Management of airway trauma. I: Tracheobronchial injuries.

One hundred six consecutive patients with injuries to the tracheobronchial tree who were admitted to the emergency room of the Tulane Medical Center Hospital or the Charity Hospital of Louisiana at New Orleans over a period of almost 20 years were analyzed retrospectively. Penetrating trauma of the neck or chest was reported in 100 of the patients, and only 6 had blunt trauma to the neck or thorax as the cause of injury. There were 18 deaths among the 106 patients (16.98%), including 11 (13.75%) of 80 with injuries of the cervical trachea. Seven (53.8%) of 13 with principal injuries of the thoracic trachea died; all 13 patients with major bronchial injuries survived. On admission to the emergency room, all patients had signs of airway compromise such as tachypnea, dyspnea, cyanosis, subcutaneous emphysema, or an abnormal respiratory pattern. Severe airway compromise was evident in 46 patients; 24 (23%) were treated with oral or nasal intubation, 19 (18%) with emergency tracheostomy, and 3 (2%) with intubation of a tracheal injury. Hemoptysis was an unreliable signal of serious injury, being present in only 28 of the patients. Patients who had major vascular injuries combined with trachea involvement were generally not salvageable. In regard to morbidity and mortality, the most common preventable errors were delay in diagnosis and treatment of tracheobronchial injuries, missed esophageal injuries, massive aspiration of blood, and abdominal vascular injuries.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Hypertension due to renal artery stenosis in transplanted kidneys.

Hypertension appeared to be related to stenosis of the hypogastricrenal artery system in 5 patients among 153 recipients of renal allografts. Renin assay and arteriography were crucial in the comprehensive evaluation of patients whose hypertension was not clearly related to rejection or excessive sodium intake. Hypereninemia was persistent in 4 of the 5 patients. Stenoses of the transplant renal arteries in three patients were caused by extensive intimal plaque formation. In one patient, periarterial fibrosis caused reduction of flow; 180 degrees torsion of the anastomosis resulted in stenosis in the fifth patient. Surgical correction is difficult and may be facilitated by a transabdominal approach. Vein bypass is probably preferable to patch angioplasty for intimal lesions. Following operation, hypertension was ameliorated and function improved in all patients. Rejection, which has been suggested as one of the causes of intimal plaque formation, ultimately led to the loss of the transplant in one patient. Function is normal in two patients; two patients have evidence of chronic rejection. No effort should be spared to evaluate this special group of patients whose transplant function can predictably be prolonged by decisive surgical management.