Post-traumatic Liver Pseudoaneurysms: Rare but Serious Sequela.

INTRODUCTION: The liver is the most commonly injured organ after blunt abdominal trauma. Nonoperative management is the standard of care in stable individuals. Liver injuries, particularly high-grade injuries, can develop pseudoaneurysms (PSAs), which can rupture and cause life-threatening bleeding, even after hospital discharge. There is no consensus on whether patients should receive predischarge contrast computed tomography (CT) screening, or at what time interval after injury, nor which patients are at the highest risk for PSA. The purpose of this study was to identify the rates of PSA in our population and potential risk factors for their formation. METHODS: The trauma registry at our Level 1 urban trauma center was queried for patients admitted with liver injuries between 2015 and 2021. Demographic information was collected from the registry. Individual charts were then reviewed for timing of CT scans, CT findings, interventions, and complications. Liver injury grade was assessed using radiology reports or operative findings. The frequency of PSAs was then analyzed using descriptive statistics using Microsoft Excel and SPSS for odds ratio. RESULTS: A total of 172 patients were admitted with liver injuries during the study period. 130 patients received a CT scan diagnosing liver injury, 42 were diagnosed with liver injury intraoperatively. Of the 130 patients (59.9%) which received follow-up CT scans, six (6.5%) developed PSA, four of which being from penetrating injuries (odds ratio, 6.95). CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrated a low incidence of PSA consistent with the known literature. We found the majority of the PSA developed following penetrating injury. This may represent a significant indication for follow-up imaging regardless of grade. A larger study will be necessary to identify those most at risk for PSA formation and determine the best PSA screening algorithm.

Wearable, noninvasive, pulsed shortwave (radiofrequency) therapy for analgesia and opioid sparing following outpatient surgery: A proof-of-concept case series.

BACKGROUND: It is often difficult to concurrently provide adequate analgesia while minimizing opioid requirements following ambulatory surgery. Nonthermal, pulsed shortwave (radiofrequency) fields are a noninvasive treatment used as an adjunct analgesic and wound healing therapy. The devices may be placed by nursing staff in less than a minute, are relatively inexpensive and readily available, theoretically provide analgesia for nearly any anatomic location, and have no systemic side effects-patients cannot detect any sensations from the devices-or significant risks. Here we present a case series to demonstrate the use of pulsed, electromagnetic field devices for outpatient herniorrhaphy and breast surgery. CASE REPORT: Following moderately painful ambulatory umbilical (n = 3) and inguinal (n = 2) hernia repair as well as bilateral breast surgery (n = 2), patients had taped over their surgical incision(s) 1 or 2 noninvasive, wearable, disposable, pulsed shortwave therapy devices (RecoveryRx, BioElectronics Corporation, Frederick, Maryland) which functioned continuously for 30 days. Average resting pain scores measured on the 0-10 numeric rating scale were a median of 0 during the entire treatment period. Six patients avoided opioid use entirely, while the remaining individual required only 5 mg of oxycodone during the first postoperative day. CONCLUSIONS: These cases demonstrate that the ambulatory use of pulsed shortwave devices is feasible and may be an effective analgesic, possibly obviating opioid requirements following outpatient herniorrhaphy and breast surgery. Considering the lack of any side effects, adverse events, and misuse/dependence/diversion potential, further study with a randomized, controlled trial appears warranted.

The molecular impact of omega 3 fatty acids on hepatic pro-inflammatory cytokine signaling.

PURPOSE: Parenteral nutrition associated liver disease (PNALD) develops in a subset of children receiving parenteral nutrition for intestinal failure. Omegaven™ is an omega-3 fatty acid (Ω3FA) lipid emulsion high in docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) that can lessen PNALD. Inflammatory cytokines (IL-1, TNF-α, TGF-ß) are elevated in PNALD and can decrease paraoxonase 1 protein expression (PON1). We sought to determine the effect of Omegaven™, EPA, and DHA on inflammatory cytokines TNF-α, IL-1, and TGF-ß via ERK1/2 and p-Smad2/3 signaling pathways as well as the changes in intracellular PON1 protein expression as a potential mechanism explaining the protective effects of Omegaven™ and Ω3FA. METHODS: HepG2 cells were cultured with each cytokine and Omegaven™, or EPA and DHA, or Intralipid™. P-Smad2/3 and PON1 protein levels were measured by Western blotting. ERK1/2 signaling was studied using homogenous time resolved fluorescence. RESULTS: Omegaven™ decreased TGF-ß mediated Smad2/3 signaling by 30% (70% of control ±12, p<0.03). Omegaven™ decreased IL-1 and TNF-α mediated ERK1/2 signaling (0.49 fold ±0.09, p<0.05 and 0.22±0.05, p<0.05) compared to control. CONCLUSION: Our results describe potential mechanisms by which Omegaven™ and Ω3FA can be hepatoprotective in the setting of PNALD by abating inflammatory cytokine signaling.