Incidence, Prevalence, and Outcomes of Pediatric Trauma in Rural Appalachia (West Virginia) From 2017 to 2019.

Background Appalachian rural pediatric trauma has its unique incidence, presentation, and distribution due to the mechanisms of injury, geographic location, access to care, and social issues.  Purpose To review, analyze, and understand pediatric trauma in West Virginia during the period 2017-2019. Materials and methods After institutional review board approval, the statewide trauma database was queried and analyzed in a retrospective cohort study for all pediatric trauma ages zero to 18 from 2017-2019 in the Appalachian regions one through four in West Virginia. The following were analyzed: gender, injury mechanism, Glasgow Coma Scale Score (GCS) at admission, injury severity score (ISS), toxicology screen results, hospital length of stay, duration of ventilatory support, number of procedures performed during admission, presence of non-accidental trauma, cardiac arrest, patient discharge disposition, and mortality. Results One-thousand eighty-two (1182) patients between the ages of zero to 18 were admitted to the trauma center. An average of 37% was female and 63% male. In the 11-18 age group, 24% were female and 76% were male. Most injuries were due to blunt force (89%), followed by penetrating injuries (7.2%) and burns (1.4%). The majority had minor or moderate injuries with 95% receiving a Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) >13 and 72% listed as minor on the injury severity score (ISS). Children in ages 0-2 years had the highest proportion of poor (0-8) GCS scores, high ISS (>14) scores, most hospital admission days, most days on a ventilator, highest mortality, most pre-hospital cardiac arrests, child abuse, burns, and placement with child protective services. An average of 31% of children tested, and 17% in the age group of 0-2 had a positive toxicology screen. There were 3670 procedures done in total and the most common procedure performed was an ultrasound of the abdomen. Procedures were performed in 90% of the patients. Conclusions and relevance Based on our study, the zero to two-year-old pediatric trauma patients are most vulnerable to poor outcomes and may need targeted preventative interventions. Toxicology screens may need to be more widely implemented in pediatric trauma in the Appalachian region. Rural trauma in Appalachia has endemic issues related to substance abuse, poverty, and a lower degree of social support as compared to urban areas. Although the distribution of injury may follow a national distribution, mechanism, management, and outcomes can vary.

Acquires Anterior Thoracic Lung Herniation and Repair: A Rare Case and Discussion.

We report a case of acquired anterior thoracic lung herniation in a 63-yeal-old female. This painful herniation developed four years after uncomplicated video-assisted thoracic surgery for lung cancer resection and adjuvant radiation for concomitant breast cancer. The herniation site was remote from all prior incisions, and demonstrated intercostal muscle denervation and radiation fibrosis. The 8 cm x 10 cm chest wall defect was reconstructed with inlay PROCEED mesh and reinforced with a pedicled latissimus dorsi flap. Five months postoperatively the patient had complete resolution of symptoms, no evidence of herniation, and a stable wound.

IV 3000 Dressing for Fingertip Injury: Management and Discussion.

An active, right hand dominant. 86-year-old male presented with transverse amputation of the right ring finger just distal to the DIP joint. Conservative management was recommended in order to preserve digit length, mobility, and the DIP joint. The IV3000 semipermeable dressing was utilized as the primary treatment. The clear adhesive dressing has a high moisture vapor transmission rate that facilitates creation of a suitable wound microenvironment. The digit showed significant epithelialization and mobility at two weeks post-injury and was healed with full range of motion at both the DIP and PIP joints by week six. There were no complications from use of the IV3000 dressing, and both healing time and pain during dressing change are improved over alternative dressings like gauze.

Unilateral Forehead Paralysis Following Operative Repair of Facial Trauma: A Case Study and Review of the Literature.

The temporal branch of the facial nerve is a commonly injured nerve during facial trauma due to its superficial course over the zygomatic arch, and is a commonly damaged nerve during facial surgery. We report a case of trauma to the left temporal fossa, and subsequent unilateral forehead paralysis. Early exploration revealed external suture compression as the origin of his paralysis. Removal of the suture led to complete resolution of the neurological deficit. The differential diagnosis did not include the possibility of the compression of the nerve by a suture, however the decision for early exploration led to a full recovery.