Management of penetrating lung injuries in civilian practice.

Recent reports of military thoracic injuries have advocated early thoracotomy and aggressive management of pulmonary injuries with resection as opposed to the more conservative and traditional treatment with chest tube thoracostomy. A retrospective study was therefore performed to determine the incidence of thoracotomy and lung resection in civilian injuries and to evaluate the effectiveness of treatment of these injuries. Between 1973 and 1985, in a series of 1,168 patients, there were 384 gunshot wounds and 784 stab wounds to the thorax. Two hundred eighty-three patients with a gunshot wound (74%) and 602 with a stab wound (77%) were treated with chest tubes alone. Sixty-eight patients (6% of the total) required operative repair of pulmonary hilar or parenchymal injury. Pulmonary resection was necessary in only 18 patients (nine with a gunshot wound and nine with a stab wound), and 10 patients had repair of hilar injuries (nine with a gunshot wound and one with a stab wound). Of patients requiring pulmonary resection, nine required wedge or segmental resection, six required lobectomy, and three patients required pneumonectomy. Mortality for all thoracic injuries was 2.3%: for those treated with chest tube alone, 0.7%; for pulmonary hilar injuries, 30%; for pulmonary parenchymal injuries, 8.6%; and for injuries necessitating lung resection, 28%. Most civilian lung injuries can be treated by tube thoracostomy alone. Although relatively few patients with primary pulmonary injury require thoracotomy, those that do are at significant risk and may require lung resection to control bleeding or hemoptysis or to remove destroyed or devitalized lung tissue.

Standard biplane roentgenography is highly sensitive in documenting mediastinal masses.

The records of 30 patients with mediastinal masses were reviewed to evaluate the signs, symptoms, and preoperative tests that were most useful in diagnosing and localizing the masses. Sixteen (53%) of the tumors were benign, and 14 (47%) were malignant. Twenty patients were seen with symptoms. The most common symptoms suggesting malignancy were pain, weight loss, fever, and cough. Four of the 5 patients who were truly asymptomatic had benign lesions. All 4 patients with palpable adenopathy had malignant tumors. Posteroanterior and lateral chest roentgenograms detected the mediastinal mass in 29 (97%) of the 30 patients. All patients were operated on for tissue diagnosis or resection (13, median sternotomy; 8, right thoracotomy; 3, left thoracotomy; 2, low anterior cervical approach). Eight patients underwent mediastinoscopy, which was diagnostic in 6 and obviated the need for operation in 4. It was of particular value for patients with lymphoma, who can be managed without resection.

Anterolateral thoracotomy as an alternative to repeat median sternotomy for replacement of the mitral valve.

Median sternotomy is the most common approach for repeat cardiac surgery despite the potential complications of cardiac injury. Right anterolateral thoracotomy has been recommended as an alternative for patients undergoing mitral valve replacement, but data supporting one approach over the other do not exist. To compare these procedures, the records of 43 patients who had had a previous median sternotomy and who underwent mitral valve replacement were reviewed. No statistically significant differences between patients undergoing repeat median sternotomy (33 patients) and those undergoing right anterolateral thoracotomy (10 patients) were demonstrable when compared for age, gender, New York Heart Association Functional Class, other diseased valves, urgency of operation, indication for operation, type of valve removed, type of valve implanted, length of postoperative hospitalization, length of operation, days of ventilatory support, length of intensive care unit stay, and survival (90% for thoracotomy group; 76% for median sternotomy group; p, NS). Significant differences between the two groups, favoring right anterolateral thoracotomy, were apparent when comparisons were made for length of perfusion (means, 94.8 min, thoracotomy group; 121.4 min, sternotomy group; p = .03), incidence of reexploration (0%, thoracotomy group; 13%, sternotomy group; p = .001), and blood transfusion (means, 5.3 units, thoracotomy group; 11.4 units, sternotomy group; p = .003). Right anterolateral thoracotomy is an effective alternative to repeat median sternotomy for replacement of the mitral valve in patients who have had a previous median sternotomy.

Operative closure of patent ductus arteriosus in premature infants in the neonatal intensive care unit.

Fifty-two premature infants underwent hemoclip closure of patent ductus arteriosus in the neonatal intensive care unit after a brief trial of fluid restriction and diuretics. Indomethacin was used in only four patients. The median time from diagnosis to operation was 3 days. There were no deaths directly attributable to operation. Nine operative complications developed in nine patients (17 percent). There were no surgical infections. Complications related to prematurity resulted in 20 deaths (38 percent). Patent ductus arteriosus closure in the neonatal intensive care unit prevented the complications of hypothermia, inadvertent extubation, and interruption of vascular access and monitoring. Early operative closure in the neonatal intensive care unit is the treatment of choice in most premature infants with patent ductus arteriosus.

