Penetrating Thoracic Injury Research Articles

Pneumonectomy following penetrating trauma with ECMO as postoperative support: case report – (Lung trauma and ECMO)

BackgroundPenetrating thoracic injuries have a significant risk of morbi-mortality. Despite the advancements in damage control methods, a subset of patients with severe pulmonary vascular lesions and bronchial injuries persists. In some of these cases, post-traumatic pneumonectomy is required, and perioperative extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) support may be required due to right ventricular failure and respiratory failure.Case descriptionA male was brought to the emergency department (ED) with a penetrating thoracic injury, presenting with massive right hemothorax and active bleeding that required ligation of the right pulmonary hilum to control the bleeding. Subsequently, he developed right ventricular dysfunction and ARDS, necessitating a dynamic hybrid ECMO configuration to support his condition and facilitate recovery.ConclusionsPenetrating thoracic injuries with severe pulmonary vascular lesions may need pneumonectomy to control bleeding. ECMO support reduces the associated mortality by decreasing the complications rate. A multidisciplinary team is essential to achieve good outcomes in severe compromised patients.

Emergency department thoracotomy in children: A Pediatric Trauma Society, Western Trauma Association, and Eastern Association for the Surgery of Trauma systematic review and practice management guideline.

The role of emergency department resuscitative thoracotomy (EDT) in traumatically injured children has not been elucidated. We aimed to perform a systematic review and create evidence-based guidelines to answer the following PICO (population, intervention, comparator, and outcome) question: should pediatric patients who present to the emergency department pulseless (with or without signs of life [SOL]) after traumatic injuries (penetrating thoracic, penetrating abdominopelvic, or blunt) undergo EDT (vs. no EDT) to improve survival and neurologically intact survival? Using Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation methodology, a group of 12 pediatric trauma experts from the Pediatric Trauma Society, Western Trauma Association, and Eastern Association for the Surgery of Trauma assembled to perform a systematic review. A consensus conference was conducted, a database was queried, abstracts and manuscripts were reviewed, data extraction was performed, and evidence quality was determined. Evidence tables were generated, and the committee voted on guideline recommendations. Three hundred three articles were identified. Eleven studies met the inclusion criteria and were used for guideline creation, providing 319 pediatric patients who underwent EDT. No data were available on patients who did not undergo EDT. For each PICO, the quality of evidence was very low based on the serious risk of bias and serious or very serious imprecision. Based on low-quality data, we make the following recommendations. We conditionally recommend EDT when a child presents pulseless with SOL to the emergency department following penetrating thoracic injury, penetrating abdominopelvic injury and after blunt injury if emergency adjuncts point to a thoracic source. We conditionally recommend against EDT when a pediatric patient presents pulseless without SOL after penetrating thoracic and penetrating abdominopelvic injury. We strongly recommend against EDT in the patient without SOL after blunt injury.

Management of penetrating thoracic injury sustained during a mountain-biking accident

Trauma is a common phenomenon in South Africa, with a large proportion of patients suffering from penetrating chest injuries. Occasionally atypical penetrating thoracic injuries require surgical intervention with special considerations. We describe the management of a 15-year-old boy who presented to our trauma unit with a large diameter branch penetrating his left chest above the left clavicle and with the tip lodged in the mediastinum between the great vessels. Pulsatile movement of the foreign body was clearly visible and required careful consideration for the optimal approach and possible complications that may arise. The tract and location of the foreign body made the approach and management of this patient unique and a valuable learning opportunity. A high lateral thoracotomy was done, and the object removed under direct vision. It yielded excellent exposure and proved to be a good alternative approach for certain atypical cases. The boy made a full recovery with no long-term complications.

The utility of serial chest X-rays for detection of delayed pneumothorax, haemothorax or haemopneumothorax following penetrating thoracic injury.

