Surgical and critical care management of earthquake musculoskeletal injuries and crush syndrome: A collective review.

Earthquakes are unpredictable natural disasters causing massive injuries. We aim to review the surgical management of earthquake musculoskeletal injuries and the critical care of crush syndrome. We searched the English literature in PubMed without time restriction to select relevant papers. Retrieved articles were critically appraised and summarized. Open wounds should be cleaned, debrided, receive antibiotics, receive tetanus toxoid unless vaccinated in the last 5 years, and re-debrided as needed. The lower limb affected 48.5% (21.9%-81.4%) of body regions/patients. Fractures occurred in 31.1% (11.3%-78%) of body regions/patients. The most common surgery was open reduction and internal fixation done in 21% (0%-76.6%), followed by plaster of Paris in 18.2% (2.3%-48.8%), and external fixation in 6.6% (1%-13%) of operations/patients. Open fractures should be treated with external fixation. Internal fixation should not be done until the wound becomes clean and the fractured bones are properly covered with skin, skin graft, or flap. Fasciotomies were done in 15% (2.8%-27.2%), while amputations were done in 3.7% (0.4%-11.5%) of body regions/patients. Principles of treating crush syndrome include: (1) administering proper intravenous fluids to maintain adequate urine output, (2) monitoring and managing hyperkalemia, and (3) considering renal replacement therapy in case of volume overload, severe hyperkalemia, severe acidemia, or severe uremia. Low-quality studies addressed indications for fasciotomy, amputation, and hyperbaric oxygen therapy. Prospective data collection on future medical management of earthquake injuries should be part of future disaster preparedness. We hope that this review will carry the essential knowledge needed for properly managing earthquake musculoskeletal injuries and crush syndrome in hospitalized patients.

Camel-related major vascular injuries: A 20-years' experience.

BACKGROUND: Majority of human animal-related injuries in the United Arab Emirates are caused by camels. These may involve major vessels and can be life-threatening. We aimed to study the biomechanism, injured regions, management, and outcome of major camel-related human vascular injuries. METHODS: We retrospectively studied all patients who were admitted to Al-Ain Hospital with camel-related major vascular injury during January 2001 to January 2020. Studied variables included demography, mechanism of injury, injured structures, clinical presentation, vital signs on arrival, associated injuries, surgical management, ICU stay, length of hospital stay, complications, and outcome. RESULTS: Seven patients were studied; all were males having a median age of 26 years. Five out of six bite injuries (83%) occured during the camel rutting season. The injuries were severe and life-threatening. A camel bite causes four small elliptical wounds of the canine teeth which resembles two stab wounds of 8 cm long, penetrating deeply and injuring major vessels. Four involved the carotid artery, one the femoral artery and vein, one the external iliac vein and one the aorta which was due to a fall from a camel. Although the standard of surgical care was high, the outcome was poor. Six patients were admitted to the ICU for a median of 5 days. One patient died, one became vegetative, and one had arm paralysis. CONCLUSIONS: Major camel-related vascular injuries have a poor clinical outcome. This is related to the biomechanism of injury which combines penetrating, crushing and blunt trauma. Neck wounds of camel bites can be closed primarily after debridement.

Snuff box radial artery aneurysm: A case report and literature review.

INTRODUCTION AND IMPORTANCE: Distal radial artery aneurysms in the anatomical snuff box are rare. CASE PRESENTATION: Herein, we present the case of a snuff box radial artery aneurysm in a female patient with a possible history of trauma and discuss the evaluation and management of snuff box radial artery aneurysms. The aneurysm in this case was resected without reconstruction because of a normal preoperative Allen test finding and intraoperative evidence of adequate hand perfusion after the aneurysm was excised. The patient subsequently recovered with proper hand function. CLINICAL DISCUSSION: Radial artery aneurysms cases are rare; literature search by us and others have identified only 20 cases. For the detection and management of aneurysm, several high-end techniques may be employed; however, in this case, we employed non-invasive ultrasound method. The method is non-invasive and accurately delineates and localises an aneurysm, differentiates true arterial aneurysms from pseudoaneurysms, and identifies the presence of a mural thrombus. Further, the ultrasound assessments also help surgeons on requirement of radial artery reconstruction. CONCLUSION: In this case report, an anatomical snuff box radial artery aneurysm was surgically excised without reconstruction. Physical examination and Doppler ultrasound findings were employed to assess the medical condition of the patient; patient's proper hand function was restored.