Management of blunt rupture of the heart.

Ten patients with blunt heart rupture arrived in our emergency center alive during an 11-year period ending in 1984. Ages ranged from 19 to 65 years (mean, 35), and seven patients were male. Six patients presented with tamponade, three with hemorrhagic shock, and one with combined symptoms. Associated injuries averaged 2.25 organ systems per patient. All but one patient had surgery within 90 minutes of arrival. All patients had primary closure of the defect without cardiopulmonary bypass, five patients had subxiphoid window followed by sternotomy, two had right thoracotomy, two underwent left thoracotomy, and one patient was subjected to immediate sternotomy. Seven patients survived. Three deaths were due to irreversible hemorrhagic shock, two secondary to heart injury, and one from an associated liver injury. Prompt pericardial window with subsequent median sternotomy was successful for patients presenting with tamponade and immediate thoracotomy for those bleeding into a pleural cavity.

Bronchopulmonary foregut malformations. The spectrum of anomalies.

Ventral anomalies of accessory pulmonary tissue have been classified as "bronchopulmonary foregut malformations." Between July 1, 1981, and May 31, 1985, 10 children with bronchopulmonary malformations have been cared for on the Pediatric Surgical Service at the University of Virginia. Six patients had bronchogenic cysts, one in an extrathoracic location and one associated with a pulmonary sequestration. Diagnosis was suspected in each case by plain chest radiographs and confirmed by computed tomography scans and ultrasound. Four patients had pulmonary sequestrations, two in association with diaphragmatic hernias. One patient had accessory pulmonary tissue, best classified as a tracheal lobe. Diagnosis in this patient was confirmed by bronchography. Nine patients underwent excision of the malformation without event. In one patient, a bronchogenic cyst was treated successfully by thoracoscopy. Review of the anatomy of these malformations leads to the conclusion that three embryologic events are cardinal in determining their ultimate form: (1) investment of the anomalous pulmonary tissue by the pulmonary artery; (2) the degree of involution of the original foregut communication; and (3) the stage of development leading to pleural investment.

The effect of renin-angiotensin system blockade on visceral blood flow during and after thoracic aortic cross-clamping.

Surgical procedures necessitating clamping of the thoracic aorta are associated with a high incidence of postoperative renal dysfunction. Plasma renin activity is elevated during and after thoracic aortic occlusion in animals. The pathophysiology of the renal dysfunction may involve the renin-angiotensin system. Blockade of the renin-angiotensin system was studied in a canine model during occlusion of the thoracic aorta. Saralasin, a competitive blocker of angiotensin II, and the converting enzyme inhibitor MK422 were studied. Sixteen animals were separated into three treatment groups: control (five animals), saralasin (five), and MK422 (six). All dogs underwent clamping of the thoracic aorta for 60 minutes. In control animals, plasma renin activity increased from 0.16 +/- 0.04 to 6.41 +/- 1.57 ng/ml/hr at 30 minutes after thoracic aortic occlusion (p less than 0.05). Thirty minutes after cross-clamp release, plasma renin activity remained 10 times greater than baseline, 1.47 +/- 0.20 ng/ml/hr (p less than 0.05). Renal blood flow was measured with 15 micron microspheres before, during, and after thoracic clamping. In control animals, renal cortical blood flow decreased during cross-clamping and remained below baseline after clamp release: baseline, 7.05 +/- 0.98 ml/gm/min (standard error of the mean); 30 min after clamp release, 3.77 +/- 0.43 ml/gm/min (standard error of the mean) (p less than 0.05). In the MK422 group, renal cortical blood flows returned to baseline after cross-clamp release: baseline, 6.38 +/- 0.49 ml/gm/min; 30 minutes after clamp release, 7.30 +/- 1.6 ml/gm/min. Infusion of MK422 after placement of the thoracic aortic cross-clamp resulted in normal renal blood flow after clamp release. This protective effect was not seen with saralasin. The resumption of normal renal cortical blood flow after the administration of the converting enzyme inhibitor MK422 suggests that elevated plasma renin activity may contribute to renal dysfunction after thoracic aortic occlusion.

Carotid endarterectomy after a completed stroke: reduction in long-term neurologic deterioration.

