Background: Diagnosis of cervical spine injury (CSI) is difficult in patients with an altered level of consciousness as a result of a traumatic brain injury (TBI). Patients with TBI and older adults are at increased risk for CSI. This study examined the various risk factors for CSI among trauma patients with TBI and whether adults who were older (≥55 years) were at higher risk for CSI when they sustained a fall-related TBI. Materials and Methods: Data used was the 2007 National Trauma Data Bank (NTDB), National Sample Project (NSP) for adults who sustained a TBI. This dataset contains 2007 admission records from 82 level I and II trauma centers. Logistic regression was used to identify potential risk factors for CSI and to test for interaction between age and injury mechanism. Additional model variables included gender, race, Glasgow Coma Score, multiple severe injuries, hypotension and respiratory distress. Results: An analysis of the NTDB NSP identified 187,709 adults with TBI, of which 16,078 were diagnosed with a concomitant CSI. In motor vehicle traffic injuries, the older age group had significantly higher odds of CSI (odds ratio [OR] = 1.26 [1.15-1.39]). In fall-related injuries the older age group did not have a higher odds of CSI compared to the younger age group. Skull/face fracture, other spine fracture/dislocation, upper limb injury, thorax injury, and hypotension were significantly associated with CSI. Pelvic injuries had an inverse association with CSI (OR = 0.60 [0.54-0.67]). Black had significantly higher odds of CSI compared to Whites (OR = 1.25 [1.07-1.46]). Conclusion: The identification of associated injuries and factors may assist physicians in evaluating CSI in patients with TBI.

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Here, authors present a review on clinical presentation and management of exposure of phosgene gas after reviewing the literature by searching with keywords phosgene exposure on Google, Cochrane, Embase and PubMed with a background of experience gained from 10 patients who were admitted to our institute after an accidental phosgene exposure in February 2011 nearby a city in India. Phosgene is a highly toxic gas, occupational workers may have accidental exposure. The gas can also be generated inadvertently during fire involving plastics and other chemicals and solvents containing chlorine, which is of concern to emergency responders. Phosgene inhalation may cause initially symptoms of respiratory tract irritation, patients feel fine thereafter, and then die of choking a day later because of build up of fluid in the lungs (delayed onset non-cardiogenic pulmonary edema). Phosgene exposure is associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Patients with a history of exposure should be admitted to the hospital for a minimum of 24 h for observation because of the potential for delayed onset respiratory failure and acute respiratory distress syndrome.

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Background: Delays to definitive care are of particular concern in rural trauma systems, where prehospital times are significantly longer than average. Aims: We evaluated for differences between transferring hospitals in the total time required to transport patients to definitive care, and analyzed for associations between transport times and outcomes. Settings and Design: We employed a cross-sectional design to analyze Level One Trauma Center registry data on interfacility transfer of 3,303 acute trauma patients. Materials and Methods: We calculated time in minutes from injury to definitive care (total elapsed time (TET)), and analyzed for associations between TET and both mortality and length of hospital stay at our center. We mapped hospitals and catchment areas to illustrate statistics by transferring hospital. Statistical Analysis: We employed analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) to analyze for the effect of TET and injury severity category upon hospital length of stay, and for the effects of TET and air transport as compared to ground transport. We evaluated for likelihood of in-hospital mortality using logistic regression. Results: TET had little or no effect upon length of hospital stay or in-hospital mortality. The effect of injury severity upon both length of stay and mortality was progressively greater with each categorical increase in severity. Air transport as compared to ground transport was associated with mild increases in length of stay and likelihood of mortality. Mapping revealed spatial patterns that were not evident by statistical analysis alone. Conclusions: Mapping of geographic variations holds promise as a supplement to quantitative needs assessments of trauma systems in rural regions and developing countries.