Vascular surgery research in the Gulf Cooperation Council countries.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the quantity and quality of published vascular surgery research articles from the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries so as to identify areas for improvement. DESIGN: Descriptive study. MATERIALS: Published MEDLINE articles on vascular surgery from the GCC countries (1960-2010). METHODS: Critical analysis of the articles. RESULTS: A total of 146 articles were studied, majority of which were case series/case reports (55.5%); 33% of the articles were prospective. The first author was from a university in 67.1% of the articles. Only one randomized controlled trial was found. The median (range) impact factor of the journals was 1.16 (0.16-12.64). Kuwait had the highest number of publications/country, standardized/100,000 inhabitants. There were 11 experimental studies, which were all from Kuwait. More statistically significant, experimental vascular surgery papers were published prior to 1993 (11/30 compared with 0/111 afterward, p < 0.0001; Fisher exact test). The GCC countries had the lowest vascular surgery research output compared with Turkey, Hong Kong, Singapore, and Japan when standardized by the population. The h index of the GCC countries' vascular research publications was the lowest (19) compared with the other four countries (29-97). Furthermore, the average citation of the GCC countries (5.81) was similar to Turkey (5.66), but less than Hong Kong (17.38), Singapore (12.79), and Japan (11.75). CONCLUSION: The quality and quantity of vascular surgery research in the GCC countries should be improved to answer important local questions related to vascular diseases. This needs better strategic planning and more collaboration between various institutions.

Management of war-related vascular injuries: experience from the second gulf war.

AIM: To study the biomechanism, pattern of injury, management, and outcome of major vascular injuries treated at Mubarak Al-Kabeer Teaching Hospital, Kuwait during the Second Gulf War. METHODS: This is a descriptive retrospective study. War-related injured patients who had major vascular injuries and were treated at Mubarak Al-Kabeer Teaching Hospital from August 1990 to September 1991 were studied. Studied variables included age, gender, anatomical site of vascular injury, mechanism of injury, associated injuries, type of vascular repair, and clinical outcome. RESULTS: 36 patients having a mean (SD) age of 29.8 (10.2) years were studied. 32 (89%) were males and 21 (58%) were civilians. Majority of injuries were caused by bullets (47.2%) and blast injuries (47.2%). Eight patients (22%) presented with shock.There were 31 arterial injuries, common and superficial femoral artery injuries were most common (10/31). Arterial repair included interposition saphenous vein graft in seven patients, thrombectomy with end-to-end / lateral repair in twelve patients, vein patch in two patients, and arterial ligation in four patients. Six patients had arterial ligation as part of primary amputation. 3/21 (14.3%) patients had secondary amputation after attempted arterial vascular repair of an extremity. There were a total of 17 venous injuries, 13 managed by lateral suture repair and 4 by ligation. The median (range) hospital stay was 8 (1-76) days. 5 patients died (14%). CONCLUSIONS: Major vascular injuries occurred in 10% of hospitalized war-related injured patients. Our secondary amputation rate of extremities was 14%. The presence of a vascular surgeon within a military surgical team is highly recommended. Basic principles and techniques of vascular repair remain an essential part of training general surgeons because it may be needed in unexpected wars.

Delayed retroperitoneal bleeding causing acute abdominal compartment syndrome: case report.

