Hemorrhagic Shock in Isolated and Non-Isolated Pelvic Fractures: A Registries-Based Study.

BACKGROUND: Pelvic fractures resulting from high-energy trauma can frequently present with life-threatening hemodynamic instability that is associated with high mortality rates. The role of pelvic exsanguination in causing hemorrhagic shock is unclear, as associated injuries frequently accompany pelvic fractures. This study aims to compare the incidence of hemorrhagic shock and in-hospital outcomes in patients with isolated and non-isolated pelvic fractures. METHODS: Registries-based study of trauma patients hospitalized following pelvic fractures. Data from 1997 to 2021 were cross-referenced between the Israel Defense Forces Trauma Registry (IDF-TR), documenting prehospital care, and Israel National Trauma Registry (INTR) recording hospitalization data. Patients with isolated pelvic fractures were defined as having an Abbreviated Injury Scale (AIS) <3 in other anatomical regions, and compared with patients sustaining pelvic fracture and at least one associated injury (AIS ≥ 3). Signs of profound shock upon emergency department (ED) arrival were defined as either a systolic blood pressure <90 mmHg and/or a heart rate >130 beats per min. RESULTS: Overall, 244 hospitalized trauma patients with pelvic fractures were included, most of whom were males (84.4%) with a median age of 21 years. The most common injury mechanisms were motor vehicle collisions (64.8%), falls from height (13.1%) and gunshot wounds (11.5%). Of these, 68 (27.9%) patients sustained isolated pelvic fractures. In patients with non-isolated fractures, the most common regions with a severe associated injury were the thorax and abdomen. Signs of shock were recorded for 50 (20.5%) patients upon ED arrival, but only four of these had isolated pelvic fractures. In-hospital mortality occurred among 18 (7.4%) patients, all with non-isolated fractures. CONCLUSION: In young patients with pelvic fractures, severe associated injuries were common, but isolated pelvic fractures rarely presented with profound shock upon arrival. Prehospital management protocols for pelvic fractures should prioritize prompt evacuation and resuscitative measures aimed at addressing associated injuries.

Survival following Prehospital Traumatic Cardiac Arrest Resuscitation in the Israel Defense Forces: A Retrospective Study.

BACKGROUND: Prehospital traumatic cardiac arrest (TCA) is associated with a poor prognosis and requires urgent interventions to address its potentially reversible causes. Resuscitative efforts of TCA in the prehospital setting may entail significant resource allocation and impose added tolls on caregivers. The Israel Defense Forces Medical Corps (IDF-MC) instructs clinicians to perform a set protocol in the case of TCA, providing prompt oxygenation, chest decompression and volume resuscitation. This study investigates the settings, interventions, and outcomes of TCA resuscitation by IDF-MC teams over 25 years in both combat and civilian settings. METHODS: Retrospective study of the IDF-MC Trauma Registry between 1997-2022. Search criteria were applied to identify cases where the TCA protocol was initiated. A manual review of cases matching the search criteria was performed by two curators to determine the indications, interventions, and outcomes of casualties with prehospital TCA. Patients for whom interventions were performed outside of the TCA protocol, such as with measurable vital signs, were excluded. The primary outcome was survival to hospital admission, with the secondary outcome being return of vital signs in the prehospital setting. RESULTS: Following case review, 149 patients with prehospital TCA were included, with a median age of 21 (interquartile range 19-27). Eighty-four (56.4%) presented with TCA in military or combat settings, with gunshot wounds and blast injuries being the most common mechanisms in this group. For 56 casualties (37.8%), all components of the protocol were performed (oxygenation, chest decompression, and volume resuscitation). Five (3.4%) casualties had return of vital signs in the prehospital setting, but none survived to hospital admission. CONCLUSION: The prognosis of prehospital TCA is poor, and efforts to address its potentially reversible causes may often be futile. These notions may be further emphasized in military settings, where resources are limited, and extensive penetrating injuries are more common.

An original external iliac artery reconstruction with internal iliac artery translocation in a blunt injury of the pelvic vessels in a 4-year-old child: A 12-year follow-up study.