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Background: The pattern of craniofacial soft-tissue injuries occurring either in isolation or in association with fractures vary in different societies and is multiply influenced. The effects are enormous because of the prominence of the face; therefore, the purpose of this study was to document any changing pattern, severity and management of these craniofacial injuries in our center. Patients and Method: Cranio-maxillofacial region was classified into upper, middle and lower face. The cause, type, and site of the injuries were documented. Gunshot injuries were further categorized as penetrating, perforating or avulsions. Further, classification of injuries into mild, moderate, and severe was carried out based on multiple factors. Result: A total of 126 patients with soft-tissue injuries presented to our hospital out of which 85 (67.5%) were males and 41 (32.5) were females. The age range of the patients was between 10 months and 90 years with a mean ± SD of 26.4 ± 15.5 years. Road traffic accident was the most common etiology of which vehicular accidents constituted 50 (54.9%) and the motorcycle was 2 (2.2%). Assault contributed 16 (17.6%) while cases due to gun shots were 13 (14.3%). A total of 19 (15.1%) patients had associated head injuries, 11 (8.7%) patients had craniofacial fractures involving any of the bones while 3 (2.4%) patients had limb fractures and 2 (1.6%) patients had rib fractures. There were 51 (41.8%) cases classified as mild injuries, 37 (30.3%) cases as moderate injuries and 24 (19.7%) cases as severe injuries. Total of 126 cases managed, 121 (96.0%) received primary closure of the wounds while 5 (4.0%) received delayed closure under general anesthesia.

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An 11-year-old boy was involved in an injury with a fish-hook to his eye. The hook had impaled itself to the cornea and deeper structures. There was associated corneal edema and hyphema, making visualization difficult. In this case, we performed the unusual "cut-it-out" technique to remove the hook from the eye.

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Background: Self-extubation is a common event in intensive care units (ICUs) world-wide. The most common factor attributed in various studies is lack of optimal sedation. However, the factors that lead to this inadequacy of sedation are not analyzed. Aims: The present study aimed to evaluate the determinants of factors leading to self-extubation in our ICU. Relation of patient profile, nature of sedation and any diurnal variation in extubation frequency was analyzed. Materials and Methods: Retrospective explorative analysis was carried out for patients admitted to ICU from January 2011 to January 2012. Information from medical records for the above parameters was extracted and descriptive statistics was used for assessing the outcomes. Results: In the present study, there was a higher incidence of self-extubation in ventilated ICU patients during the changeover periods of the ICU staff. There was no relation of frequency of self-extubation with the medications used for sedation once the sedation was titrated to a common endpoint. A higher incidence of self-extubation was seen in the surgical and younger age group of patients. Conclusions: It is recommended that the duty shift finishing time of ICU staff (medical and paramedical) staff should be staggered and should have minimal overlap to prevent self-extubation. A continuous reassessment of level of sedation of patients independent of the type sedative medication should be carried out.

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Resulting from direct toxicity on the bowel mucosa, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID)-induced colitis is an underestimated although potentially serious condition. Plain abdominal radiographs and multidetector computed tomography allow to identify a right-sided acute colitis with associated pericolonic inflammation, progressively diminished changes along the descending and sigmoid colon, and rectal sparing, consistent with the hypothesized pathogenesis of NSAID colitis. Increased awareness of this condition should reduce morbidity through both prevention and early recognition. High clinical suspicion and appropriate patient questioning, together with consistent instrumental findings, negative biochemistry, and stool investigations should help physicians not to miss this important diagnosis.

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Abdominal pain is an uncommon presenting symptom for pulmonary embolism (PE). A delay in the diagnosis when a patient presents with atypical symptoms can postpone proper treatment and can be catastrophic. We report the case of a 48-year-old male who presented to the emergency department with worsening right upper quadrant abdominal pain. Abnormal findings on biliary ultrasound and chest radiograph could have resulted in misdiagnosis. Instead, the physician maintained a high index of suspicion, and further diagnostic testing revealed a large central PE in the right main pulmonary artery. The present article discusses the dangers of using a pattern recognition approach to medical decision making in patients with abdominal pain. Included are the various pathophysiologic mechanisms that may contribute to the development of abdominal pain in patients with PE. Additionally, we review the role of chest radiography in the setting of PE and present the findings that ultimately lead to the diagnosis.