The merit of carotid endarterectomy for patients who previously have sustained a completed stroke remains controversial. Between January 1976 and December 1983, 118 stroke patients with mild to severe permanent neurologic deficits were evaluated. Fifty-nine patients were managed nonoperatively and 59 operatively. Both cohorts were similar in age and sex distribution, incidence of hypertension (69%), diabetes mellitus (25%), and cardiac disease (39%). In the long-term follow-up (medical cohort average was 44.1 +/- 5.0 months; surgical cohort average, 41.8 +/- 3.7 months) the overall survival rate was comparable, that is, there were nine medical deaths and eight surgical deaths. However, there was a significant difference in the development of new neurologic deficits. Twelve of the 59 unoperated patients had new neurologic deficits and three patients died at 12, 36, and 48 months as a result of a recurrent stroke. New neurologic deficits developed in only two of the 59 surgical patients and there were no stroke-related deaths. When the cumulative probability of remaining free from recurrent deficits was examined in the surviving patients at 6 years, all of the patients in the operated group remained free from recurrent deficits, whereas only 58% of the patients in the unoperated group were free of new neurologic deficits (p = 0.02). These data suggest that stroke patients with fixed mild to moderate neurologic deficits and with carotid lesions may be protected from recurrent neurologic complications by carotid endarterectomy.

Primary small bowel malignancies.

Fifty-five patients with primary small bowel malignancies were evaluated from 1955 to 1983. Twenty-seven patients (49%) had carcinoid tumors, 16 (29%) had adenocarcinomas, and 12 (22%) had leiomyosarcomas. The average age at presentation was 68 years (range: carcinoids, 27-82; leiomyosarcomas, 36-75; adenocarcinomas, 40-83). Carcinoids and leiomyosarcomas were 1.7 and 2.0 times, respectively, more common in men; adenocarcinomas showed no sex predominance. Eighty-nine per cent of all patients had symptoms: abdominal pain in 65 per cent, obstruction in 23 per cent, bleeding in 8 per cent, and palpable mass in 5 per cent. Although 27 per cent of carcinoid patients were asymptomatic, 40 per cent exhibited the carcinoid syndrome. Symptoms were longstanding in the majority of cases, and, at the time of diagnosis, 49 per cent of the carcinomas were metastatic. Fifty-five per cent of the tumors were in the ileum, 24 per cent in the jejunum, and 21 per cent in the duodenum. Fifty-five patients (89%) underwent resection for palliation or cure. Five adenocarcinoma patients (32%) survived 1 year, and one (6%) lived 10 years. Twenty-five per cent of leiomyosarcoma patients survived for 10 years. Eighty-seven per cent of patients with carcinoids survived for 1 year, 39 per cent for 5 years, and 22 per cent for 10 years. Previous reports have documented the difficulty of diagnosing these lesions, as does the present study. A higher degree of physician awareness and a more aggressive investigation of referable symptoms should lead to earlier treatment and better long-term results.

Unanticipated postoperative ventricular tachyarrhythmias.

Eighteen (1.4%) of 1,251 patients who underwent cardiac operations during a three-year period had new sustained ventricular tachycardia (12 patients) or ventricular fibrillation (6 patients) not caused by but resulting in hemodynamic compromise. In 13 patients, the initial arrhythmia occurred in the first 48 hours postoperatively. Lidocaine was being administered to 10 of these patients for suppression of previously noted ventricular ectopy, but it did not prevent the occurrence of the arrhythmia. The initial episode was fatal for 5 patients. Two of these deaths were directly related to the adverse effects of the antiarrhythmic agents used to suppress ventricular tachycardia or fibrillation. Five of 10 survivors underwent electrophysiological studies after initial resuscitation. In all 5, programmed ventricular stimulation reproduced the clinical arrhythmia. There have been 2 late sudden deaths in patients who either did not undergo or remained uncontrolled at electrophysiological study during serial drug trials. Our experience suggests that a cardiac operation may unmask or induce potentially lethal arrhythmias that previously had not been apparent. Pharmacological suppression of ventricular ectopy does not necessarily prevent ventricular tachycardia or ventricular fibrillation in the early postoperative period. Electrophysiological study may be helpful in determining the appropriate prophylactic therapy in such patients.

The measurement of intra-abdominal pressure as a criterion for abdominal re-exploration.

Acute elevation of intra-abdominal pressure above 30 mmHg caused oliguria in 11 postoperative patients. Operative re-exploration and decompression in seven patients resulted in immediate diuresis. Four patients who were not re-explored developed renal failure and died. If intra-abdominal pressure rises above 25 mmHg in the early postoperative period and is associated with oliguria and normal blood pressure and cardiac index, the patient should undergo re-exploration and decompression of the abdomen.

The adult ductus. Surgical results and long-term follow-up.

