[Surgical treatment of liver injury--5-year experience].

Due to improved methods of treatment and management of hemorrhage, the mortality from liver injuries has decreased significantly over the past few decades. In spite of that, liver injuries still represent diagnostic and therapeutic challenge. This retrospective study included 197 patients surgically treated because of trauma of the liver at The Clinic for Emergency Surgery, during the period 2004-2009. The results showed significant difference in mortality rates in cases of penetrating wounds compared to blunt trauma and gunshot wounds. The severity of injury evaluated by Organ Injury Scale was significantly higher in gunshot wounds compared to blunt and penetrating trauma. The correlation of severity of injuries and mortality rates showed that the mortality is significantly lower in patients with grade 1, 2, and 3 injuries compared to grades 4 and 5 (p = 0.016). Specific complication rate was 28.4%, while mortality rate was 21.8%. The results reflect diagnostic and treatment problems, as well as the importance of multidisciplinary approach to the patients with liver trauma.

[Acute lung injury and acute respiratory distress syndrome--what should we know?].

Acutelunginjury (ALI) and its more severe form acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) are syndromes with a spectrum of increasing severity of lung injury defined by physiologic and radiographic criteria. There are many clinical disorders as sociated with the development of ALI/ARDS and can be divided into those associated with direct or indirect lung injury. Early detection and protective lung ventilation strategy contribute to lowering the mortality rate.

[Surgical treatment of pancreatic injuries in severe abdominal trauma].

In spite of its low incidence, pancreatic injuries hold important place in abdominal trauma because of diagnostic difficulties, severe potential complications, therapeutic challenges, and high mortality rates. These injuries are related with specific morbidity and are very often accompanied with injuries of other organs. This retrospective study included 31 patients treated at The Clinic for Emergency Surgery of Clinical Center of Serbia during the period of 2004-2009 with intraoperativelly confirmed diagnosis of pancreatic trauma. The most common mechanism of injury was blunt trauma (83.9%). Among available diagnostic methods, abdominal ultrasound was characterized with high incidence of false-negative findings (33.3%) while for CT it was at 16.6%. The type of surgical procedure was related to degree and severity of injury. Specific complications occurred in 22.6% of patients, while mortality rate was 25.8%. The creation of unambiguous algorithms for optimal treatment of patients with pancreatic trauma require multi-centric prospective studies.

[Laparoscopy in the evaluation of blunt abdominal trauma].

Laparoscopic diagnostics provides fast, reliable, clear, and obvious information on extent and depth of abdominal organs injury with minimizing additional trauma to the patient. It is performed without any specific preparations and, if needed, it may be promptly converted into conventional laparotomy. Through use of optical equipment with various refraction angles and through variable patient positioning, laparoscopic technique enables visualization of whole abdominal cavity. In approximately 20% of cases of unclear findings, and after other performed diagnostic procedures, laparoscopy provides definitive diagnosis. Abdominal surgeons are familiar with this method, making interpretaion of the results very fast and reliable and, what is the most important, this method avoids additional trauma caused by conventional laparotomy.

[Surgical treatment of injuries of the stomach and duodenum in abdominal trauma].

Injuries of the stomach and duodenum have an important place in abdominal trauma, even though that the isolated injuries are rare. This kind of injury is most commonly associated with injuries of other abdominal organs. This retrospective study has been done at the Department of Emergency Surgery, Clinical Centre of Serbia, during the period from January 2004. until January 2009. The study included 36 patients diagnosed intraoperatively with the injury of the stomach and duodenum. The most common mechanism of harming were injuries due to blunt trauma (41.7%), the ones followed by gunshot wounds (30.5%), and the least were stab injuries (27.8%). With the majority of patients has been conducted sutures (46.3%) and serosation (30.6%) of the stomach and duodenum. In 24 (66.7%) patients on admission have been done ultrasound of the abdomen, in 6 (16.7%) abdominal CT was done, in 4 (11.1%) peritoneal lavage have been done and the x-ray of the abdomen was performed in 3 (8.3%) patients. Specific complications had 1 (2.8%) patient, while 14 (29.9%) patients have had non-specific complications. Total mortality has been 33.3%

[Hanging manuever in liver trauma].

The phylosophy of aggressive surgical approach, its complete implementation in liver trauma surgery did not appear efficient. No matter of permanenent development of diagnostic imaging methods, anesthesia, intensive therapy, medical technology and suture materials, operational theater and operative tchniques, major liver resections in trauma had mortality rate up to 60%. With introduction of computerized tomography (CT, 1981) in everyday clinical praxis and with better evaluation of trauma patients, the whole approach to liver trauma patient has been redesigned. Based on AAST-OIS classification, almost 70% of traumatized with grade I, II and III sholud be treated non-operatively, hospitally, with repeating FAST (focused abdominal ultrasound in trauma) and abdominal CT scans. The rest of traumatized patients, with grade IV and V injuries of juxtahepatic structures demand complexive surgical treatment. The modalities of surgical treatment depend on trauma mechanisms, extensivity, anatomical localisation and affection of vascular structures. Hanging Manuevr--the Method of French surgeon Belghiti bases on anterior approach in liver resection is a try for fast solution for fatal bleeding in liver trauma. It consists of placing the elastic cord throughout the anterior surface of VCI or ligamentum venosusm, of upper end of the cord is located in superior part of VCI where hepatic veins are emerging. Lower end of the cord is located in subhepatic part of VCI between 3 Glisonian pedicles. Concerning hepatic veins liver is divided in 3 sections, which derives blood in right hepatic vein RHV, middle hepatic vein MHV and left hepatic vein LHV. Belghiti proposed the usage of hanging maneuver when resecting the right liver, while the cord is placed throughout retrohepatic VCI, lower end between elements of Glisonian pedicle and upper end between hepatic veins. Complications like bleeding from caudal veins are minimal, then speed in liver resection in hemodynamic unstable and ishemic patient, defects like bleeding because compressing tapes or lesions IVC tile mobilazion of liver for conventional resection.