IntroductionPenetrating thoracic injuries are a common presentation in Emergency Departments in South Africa with pneumothorax, haemothorax and haemopneumothorax (PTX/HTX/HPTX) a cause of morbidity and mortality. Serial chest X-rays (CXRs) are used to assess patients with penetrating thoracic injury without PTX/HTX/HPTX on initial CXR in order to increase sensitivity and thus detection of PTX/HTX/HPTX. This study aimed to assess the utility of serial CXRs to detect a delayed presentation of PTX/HTX/HPTX following penetrating thoracic injury.MethodsThis retrospective observational study analysed data from Helen Joseph Hospital Emergency Department, Johannesburg, South Africa for patients presenting with penetrating thoracic injury over a 2-year period for whom the initial CXR was negative for a PTX/HTX/HPTX to determine the utility of serial CXRs for detection of a delayed presentation of PTX/HTX/HPTX.Results118 patients, the majority of which had penetrating trauma secondary to a stab wound, were included in the study. Eight (7%) had a PTX/HTX/HPTX detected on subsequent investigation. Three (3%) patients with normal initial CXRs and three (3%) patients with abnormal initial CXRs had a PTX/HPX/HPTX detected on serial CXRs. Two (2%) delayed presentations of PTX/HTX/HPTX were noted on computerised tomography (CT) scan only. Six patients had an intercostal drain (ICD) inserted and were admitted; 2 patients (those with PTX/HTX/HPTX noted on CT only) were managed conservatively. Three patients (3%) had an ICD inserted to manage a delayed presentation of PTX/HTX/HPTX with a normal initial CXR.DiscussionOnly 3% of patients with normal initial CXRs required intervention.ConclusionsIt is recommended that patients for whom the presentation CXR shows an abnormality undergo serial CXRs. Given the low incidence of PTX/HTX/HPTX in patients with a normal presentation CXR, along with the resource implications of serial CXRs, it may be prudent to discharge patients with thorough counselling and advice to return for review if warranted.

Penetrating thoracic wound with cardiac trauma

A young male whippet presented in hypovolaemic shock with a penetrating thoracic wound. Point-of-care ultrasound documented a moderate volume of pleural effusion and a hyperechoic mass adjacent to the right...

Prospective Evaluation of Safe Observation Period after Asymptomatic Penetrating Thoracic Injury: 1 Hour is Enough.

Introduction:The observation period was recently challenged by some studies; and it has been suggested that a 1-hour observation period may be sufficient to allow safe discharge in asymptomatic patients with penetrating thoracic injury (PTI) and normal initial Chest X-Ray (CXR).Objective:The current study was performed to investigate if in asymptomatic and hemodynamically stable patients with PTIs who has an initial normal evaluation, 1-hour observation interval is safe to detect clinically significant injuries and is it possible to discharge these patients safely after a negative Extended – Focused Assessment with Sonography in Trauma (E-FAST) at hour1 instead of hour 3.Method:This cross-sectional study was performed on asymptomatic patients with penetrating thoracic injury, referred to emergency department (ED) and normal initial CXR and the Extended Focused Assessment with Sonography in Trauma (E-FAST). The second E-FAST was done 1 hour after the first one and the third repeat E-FAST and control CXR then performed 3 hours post-injury. 24 hours follow up by phone call was done for each patient after discharge.Results:Finally, 117 patients with the average ages of 25.9 ± 7.8 years were enrolled of whom 92.5% were male. Eight patients developed PTX or HTX during first hour of observation that were diagnosed by E-FAST or CT scan requested by the in-charge physician. One hundred-nine patient completed E-FAST and radiograph studies at times zero, 1 h, and 3 h. One patient had a normal initial evaluation but demonstrated a PTX on the 3-h managed without intervention. The rate of delayed abnormality after an initially normal study was 7.7 % (9/117). No discharged patients returned to our ED with delayed manifestations of either PTX or HTX.Conclusion:The results of our study have shown that asymptomatic patients with PTI with negative initial evaluation and no deterioration at intervals, about 1 hour may be sufficient for detection of clinically significant pathology, considered for safe and early discharge.

Evaluation of factors affecting prognosis in penetrating thoracic injuries.