Surgical treatment for the adult patent ductus can be a safe procedure if adequate aortic control is obtained. Long-term results are satisfactory, except for patients with pulmonary hypertension, of whom only 50 per cent obtain a good result. We believe operative treatment is indicated in the asymptomatic adult patient with patent ductus arteriosus, because one cannot predict which patients will develop pulmonary hypertension. In our group pulmonary hypertension developed in patients whose average age was the same as those who were asymptomatic. Those patients who are New York Heart Association (NYHA) class III usually have pulmonary hypertension, large ductus, and calcification, all of which could cause operative complications. Therefore, it is relatively easy to predict by symptoms alone which patients have the highest operative risk.

Elevated intra-abdominal pressure and renal function.

The effect of increased intra-abdominal pressure on cardiac output and renal function was investigated using anesthetized dogs into whom inflatable intraperitoneal bags were placed. Hemodynamic and renal function measurements were made at intra-abdominal pressures of 0, 20, and 40 mmHg. Renal blood flo and glomerular filtration rate decreased to les than 25% of normal when the intra-abdominal pressure was elevated to 20 mmHg. At 40 mmHg intra-abdominal pressure, three dogs became anuric, and the renal blood flow and glomerular filtration rate of the remaining dogs was 7% of normal, while cardiac output was reduced to 37% of normal. Expansion of the blood volume using Dextran-40 easily corrected the deficit in cardiac output, but renal blood flow and glomerular filtration rate remained less than 25% of normal. Renal vascular resistance increased 555% when the intra-abdominal pressure was elevated from 0 to 20 mmHg, an increase fifteen-fold that of systemic vascular resistance. This suggests that the impairment in renal function produced by increased intra-abdominal pressure is a local phenomenon caused by direct renal compression and is not related to cardiac output.

A reappraisal of limited-stage undifferentiated carcinoma of the lung. Does stage I small cell undifferentiated carcinoma exist?

Patients with small cell undifferentiated carcinoma of the lung (SCUC) have a poor prognosis. Surgical excision is avoided if the diagnosis can be made with small biopsy specimens or cytologic preparations. We reviewed 323 consecutive patients with pulmonary neoplasms diagnosed as SCUC, oat cel carcinoma, and undifferentiated or poorly differentiated carcinoma. At the time of diagnosis, only 18 patients had neoplasms classified as clinical Stage I, and only one of these had SCUC after histologic review. Fifteen patients had atypical carcinoid, a tumor with features intermediate between ordinary bronchial carcinoid and SCUC. In two instances, there was insufficient tissue for definitive diagnosis. Cumulative survival of the 15 patients with Stage I atypical carcinoid tumor was 80% at 1 year and 60% at most recent follow-up (mean follow-up 20 months). Mean survival for the 305 remaining patients was 7.9 months. Atypical carcinoid may be misdiagnosed as SCUC or poorly differentiated carcinoma, particularly with limited tissue samples or cytologic preparations. Stage I SCUC exists but is exceedingly rare. Many examples of purported Stage I SCUC probably represent atypical carcinoid. Because atypical carcinoid has a far better prognosis than SCUC, precise diagnosis is important and surgical resection should be considered.

Hepatobiliary scan with delayed gallbladder visualization in a case of acute appendicitis.

A 40-year-old woman presented with acute epigastric pain with vomiting. Within 24 hours, the pain spread to the right periumbilical region. Tc-99m disofenin hepatobiliary scan failed to demonstrate the gallbladder on a 60-minute view. The presumative diagnosis of acute cholecystitis was thought to be confirmed on this basis by the patient's physicians. However, a 75-minute view demonstrated filling of the gallbladder. In hepatobiliary scanning for acute abdominal pain, delayed views (2 to 24 hours) are recommended when the gallbladder is not visualized on the 60-minute view. If the gallbladder is visualized, cystic duct obstruction can be excluded and diagnoses such as pancreatitis, acalculous cholecystitis, and acute appendicitis should be investigated.

Early diagnosis by liver scan of a right-sided traumatic diaphragmatic hernia.

A case of right-sided diaphragmatic rupture from blunt trauma in a 37-year-old man is described. Diagnosis was established by a liver scan obtained in the acute stage of injury. Primary repair was followed by uneventful recovery. Attention is called to this test for its potential in evaluating the integrity of the right diaphragm.

Retrohepatic vena cava balloon shunt introduced via the sapheno-femoral junction.

Experimental in-vitro and in-vivo testing of a retrohepatic vena cava shunt has shown effective shunting of inferior vena caval blood by catheters with outside diameters of 28 French. A technique of insertion of such a catheter via the groin is shown to be feasible in humans. Control of vena caval bleeding by a balloon catheter prototype during liver resection in dogs and in a human patient has been demonstrated.