[Liver injuries].

The liver is the most commonly injured abdominal organ. Severe hepatic trauma continue to be associated with high mortality. Management of liver injuries has changed significantly over the last two decades. Nonoperative management of hemodynamically stable patients has become the first treatment of choice. In unstable patients immediate control of bleeding is critical. In the management of severe injuries of the liver, particularly for patients who had developed a metabolic insult (hypothermia, coagulopathy, and acidosis), perihepatic packing has emerged as the key to effective damage control (DCS). The surgical aim is control of hemorrhage, preservation of sufficient hepatic function and prevention of secondary complications. Currently available surgical methods include hepatorrhaphy, resectional debridement, anatomical/nonanatomical resection, selective hepatic artery ligation, Pringle maneuver, total vascular exclusion, liver transplatation. This review discusses available diagnostic modalities and the best management options for liver injury, based on literature search and authors experience.

[Damage control surgery--our experience].

Damage control surgery represents widely implemented technique of treatment of seriously injured patients all over the world. In medical facilities with large number of seriously injured patients, type of injuries often imposes method of damage control surgery as ultimate way in treating such patients. In Emergency center from 2005-2009. 895 patients had been operated because of the trauma to the abdomen and thorax. Method of damage control surgery had been implented on 41 patients (4.6% of all operated patients). 18 patients died, and 30 seriously injured patients that hadn't been treated according to this method had died in operating room. Likewise, 11 non-trauma patients were treated according to the principles of damage control surgery because of uncontrolled bleeding. The greatest challenge today is defining criteria for choosing right patients for damage control surgery.

[Oversights in the care of severe injuries].

Question of missed injuries is more often a question of human errors: task execution errors, procedural errors, communication errors, decision errors and noncompliance. Missed injuries are those which are not idetified in the first three days of hospitalisaation. This theme is not popular among physicians. Literature data mention percent from 3-29% missed injuries overall. The underlying causes errors are: false attributin, false negative prediction and false lebeling. False attribution involves a tendency to incorrectly link a clinical observation with an arroneous cause. This tendency also ignores one of the fundamental principles of the management of traumatic injury: that the index of suspicion should proceed on the basis of assumed wors resonable case scenario. Weaknesses of trauma systems: high patients volume, high-risk patients, long hours, changing set of resources, and problems sush bad admission planing, defficite anamnesis, defficite diagnostic procedures, bad communication, improvisation etc.

[Transfusion practice in trauma patient].

Anemia is common in critically ill patients and carries risk of reduced oxygen carriage and worse outcomes. Transfusion, however, carry their own risk, and the physician must balance the risks of anemia with the risk of transfusion in each patient. Some recent studies compared a liberal with a restrictive approach to transfusion, and a clinical practice guidelines were made. This protocols consider that acute hemorrhage has been controlled, the initial resuscitation has been completed, and the patient is stabile in the intensive care unit without ongoing bleeding. The trigger for PRBC transfusion in patients without severe cardiovascular disease is hemoglobin g/dL (or a hematocrit %).

[Digital nerve injury of the hand-epidemiologic and clinical analysis].

The aim of this study was to show the significance of epidemiologic factors of digital nerve injury and their social influence. 108 patients were operated with primary suture within first 48 h after injury. We record factors as sex, age, etiology, dominance and level of injury. Results of sensory recovery were measured by Medical Research Council scale (MCR). Males predominantly sustain this injury (83.3%) and we seen more frequently in the young adults. Average age is 34.7 years (from 16 to 70). These injuries rarely isolated and most of them are in the zone II (48.1%). The full recovery we have only in nine patients. Digital nerve injury of the hand are more often found in young mail adults who are work active. They are out of work even six months, and sometimes even more. Some of these injuries leaves permanent disability which have a socio-economic importance.

[Anatomic segmental resection of the liver in surgical treatment of colorectal metastatic lesions]. / Anatomske segmentne resekcije jetre u hirurskom lecenju kolorektalnih metastatskih lezija.

The prime role of hepatic resection in the management of colorectal cancer metastatic to the liver is firmly established. At least a third of patients who undergo liver resection for colorectal metastases can expect to survive five years. Since 1999, 106 hepatic metastases were resected in 42 patients (synchr. 8, metachr. 34, pts.). We performed 12 monosegmentectomies (S2-S8), 4 bisegmentectomies (S4b, S5 and S5, S6), 6 sectorectomies (right posterior, left paramedian, left lateral), 3 polysegmentectomies (S4b, S5, S6), 8 bilateral sectionectomies (S2, S3 and S6, S7) and in 9 cases multiple segmentectomies. In 4 cases initially unresectable colorectal metastases were downstaged by transcatheter HAI regional chemotherapy (Implantoflx), and after that successfully resected. We favour vascular inflow occlusion through selective division of appropriate portal pedicle at the porta hepatis or by transparenchymal approach. Median blood loss was 330 +/- 160 ml. The complication rate amounted to 9.52% (bile fistula, abscess collection). No method related lethality occurred. During the follow-up period we registered tumor recurrence rate of 19.1% (8 pts.), of which two patients were subjected to liver re-resection. Overall 3-year survival rate (Kaplan-Meier) is 38.9%. Multivariate analysis shows a significant correlation between 3-year survival and solitary (p-0.031) and unilobar metastases (p-0.014).