This study aims to investigate the prognostic factors affecting survival and clinical outcomes in patients exposed to pediatric penetrating thoracic injury. A t otal o f 2 67 p ediatric p enetrating t horacic injury patients (217 males, 50 females; mean age 10.8 years; range, 3 to 17 years) who were treated at our hospital during the recent 20 years were analyzed retrospectively. Penetrating thoracic injuries were divided into three groups: incisive/stabbing injuries, gunshot injuries, explosive injuries. Patients" age, gender, New Injury Severity Score, injury type, injuries accompanying thoracic trauma, types of treatment applied, length of hospital stay, and morbidity and mortality outcomes were examined. Their prognostic characteristics were compared to their injury types, New Injury Severity Scores, lengths of hospital stay and complications. Of the patients, 103 were exposed to gunshot injuries, 128 to incisive/stabbing injuries, and 36 to explosive injuries. Of the penetrating thoracic injuries, while 211 (79%) were isolated injuries, 56 (21%) were accompanying non-thoracic injuries. Mean New Injury Severity Score was 13±10. Of the patients, 50 (18.6%) were treated with medical therapy alone, 199 (74.5%) with tube thoracostomy, and 18 (6.7%) with thoracotomy. Fiftyone patients (19%) developed complications. Length of hospital was 9±2.7 days. Twenty-one patients (7.9%) died. New Injury Severity Scores, rates of combined injuries, complications, length of hospital stay, and mortality were higher in explosive injuries (p<0.05). Pediatric penetrating thoracic injuries may be observed in all age groups in children, the most severe type being explosive injuries. Prognostic factors may vary according to injury type, complications, treatment approach, and presence of accompanying non-thoracic injuries.

Should pre-hospital resuscitative thoracotomy be reserved only for penetrating chest trauma?

The indications for pre-hospital resuscitative thoracotomy (PHRT) remain undefined. The aim of this paper is to explore the variation in practice for PHRT in the UK, and review the published literature. MEDLINE and PUBMED search engines were used to identify all relevant articles and 22 UK Air Ambulance Services were sent an electronic questionnaire to assess their PHRT practice. Four European publications report PHRT survival rates of 9.7, 18.3, 10.3 and 3.0% in 31, 71, 39 and 33 patients, respectively. All patients sustained penetrating chest injury. Six case reports also detail survivors of PHRT, again all had sustained penetrating thoracic injury. One Japanese paper presents 34 cases of PHRT following blunt trauma, of which 26.4% survived to the intensive therapy unit but none survived to discharge. A UK population reports a single survivor of PHRT following blunt trauma but the case details remain unpublished. Ten (45%) air ambulance services responded, each service reported different indications for PHRT. All perform PHRT for penetrating chest trauma, however, length of allowed pre-procedure down time varied, ranging from 10 to 20min. Seventy percent perform PHRT for blunt traumatic cardiac arrest, a procedure which is likely to require aggressive concurrent circulatory support, despite this only 5/10 services carry pre-hospital blood products. Current indications for PHRT vary amongst different geographical locations, across the UK, and worldwide. Survivors are likely to have sustained penetrating chest injury with short down time. There is only one published survivor of PHRT following blunt trauma, despite this, PHRT is still being performed in the UK for this indication.

Selective nonoperative management of penetrating thoracic injury.

Thoracic penetrating injury is a cause for up to one-fifth of all non-natural deaths. The aim of this study was to determine the success of selective nonoperative management (SNOM) of patients presenting with a penetrating thoracic injury (PTI). This was a prospective study of patients with PTI who presented to a level 1 Trauma Center between April 2012 and August 2012. A total of 248 patients were included in the study, with 5.7% (n=14) requiring immediate emergency surgery. Overall, five of these 248 patients died, resulting in a mortality rate of 2.0%. Primarily 221 patients (89.1%) were managed with SNOM, of whom 15 (6.8%) failed conservative management. Failure of SNOM was primarily caused by complications of chest tube drainage (n=12) (e.g. retained clot, empyema) and delayed development of cardiac tamponade (n=3). The survival rate in the SNOM group was 100%. PTI has a low in-hospital mortality rate. Only 16.5% (41/248) of the patients presenting with PTI will need surgical treatment. The other patients are safe to be treated conservatively according to a protocolized SNOM approach for PTI without any additional mortality. Conservative treatment of patients who were selected for this nonoperative treatment strategy with repeated clinical reassessment was successful in 93.2%.

13 Prophylactic antibiotics for penetrating injury: a review of practice at a major trauma centre, literature review and recommendations

BackgroundThere is a lack of clarity regarding the use of prophylactic antibiotics for patients presenting with penetrating injuries. A structured literature review and review of penetrating injury records in an...