Delayed acute abdominal compartment syndrome (ACS) due to retroperitoneal bleeding is rare. Herein, we report the clinical management of such a rare case. A 46-year-old male who fell from a height of 12 meters was admitted to Al-Ain Hospital. He was hemodynamically stable. His abdomen was soft and not distended. Abdominal computed tomography (CT) was normal on admission. On day 7, the patient tolerated enteral feeding. On day 15, he became suddenly hypotensive. CT of the abdomen showed a large retroperitoneal hematoma compressing the inferior vena cava (IVC) associated with contrast blush indicating active bleeding. The abdomen became distended and tense. The patient developed respiratory failure and severe acidosis, increased airway pressure and reduced urine output. A clinical diagnosis of ACS was made. There was dramatic improvement in the hemodynamic and respiratory function directly after laparotomy. Exploration of the retroperitoneal hematoma showed an actively bleeding ligated ileocolic vessel. The abdomen was temporarily closed using saline IV bags sandwiched between two layers of Steri-Drape. The abdomen was closed primarily on day 6. The patient was discharged home on day 50. Life-threatening delayed retroperitoneal bleeding may occur suddenly two weeks after trauma causing ACS.

Genitourinary injuries following road traffic collisions: a population-based study from the Middle East.

BACKGROUND: The epidemiology of trauma to genitourinary (GU) organs following Road Traffic Collisions (RTC) is not well-studied, especially in the Middle East. METHODS: The data of the RTC Injury Registry in Al-Ain City were collected prospectively from April 2006-October 2007. RESULTS: Of the 1,008 patients in the registry, there were 23 GU injuries. Renal injuries accounted for 74% of injuries. Of these, 35% were severe (grade IV-V). There were two extraperitoneal bladder injuries and two membranous urethral injuries, all of which were associated with pelvic fractures. In addition, there were two asymptomatic adrenal injuries. The mean Injury Severity Score, mean total hospital stay and percentage of patients who required intensive care unit (ICU) admission were higher in patients with GU injuries compared to non-GU patients (24.9 vs. 9.0 (p<0.0001), 24.1 vs. 8.9 days (p<0.0001) and 67% vs. 17% (p<0.0001), respectively). Side-angle collision was the primary crash mechanism in 39% of GU patients vs. 16% in non-GU patients (p=0.015). CONCLUSION: This is the first population-based study of GU injuries following RTC from the Middle East. Patients with GU organ injury tend to have more severe trauma compared to other patients. The incidence of GU injuries following RTC in the current study appears to be higher than that reported in the West.

Vascular injuries following road traffic collisions in a high-income developing country: a prospective cohort study.

BACKGROUND: The mechanism and pattern of vascular injury vary between different populations. The commonest mechanism of vascular injury in civilian practice is road traffic collisions. We aimed to prospectively study the incidence, detailed mechanism and anatomical distribution of hospitalized vascular trauma patients following road traffic collisions in a high-income developing country. METHODS: Data were collected prospectively on road traffic collision injuries in the whole city of Al-Ain, United Arab Emirates, from April 2006 to October 2007 with full details of mechanism of injury and its relation to sustained injuries. RESULTS: Out of 1008 patients in the registry, 13 patients had vascular injury, a calculated incidence of 1.87 cases/100 000 inhabitants per year. There were eight car occupants, four pedestrians, and one motorcyclist. Upper limb vascular injuries were the most common anatomical site (n = 4) followed by thoracic aorta (n = 3). All thoracic aortic injuries were acceleration injuries (pedestrians hit by a moving vehicle). None of the eight car occupants was wearing a seatbelt and the majority sustained a front impact deceleration injuries. The median injury severity score, hospital stay, and ICU stay were significantly higher in the vascular injury group compared with nonvascular group (P < 0.0001). Three patients died (23%); two due to severe liver trauma and one due to rupture thoracic aorta. CONCLUSIONS: The incidence of hospitalized vascular injury due to road traffic collisions in Al-Ain city is 1.87 cases/100 000 inhabitants. These injuries occurred mainly in the upper part of the body. Seatbelt compliance of car occupants having vascular injuries was very low. Compliance with safety measures needs more enforcement in our community.

Management algorithm for complete blunt renal artery occlusion in multiple trauma patients: case series.

