due to trauma. We excluded 14 patients with iatrogenic injuries, and divided the remaining 26 into two groups. RESULTS In the blunt trauma group, injury mechanisms were motor vehicle accident (9 cases), free falls (3 cases), flat falls (1 case) and mechanical injury (1 case). In the penetrating trauma group, injury mechanisms were stab wounds (10 cases), a gunshot wound (1 case) and a stab wound caused by metal pieces (1 case). The mean RTS (Revised Trauma Score) was 6.89±1.59 (range: 2.40-7.84) and the mean ISS (Injury Severity Score) was 24.36±7.16 (range: 11-34) in the blunt group; the mean RTS was 7.56±0.41 (range: 7.11-7.84), and the mean ISS was 13±5.26 (range: 9-25) in the penetrating trauma group. In the blunt trauma group, 9 primary repairs, 1 resection with end-end anastomosis, 2 lobectomies, 1 sleeve bronchial resection and 1 pneumonectomy were performed. In the penetrating trauma group, 10 primary repairs and 2 resections with end-end anastomosis were performed. Complications associated with surgery were found in one patient in the blunt trauma group, and one patient in the penetrating trauma group. No mortalities occurred in either groups. CONCLUSION Surgical management of a traumatic tracheobronchial injury is a safe procedure for both patients with a penetrating trauma and those with a blunt trauma.
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A Case of Total Laryngectomy after Severe Penetrating Laryngeal
Trauma Youngjin Cho, Sung-Chan Shin, Byung-Joo Lee, Yong-Il Cheon Journal of Clinical Otolaryngology Head and Neck
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Damage Control of Laryngotracheal Trauma: The Golden Day Mario Alain Herrera, Luis Fernando Tintinago, William Victoria, Carlos Alberto Ordoñez, Michael Parra, Mateo Betancourt-Cajiao, Yaset Caicedo, Monica Guzman, Linda M. Gallego, Adolfo Gonzalez Hadad, Luis Fernando Pino, Jose Julian Serna, Alberto García, C Colombia Medica.2020; 51(4): e4124599. CrossRef
Traumatic iliac vessel injuries constitute approximately 25% of all abdominal vascular injuries. Hospital mortality has been reported at 25~60% and is a result of uncontrolled hemorrhage and hypovolemic shock caused by extensive blood loss. We report the case of a 25-year-old female patient who experienced an external iliac artery injury caused by abdominal minimal stab wound. Traumatic iliac vessel injuries are life-threatening complication of abdominal or pelvic injuries and prompt diagnosis and accurate treatment are important.
An increase has been see in fall injuries at construction sites and in penetrating injuries by iron bars or pipes associated with the fall.
In particular, a thoraco-abdominal penetrating injury had the worse prognosis, and multiple organ injury occurred because of blunt trauma associated with fall. Iron bars were the most common penetrating materials, and pipe penetrating injuries were uncommon. However, because the diameter of the pipes were large than those of the bars, penetrating injuries associated with pipes were more often fatal. A secondary thoraco-abdominal injury worsened the prognosis. We reported a case of a 33-year-old man with a thoraco-abdominal trauma secondary to a penetrating injury with a scaffolding pipe following a fall.
PURPOSE Recently, the change to a more complex social structure has led to an increased frequency of traumas due to violence, accident and so on. In addition, the severity of the traumas and the frequency of penetrating injuries have also increased. Traumas to cervical and abdominal areas, what are commonly seen by general surgeons, can have mild to fatal consequences because in these areas, various organs that are vital to sustaining life are located. The exact location and characteristics of the injury are vital to treating patients with the trauma to these areas. Thus, with this background in mind, we studied, compared, and analyzed clinical manifestations of patients who were admitted to Wonju Christian hospital for penetrating injuries inflicted by themselves or others. METHODS We selected and performed a retrospective study of 64 patients who had been admitted to Wonju Christian Hospital from January 2005 to December 2009 and who had cervical or abdominal penetrating injuries clearly inflicted by themselves or others. RESULTS There were 51 male (79.7%) and 13 female (20.3%) patients, and the number of male patients was more dominant in this study, having a sex ratio of 3.9 to 1. The range of ages was between 20 and 86 years, and mean age was 43.2 years. There were 5 self-inflicted cervical injuries, and 19 self-inflicted abdominal injuries, making the total number of self-inflicted injury 24. Cervical and abdominal injuries caused by others were found in 11 and 29 patients, respectively. The most common area involved in self-inflicted injuries to the abdomen was the epigastric area, nine cases, and the right-side zone II was the most commonly involved area. On the other hand, in injuries inflicted by others, the left upper quadrant of the abdomen was the most common site of the injury, 14 cases. In the neck, the left-side zone II was the most injured site. In cases of self-inflicted neck injury, jugular vein damage and cervical muscle damage without deep organ injury were observed in two cases each, making them the most common. In cases with abdominal injuries, seven cases had limited abdominal wall injury, making it the most common injury. The most common deep organ injury was small bowel wounds, five cases. In patients with injuries caused by others, six had cervical muscle damage, making it the most common injury found in that area. In the abdomen, small bowel injury was found to be the most common injury, being evidenced in 13 cases. In self-inflicted injuries, a statistical analysis discovered that the total duration of admission and the number of patients admitted to the intensive care unit were significantly shorter and smaller, retrospectively, than in the patient group that had injuries caused by others. No statistically significant difference was found when the injury sequels were compared between the self-inflicted-injury and the injury-inflicted-by-others groups. CONCLUSION This study revealed that, in self-inflicted abdominal injuries, injuries limited to the abdominal wall were found to be the most common, and in injuries to the cervical area inflicted by others, injuries restricted to the cervical muscle were found to be the most common. As a whole, the total duration of admission and the ICU admission time were significantly shorter in cases of self-inflicted injury. Especially, in cases of self inflicted injuries, abdominal injuries generally had a limited degree of injury. Thus, in our consideration, accurate injury assessment and an ideal treatment plan are necessary to treat these patients, and minimally invasive equipment, such as laparoscope, should be used. Also, further studies that persistently utilize aggressive surgical observations, such as abdominal ultrasound and computed tomography, for patients with penetrating injuries are needed.