Surgical management of penetrating thoracic injuries during the Paris attacks on 13 November 2015.

The Paris terrorist attacks on 13 November 2015 caused 482 casualties, including 130 deaths and 352 wounded. Facing these multisite terrorist attacks, Parisian public and military hospitals simultaneously managed numerous patients with penetrating thoracic injuries. The aim of this study was to analyse this cohort, the injury patterns, and assess the results of this mobilization. The clinical records of all patients admitted to Parisian public and military hospitals with a penetrating thoracic injury related to the Paris 13 November terrorist attacks were reviewed. The study group included 25 patients (7% of the casualties) with a mean age of 34 ± 8 years and a majority of gunshot wounds ( n = 20, 80%). Most patients presented with severe thoracic injury (Abbreviated Injury Score Thorax 3.3 ± 1.2), and also associated non-thoracic injuries in 21 cases (84%). The mean Injury Severity Score was 26.8 ± 9.4. Eight patients (32%) were managed with chest tube insertion and 17 (68%) required thoracic surgery. Lung resection, diaphragmatic repair, and lung suture were performed in 6 (36%), 6 (35%), and 5 cases (29%), respectively. Extra-thoracic surgical procedures were performed in 16 patients, mostly for injuries to the extremities. Postoperative mortality was 12% ( n = 3) and postoperative morbidity was 60% ( n = 15). The coordination of Parisian military and civilian hospitals allowed the surgical management of 25 patients. The mortality is high but consistent with what has been reported in previous series. The current times expose us to the threat of new terrorist attacks and require that the medical community be prepared.

Emergency anaesthetic management of penetrating thoracic trauma: Combining skill with fortuity.

The results and management of penetrating thoracic trauma are largely dependent upon the extent of injury to internal organs as well as the skills of the attending clinicians. Thoracic trauma in children may be associated with rib fractures, flail chest, soft tissue injury, intrapleural lesions such as haemothorax and pneumothorax, parenchymal lung injuries such as pulmonary contusion and lung laceration as well as mediastinal lesions, including cardiac injury,[1,2] and yet our patient fortuituously had none of these, despite suffering a major, and what could potentially have been a life-threatening accident. The sources of perioperative morbidity and mortality in subjects suffering penetrating thoracic injuries include airway obstruction, respiratory failure and haemorrhage. Clinicians need to be adequately trained to deal with these problems. Trauma mainly affects the younger population and happens to be the most common cause of mortality in patients in the first three decades of life. The technical difficulties encountered during the perioperative management of the patient with severe penetrating thoracic injury are highlighted here.

Analysis of cardiac and pulmonary injuries resulting from an experimental penetrating thoracic injury.

This study was planned to analyze the internal and external anatomical findings of cardiac injuries and the presence of accompanying pulmonary injuries in intentionally inflicted thoracic injuries to swine models. We inflicted a penetrating heart injury in six suis domesticus female swine models. Two cardiac injuries, one on the left paratracheal of fourth intercostal space (ICS) and the other on the right side were inflicted on each model by the same researcher using a 20-cm long scalpel. All animals were then sacrificed for morphological evaluation. After strikes to the left fourth ICS, external evaluation showed that 50% of the subjects suffered a single laceration and that 33% suffered multiple lacerations. Internal evaluation showed additional intracardiac injuries in all five subjects. However, the subject that suffered a single laceration on the outer surface of the heart had multiple internal injuries while another subject that had multiple outer lacerations had only one intracardiac injury. Only three subjects suffered cardiac injuries and only two out of those three with pulmonary injuries after right fourth intercostal intrusions. This experiment has shown that external evaluation of the heart tissue may not alone be sufficient to determine the extent of cardiac injuries and accompanying pulmonary injuries caused by penetrating thoracic injuries.

Autologous transfusion in a patient with life threatening traumatic haemothorax: Case Report.