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Transfusion associated circulatory overload (TACO) and transfusion related acute lung injury (TRALI) are two dissimilar pathological conditions associated with transfusion of blood products where the time course of the events and clinical presentation overlap leading to uncertainty in establishing the diagnosis and initiating the treatment, which otherwise differs. We encountered a case where a patient of post-partum hemorrhage developed TACO in the immediate post-operative period due to aggressive resuscitative attempts with blood products. The patient's condition was appropriately diagnosed and was managed according to the clinical scenario, and the condition abated. Subsequently, on the third post-operative day the patient again required blood product transfusions following which the patient developed TRALI, the diagnosis of which was also established and adequate treatment strategy was undertaken.

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Two male patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) developed a spontaneous hemorrhage of one of their native kidneys and were referred to our institution. Symptoms included sudden onset abdominal pain, hematuria and shock. Symptoms were associated with a hemoglobin decrease. Computerized tomography (CT) was done and nephrectomy undertaken in both the cases. Histologic findings confirmed bleeding and there was no abnormality other than those related to renal insufficiency (cysts and atrophy). In chronic hemodialysis (HD) patients with hematuria, if other common causes are not identified spontaneous subcapsular or renal cyst rupture should be kept in mind. Surgery is our preferred treatment because of the diagnostic dilemma of tumors and the potential mortality of massive hematomas in morbid patients.

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Objective: To assess the predictive factors of ventilator associated pneumonia (VAP) occurrence following open tracheotomy in trauma patients. Materials and Methods: We conducted an observational, prospective study over 15 months, between 01/08/2010 and 30/11/2011. All trauma patients (except those with cervical spine trauma), older than 15 years, undergoing open tracheotomy during their ICU stay were included. All episode of VAP following tracheotomy were recorded. Predictive factor of VAP onset were studied. Results: We included 106 patients. Mean age was 37.9 ± 15.5 years. Mean Glasgow coma Scale (GCS) was 8.5 ± 3.7 and mean Injury Severity Score (ISS) was 53.1 ± 23.8. Tracheotomy was performed for 53 patients (50%) because of prolonged ventilation whereas 83 patients (78.3%) had tracheotomy because of projected long mechanical ventilation. Tracheotomy was performed within 8.6 ± 5.3 days. Immediate complications were bleeding events (22.6%) and barotrauma (0.9%). Late complications were stomal infection (28.3%) and VAP (52.8%). In multivariate analysis, independent factors predicting VAP onset were delayed tracheotomy (OR = 0.041; CI95% [1.02-7.87]; P = 0.041) and stomal infection (OR = 3.04; CI95% [1.02-9.93]; P = 0.045).Thirty three patients died in ICU (31.1%) without significant impact of VAP on mortality. Conclusion: Late tracheotomy and stomal infection are independent factors predicting VAP onset after open tracheotomy in trauma patients. The occurrence of VAP prolongers mechanical ventilation duration and intensive care unit (ICU) length of stay (LOS) but doesn't increase mortality.

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Although uncommon, blunt trauma to the perineum may cause serious injury to the penis. Differentiation between penile fracture with torn tunica albuginea versus extratunical or cavernosal hematomas is crucial because the former condition needs early surgical repair to avoid future deformity and erectile dysfunction, whereas approach is conservative with even large penoscrotal hematomas with albugineal integrity. Urgent-setting magnetic resonance imaging including multiplanar images of the injured penoscrotal region allows precise identification or exclusion of presence, site, and extent of tears of the tunica albuginea, providing a consistent basis for therapeutic choice.

