Intercostal nerve cryoablation during surgical stabilization of rib fractures decreases post-operative opioid use, ventilation days, and intensive care days.

BACKGROUND: Intercostal nerve cryoablation is an adjunctive measure that has demonstrated pain control, decrease in opioid consumption, and decrease in hospital length of stay (LOS) in patients who undergo surgical stabilization of rib fractures (SSRF). METHODS: SSRF patients from January 2015 to September 2021 were retrospectively compared. All patients received multimodal pain regimens post-operatively and the independent variable was intraoperative cryoablation. RESULTS: 241 patients met inclusion criteria. 51 (21%) underwent intra-operative cryoablation during SSRF and 191 (79%) did not. Patients with standard treatment consumed 9.4 more daily MME (p = 0.035), consumed 73 percent more post-operative total MME (p = 0.001), spent 1.55 times as many days in the intensive care unit (p = 0.013), and spent 3.8 times as many days on the ventilator than patients treated with cryoablation, respectively. Overall hospital LOS, operative case time, pulmonary complications, MME at discharge, and numeric pain scores at discharge were no different (all p>0.05). CONCLUSION: Intercostal nerve cryoablation during SSRF is associated with fewer ventilator days, ICU LOS, total post-operative, and daily opioid use without increasing time in the operating room or perioperative pulmonary complications.

Atrial Cannulation During Resuscitative Clamshell Thoracotomy.

BACKGROUND: Resuscitative thoracotomy and clamshell thoracotomy are performed in the setting of traumatic arrest with the intent of controlling hemorrhage, relieving tamponade, and providing open chest cardiopulmonary resuscitation. Historically, return of spontaneous circulation rates for penetrating traumatic arrest as well as out of hospital survival have been reported as low as 40% and 10%. Vascular access can be challenging in patients who have undergone a traumatic arrest and can be a limiting step to effective resuscitation. Atrial cannulation is a well-established surgical technique in cardiac surgery. Herein, we present a case series detailing our application of this technique in the context of acute trauma resuscitation during clamshell thoracotomy for traumatic arrest in the emergency department. METHODS: A retrospective case series of atrial cannulation during traumatic arrest was conducted in Charlotte, NC at Carolinas Medical Center an urban level 1 trauma center. RESULTS: The mean rate of return of spontaneous circulation in our series, 60%, was greater than previously published upper limit of return of spontaneous circulation for penetrating causes of traumatic arrest. DISCUSSION: Intravenous access can be difficult to establish in the hypovolemic and exsanguinating patient. Traditional methods of vascular access may be insufficient in the setting of central vascular injury. Atrial appendage cannulation during atrial cannulation is a quick and reliable technique to achieve vascular access that employs common methods from cardiac surgery to improve resuscitation of traumatic arrest.