Penetrating thoracic injuries frequently presents a challenge to the clinicians. The situation may become more deleterious owing to the unavailability of adequate blood of required group. We discuss the acute management of a patient with life threatening traumatic haemothorax following penetrating thoracic injury. In this patient, autologous transfusion of patient blood collected in chest drain was performed during intraoperative period using an indigenous technique with successful outcome. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/bjms.v13i1.14146 Bangladesh Journal of Medical Science Vol. 13 No. 01 January2014: 76-79

Penetrating thorax injury leads to mild systemic activation of neutrophils without inflammatory complications

IntroductionTrauma is one of the major causes of morbidity and mortality. Thoracic injuries are associated with inflammatory complications such as ARDS. The pathogenesis of this complication after pulmonary injury is incompletely understood, but neutrophils are thought to play a pivotal role. The aim of this project was to gain more insight in the role of thoracic injuries in the pathophysiological processes that link systemic neutrophil activation with inflammatory complications after trauma. MethodsIn this prospective cohort study fifty-five patients with isolated penetrating thoracic injury were included at a level one Trauma Unit. Blood samples were analysed for neutrophil phenotype with the use of flowcytometry within 3h of trauma and repeated six and 24h after injury. The presence of inflammatory complications (e.g. ARDS or sepsis/septic shock) was assessed during admission, and this was related to the neutrophil phenotpe. ResultsThe clinical follow-up of fifty-three patients was uneventful. Only two patients developed an inflammatory complication. Within 3h after trauma, neutrophils showed a decreased expression of FcγRII (p=0.007) and FcγRIII (p=0.001) compared to healthy individuals. After 6h, expression of active FcγRII (p=0.017), C5aR (p=0.004) and CAECAM8 (p=0.043) increased, whereas L-selectin (p=0.002) decreased. After 24h also CXCR-2 (CD182) expression increased compared to healthy individuals (p=0.001). ConclusionsPenetrating thoracic trauma leads to a distinct primed activation status of circulating neutrophils within hours. In addition to activation of cells, both young and reverse migrated neutrophils are released into the circulation. This degree of systemic inflammation does not exceed a threshold of inflammation that is needed for the development of inflammatory complications like ARDS.

Immediate thoracotomy for penetrating injuries: tenyears' experience at a Dutch level I trauma center.

BackgroundAn emergency department thoracotomy (EDT) or an emergency thoracotomy (ET) in the operating theater are both beneficial in selected patients following thoracic penetrating injuries. Since outcome-descriptive European studies are lacking, the aim of this retrospective study was to evaluate ten years of experience at a Dutch level I trauma center.MethodData on patients who underwent an immediate thoracotomy after sustaining a penetrating thoracic injury between October 2000 and January 2011 were collected from the trauma registry and hospital files. Descriptive and univariate analyses were performed.ResultsAmong 56 patients, 12 underwent an EDT and 44 an ET. Forty-six patients sustained one or multiple stab wounds, versus ten with one or multiple gunshot wounds. Patients who had undergone an EDT had a lower GCS (p < 0.001), lower pre-hospital RTS and hospital triage RTS (p < 0.001 and p = 0.009, respectively), and a lower SBP (p = 0.038). A witnessed loss of signs of life generally occurred in EDT patients and was accompanied by 100 % mortality. Survival following EDT was 25 %, which was significantly lower than in the ET group (75 %; p = 0.002). Survivors had lower ISS (p = 0.011), lower rates of pre-hospital (p = 0.031) and hospital (p = 0.003) hemodynamic instability, and a lower prevalence of concomitant abdominal injury (p = 0.002).ConclusionThe overall survival rate in our study was 64 %. The outcome of immediate thoracotomy performed in this level I trauma center was similar to those obtained in high-incidence regions like the US and South Africa. This suggests that trauma units where immediate thoracotomies are not part of the daily routine can achieve similar results, if properly trained.

