ABSTRACT
Priorities in the diagnosis and treatment of a multiple trauma with injuries to the thorax and pelvis are usually determined by the pattern and the severity of the injury sustained. In this case a haemodynamically unstable patient with severest pelvic trauma and a moderate thoracic trauma developed progressive haemodynamic instability during an intervention to the pelvis, resulting in a lethal outcome for the patient. The cause only became obvious when computed tomography of the thorax (CTT) was performed which was able to demonstrate venous pulmonary bleeding compressing the left atrium. In haemodynamically unstable patients with a major pelvic trauma combined with a moderate thoracic trauma, early CTT should therefore be a main priority in the initial management of such patients in the resuscitation room. The time spent on such a diagnostic procedure seems to be worth the information gained, which can significantly influence the initial choices and priorities in treatment.
Subject(s)
Fractures, Bone/complications , Multiple Trauma/therapy , Pelvic Bones/injuries , Rib Fractures/complications , Thoracic Injuries/complications , Accidents, Traffic , Bicycling/injuries , Drainage , Emergency Medical Services , External Fixators , Fractures, Bone/diagnostic imaging , Fractures, Bone/surgery , Fractures, Bone/therapy , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Multiple Trauma/diagnostic imaging , Multiple Trauma/mortality , Multiple Trauma/surgery , Pelvic Bones/diagnostic imaging , Pelvic Bones/surgery , Radiography, Thoracic , Rib Fractures/diagnostic imaging , Thoracic Injuries/diagnostic imaging , Thoracic Injuries/surgery , Thoracic Injuries/therapy , Tomography, X-Ray ComputedABSTRACT
PURPOSE: Mycobacterium paratuberculosis has been proposed as a causative agent in patients with Crohn's disease. The purpose of this study was to determine whether M. paratuberculosis was present in tissue from patients with Crohn's disease in a defined geographic area. METHODS: We prospectively evaluated, using polymerase chain reaction and culture, whether M. paratuberculosis was present in 44 specimens (37 from intestinal mucosal biopsies and 7 from surgical resections) from patients with Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis, or normal colonic mucosa. RESULTS: Of the 25 specimens tested from the 21 Crohn's patients, only 1 positive specimen was noted, whereas the 8 specimens from the 5 ulcerative colitis patients and the 11 specimens from the 11 control patients failed to demonstrate a positive result with polymerase chain reaction. Cultures of all specimens revealed no growth of M. paratuberculosis. CONCLUSION: M. paratuberculosis was only rarely detected in biopsy or surgical specimens from patients with Crohn's disease. These results do not support a common causative role of M. paratuberculosis in Crohn's disease.