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Perthes syndrome, or traumatic asphyxia, is a clinical syndrome associating cervicofacial cyanosis with cutaneous petechial haemorrhages and subconjonctival bleeding resulting from severe sudden compressive chest trauma. Deep inspiration and a Valsalva maneuver just prior to rapid and severe chest compression, are responsible for the development of this syndrome. Current treatment is symptomatic: urgent relief of chest compression and cardiopulmonary resuscitation if needed. Outcome may be satisfactory depending on the duration and severity of compression. Prolonged thoracic compression may sometimes lead to cerebral anoxia, irreversible neurologic damage and death. We report a fatal case of Perthes syndrome resulting from an industrial accident.

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Stab wounds to the buttock are uncommon injuries that are rarely seen in surgical civilian practice. Although, the wound appears trivial, it may cause major life-threatening visceral and vascular injuries. Failure to detect these injuries may lead to serious morbidity and mortality. Herein, we report a patient with a single gluteal stab wound, which was initially sutured and treated conservatively. Two days later, patient developed fever, lower abdominal pain and tenderness with leakage of fecal material from the wound. Exploratory laparotomy revealed an extraperitoneal rectal perforation for which a Hartmann's procedure was performed. Computed tomography scanning is recommended as a diagnostic tool for stable patients having buttock stab wounds. Diverging colostomy is the standard surgical procedure for extraperitonal rectal injuries that cannot be properly visualized and repaired during a laparotomy. More evidence is needed to assess the fecal non-diversion approach in the treatment of these patients.

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A 79-year-old female with diabetes mellitus had general fatigue, a high fever and vomiting. A CT revealed acute emphysematous pyelonephritis (EPN). A nephrectomy was performed on the 2 ^nd hospital day. The results of the blood culture showed the presence of Citrobacter freundii infection. The patient's post-operative course was uneventful. This case is the second reported case of EPN induced by Citrobacter freundii. Bacteremia induced by Citrobacter freundii infection typically results in a high mortality rate. In this case, the early diagnosis of the EPN using CT and immediate medical treatment, including urgent elective nephrectomy, were key to the favorable outcome.

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In head and neck surgery, penetrating neck injuries are uncommon. The neck contains many important structures, so such trauma can cause significant morbidity and mortality. A patient with penetrating neck trauma should be examined promptly in the emergency room. If possible, damaged tissue and organ fragments should be preserved carefully.

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Study Objectives: Our prior analysis suggested that error frequency increases disproportionately with Emergency department (ED) crowding. To further characterize, we measured this association while controlling for the number of charts reviewed and the presence of ambulance diversion status. We hypothesized that errors would occur significantly more frequently as crowding increased, even after controlling for higher patient volumes. Materials and Methods: We performed a prospective, observational study in a large, community hospital ED from May to October of 2009. Our ED has full-time pharmacists who review orders of patients to help identify errors prior to their causing harm. Research volunteers shadowed our ED pharmacists over discrete 4- hour time periods during their reviews of orders on patients in the ED. The total numbers of charts reviewed and errors identified were documented along with details for each error type, severity, and category. We then measured the correlation between error rate (number of errors divided by total number of charts reviewed) and ED occupancy rate while controlling for diversion status during the observational period. We estimated a sample size requirement of at least 45 errors identified to allow detection of an effect size of 0.6 based on our historical data. Results: During 324 hours of surveillance, 1171 charts were reviewed and 87 errors were identified. Median error rate per 4-hour block was 5.8% of charts reviewed (IQR 0-13). No significant change was seen with ED occupancy rate (Spearman's rho = -.08, P = .49). Median error rate during times on ambulance diversion was almost twice as large (11%, IQR 0-17), but this rate did not reach statistical significance in univariate or multivariate analysis. Conclusions: Error frequency appears to remain relatively constant across the range of crowding in our ED when controlling for patient volume via the quantity of orders reviewed. Error quantity therefore increases with crowding, but not at a rate greater than the expected baseline error rate that occurs in uncrowded conditions. These findings suggest that crowding will increase error quantity in a linear fashion.

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