OBJECTIVE: To study the management of complete renal artery occlusion in multiple trauma patients so as to develop a management algorithm. DESIGN: Retrospective study. PATIENTS AND METHODS: All blunt trauma patients who had complete renal artery occlusion and were treated at Tawam and Al-Ain Hospitals during 2005-2007 were studied. RESULTS: There were five patients having a median age of 21 years and a median ISS of 34. Four were males and four had motor vehicle collisions. Three had the injury on the right side while two on the left side. Three patients were treated conservatively. The kidney was left in situ in one patient who underwent damage control laparotomy. An attempted renal artery repair was aborted due to haemo-dynamic instability in another patient. Patients were followed up for a median of 9 months and creatinine was normal in all patients. One patient developed hypertension and had interval nephrectomy. CONCLUSIONS: Conservative management is advised in the treatment of unilateral complete blunt renal artery thrombosis. These patients need close follow-up for the risk of hypertension. Blunt renal artery thrombosis in multiple trauma patients indicates severe injury. Surgeons should critically assess the added risk of mortality against chances of recovering the renal function.

Use of octreotide for the prevention of pancreatic fistula after elective pancreatic surgery: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the effectiveness of octreotide in preventing postoperative pancreatic fistula. Pancreatic fistula is one of the most common complications after elective pancreatic surgery. Several clinical trials have evaluated the use of octreotide to prevent the development of pancreatic fistula after pancreatic surgery with conflicting recommendations. METHODS: We undertook a meta-analysis of 7 identified randomized controlled trials, reporting comparisons between octreotide and a control. The primary outcome was the incidence of postoperative pancreatic fistula, and the secondary outcome was the postoperative mortality. RESULTS: Seven studies, involving 1359 patients, met the inclusion criteria for this review. In these studies, sample sizes ranged from 75 to 252 patients. In total, 679 patients were given octreotide and 680 patients formed the control group. Perioperative octreotide is associated with a significant reduction in the incidence of pancreatic fistula after elective pancreatic surgery, with a relative risk of 0.59 (95% confidence interval 0.41-0.85, p = 0.004). However, this risk reduction was not associated with a significant difference in postoperative mortality (p > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The review revealed that perioperative octreotide is associated with a significant reduction in the incidence of pancreatic fistula after elective pancreatic surgery. However, this risk reduction was not associated with a significant difference in postoperative mortality; further studies are warranted to confirm the results of this metaanalysis and to define which patient subgroups might benefit the most from prophylactic octreotide administration.

Perceptions of Canadian vascular surgeons toward pharmacological risk reduction in patients with peripheral arterial disease.

Patients with peripheral arterial disease (PAD) are at a markedly higher risk of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality, with evidence indicating that risk-reduction pharmacotherapy can serve to attenuate cardiovascular events in these patients. Given the central role of vascular surgeons in the treatment of patients with PAD, we sought to determine their perceptions and knowledge of risk-reduction pharmacotherapy in patients with PAD. We conducted a cross-sectional survey of 79 Canadian vascular surgeons who attended the 2004 annual meeting of the Canadian Society for Vascular Surgery, the largest and most representative meeting of its kind in Canada. The recommended targets of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, blood glucose, and blood pressure were known to 53.8%, 40.4%, and 57.7% of vascular surgeons, respectively. The majority of vascular surgeons (65.4%) reported screening for risk factors in <50% of cases. Although 90.4% of vascular surgeons would recommend antiplatelet therapy for PAD, only 5.8% would recommend angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors and 19.2% would recommend lipid-lowering therapy with statins. Eighty-four percent of Canadian vascular surgeons indicated that their self-assessment of risk reduction in PAD was average to below average, yet 90.4% of them believed that risk-reduction therapy should be recommended or initiated by vascular surgeons. Canadian vascular surgeons' perceptions toward risk reduction in PAD identify knowledge and action gaps, despite the recognition that recommending and instituting therapy is important to patient care. Given the heightened risk of cardiovascular disease in patients with PAD, these data have important implications.