A 4-year-old child presented to the emergency department with an open-book pelvic fracture, blunt trauma to the right external iliac artery and vein, and contaminated abdomen due to jejunal tear. Arterial reconstruction with polytetrafluoroethylene was not considered because of caliber discrepancy of 6 mm compared with 3 mm of the child's external iliac artery and a 40% probability of graft infection. We used the ipsilateral internal iliac artery, which was dissected for 7 cm; the distal artery was translocated and anastomosed to the distal external iliac artery. At 12 years of follow-up, the artery grew with the patient, with no need for replacement.

A New Modified Surgical Technique of In Situ Reverse Arterialization: Leaving the Distal Saphenous Side Branches Open of Nonreconstructable Ischemic Leg Leads to Full Recovery.

BACKGROUND: Arterialization of the foot veins in patients with ischemic foot usually result in excessive foot edema, wound infection, venous gangrene, long hospitalization duration, and a high rate of amputation. We herein present an improved method of foot revascularization via the superficial venous system by in situ reverse arterialization (ISRA) of the foot venous bed, leaving the distal saphenous side branches open. METHODS: A 69-year-old patient with toe wet gangrene and end-stage peripheral vascular disease with absence of foot target arteries underwent ISRA procedure, using the great saphenous vein, which was anastomosed end-to-side to the proximal superficial femoral artery. Only proximal saphenous tributaries were ligated until arterial flow reached the pedal superficial veins. RESULTS: Postoperatively, the foot regained normal pulsation over the superficial venous system. The patient did not experience foot edema. On-table subtraction angiography demonstrated arterial flow through the long saphenous and dorsal foot veins, with returned venous flow through the anterior and posterior tibial veins. Methoxyisobutylisonitrile scan conducted 4 weeks postoperatively demonstrated positive oxygen uptake of the pedal muscles, which was absent before surgery. Electron microscopy of the muscles at the level of the transmetatarsal amputation demonstrated regeneration of muscle tissue with mitosis 6 weeks postoperatively. During 1,000 days of follow-up postsurgery, the flow was reduced and the transcutaneous pO2 level of the foot increased up to 76 mm Hg. CONCLUSIONS: This new modified surgical technique of ISRA, in which only proximal saphenous tributaries were ligated in order to prevent high systemic pressure in the foot venous low pressure system, resulted in increased levels of transcutaneous pO2 and reduced flow, leading to full recovery of the ischemic foot.

Surgery of the superficial venous system in elderly patients.

Chronic venous insufficiency, which traditionally has been attributed to failure of the deep venous system, may result from reflux in the superficial venous system. Chronic venous insufficiency is common in elderly patients, but surgical treatment is seldom offered to this patient population. We evaluated the results of superficial venous surgery for the treatment of severe chronic venous insufficiency in a cohort of elderly patients. The authors assessed patients aged 70 years or more with chronic venous insufficiency that had failed conventional conservative treatment. The superficial and deep venous systems were thoroughly investigated by duplex ultrasonography. Associated medical conditions were reevaluated and their treatment optimized. Twenty-eight patients (11 men, 17 women), aged between 70 and 89 years (mean 79), underwent superficial venous surgery. Open ulcers, active dermatitis and recurrent erysipelas were evident in 12, 9 and 7 patients, respectively. Limb swelling and severe pain were present in 25 (89%). The operations were performed under general or regional anesthesia with overnight hospitalization. Surgical treatment consisted of ligation of the points of reflux at the junctions of the superficial and deep systems, as defined by the duplex examination (21 saphenofemoral junctions, 5 saphenopopliteal junctions, 10 perforator veins), and stripping of the long saphenous vein to knee level (15 patients). Postoperative ambulatory treatment was continued until the wounds were completely closed. All ulcers healed completely within 8 weeks. No cardiac, respiratory, or renal complications were encountered. Wound infection at the groin occurred in 1 patient. Cellulitis of the calf area developed in 4 patients. Two ulcers recurred during follow-up of 1 to 5 years (mean 2.5). Surgery of the superficial venous system for treatment of severe chronic venous insufficiency is effective and can be achieved with minimal morbidity in selected elderly patients. The risk/benefit ratio for this procedure has been reduced sufficiently to ensure a major improvement in the quality of life of such patients.