Median sternotomy and ventral stabilisation using pins and polymethylmethacrylate for a comminuted T5 vertebral fracture in a Miniature Schnauzer

A 2.9 kg Miniature Schnauzer was referred to our clinic, the Emergency & Critical Care Medicine Service at the Michigan State University Veterinary Teaching Hospital, following a dog fight. Physical examination findings upon admission included multiple thoracic wounds, absence of hindlimb deep pain, and marked Schiff-Sherrington syndrome. Computed tomography imaging revealed thoracic wall penetration and a comminuted T5 vertebral fracture. Thoracic exploration and thoracic wall repair were performed through a median sternotomy. The vertebral fracture was exposed and stabilised intra-thoracically through the same approach using pins and polymethylmethacrylate. The pins were placed percutaneously into the vertebral bodies of the adjacent vertebrae. Recovery was uncomplicated and fracture healing was documented eight weeks postoperatively. Spinal trauma secondary to dog fights is relatively common. The presence of concurrent penetrating thoracic injury negatively affects prognosis and necessitates thoracic exploration as soon as feasible. The approach should allow complete thoracic exploration to repair parietal and visceral damage, thus indicating the need for median sternotomy rather than an intercostal approach. The present case report suggested that median sternotomy can be used to safely apply stabilisation devices for the treatment of concurrent spinal trauma. Direct visualisation of the vertebral bodies permitted optimal implant anchorage as compared to potentially more hazardous techniques such as dorsal pinning.

Delayed presentation of a traumatic diaphragmatic hernia

Delayed presentation of a traumatic diaphragmatic hernia is an infrequent condition with a high mortality and morbidity rate. This case describes a 26-year-old man presenting with a 2-day history of cramping abdominal pain, dyspnea, nausea, and vomiting. The patient reported a penetrating thoracic injury one year prior to the development of clinical signs. Computed tomography revealed the presence of empyema or parapneumonic effusion of the left hemithorax. Based on the clinical history and physical findings, a diaphragmatic hernia was considered and an emergency laparotomy with segmental resec- tion of strangulated jejunum and reduction of remaining bowel was performed. A 1.5 cm tendinous defect was identified and repaired. The patient recovered and was discharged uneventfully. Conclusion: the early recognition of a delayed diaphragmatic hernia contributed to the uneventful recovery of this critically ill patient.

Penetrating Trans-Thoracic Aortic Injury with Right Femoral Artery Bullet Embolus

We are describing a penetrating thoracic aortic injury and a bullet embolus into common femoral artery with unique therapeutic endovascular approach through the same artery. The patient survived due to the prompt diagnosis and treatment by a multi-disciplinary team, specialized to effectively treat such an injury with advanced techniques.

Follow-up After Asymptomatic Penetrating Thoracic Injury: 3 Hours is Enough

Patients with asymptomatic penetrating thoracic injuries routinely undergo chest radiographs (CXRs) upon emergency department (ED) arrival, and then 6 hours later to exclude delayed pneumothorax (PTX) or hemothorax (HTX). Although previous reports indicate that up to 12% (mean, 3%) of asymptomatic penetrating thoracic injuries are complicated by delayed PTX or HTX, we hypothesized that these events would be detectable after only 3 hours of observation. The purpose of this study was to compare the incidence of delayed thoracic injury at 3 hours and 6 hours using standard CXR. A prospective trial of asymptomatic patients with penetrating thoracic injuries was conducted during 36 months. CXRs were performed upon arrival (supine, AP), and at 3 hours (upright, PA/lateral) and 6 hours (upright, PA/lateral). Patients with either injuries detected on initial CXR or cardiopulmonary symptoms were excluded. Findings from 3 hour and 6 hour CXRs were compared. Assuming a delayed PTX or HTX rate of 3%, the probability of detecting at least one delayed event between 3 hours and 6 hours in 100 patients is 95.25%. Of 648 patients with penetrating thoracic injuries, 100 patients both met inclusion criteria and completed the study. Patients were predominantly young (32.5 years +/- 13.3 years [mean +/- SD]) men (75% men) with stab wounds (75% stab wounds, 25% gunshot wounds). The mean length of stay for patients discharged from the ED was 8.8 hours +/- 2.6 hours. Although two patients developed a PTX between arrival and 3 hours, none developed after 3 hours. Patient charges, hospital costs, and radiation exposure were calculated for patients in our proposed study protocol, totaling $2802, $189, and 0.08 mSv, respectively. No patient in our study population developed a delayed PTX or HTX after 3 hours. Our results suggest that shortening the observation period after asymptomatic penetrating thoracic injuries to 3 hours is safe, cost-effective, minimizes radiation exposure, and may help relieve congested urban EDs.