1/56. The abdominal compartment syndrome: a report of 3 cases including instance of endocrine induction.Three patients with the abdominal compartment syndrome are presented and discussed. In one of the patients the condition was induced in an endocrine fashion, since trauma was sustained exclusively by the middle third of the left leg. The development of the syndrome as a remote effect of local trauma has never been reported previously. In all three instances only insignificant amounts of intraperitoneal fluid was found and the increase in abdominal pressure was due to severe edema of the mesentery and retroperitoneum. Since the condition is highly lethal, early diagnosis is imperative, and this starts by carrying a high index of suspicion. Measurement of the intraperitoneal pressure easily confirms this diagnosis. It is emphasized that measurements at various sites, like bladder and stomach, in each patient is essential to confirm the diagnosis, since one of the sites may be rendered unreliable due to intraperitoneal processes impinging on the affected site and affecting its distensibility.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = pressure (Clic here for more details about this article) |
2/56. Tension pneumoperitoneum caused by blunt trauma.Tension pneumoperitoneum (TPP), the accumulation of free intraabdominal air under pressure, is a rare event. TPP usually occurs from bowel surgery or bowel perforations. Less commonly, TPP occurs in the presence of pneumothoraces or during positive pressure ventilation. Trauma has rarely been a reported cause of TPP. The cases of 2 patients with TPP after blunt trauma are reported. The pathophysiology and management of TPP are discussed.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = pressure (Clic here for more details about this article) |
3/56. Petechiae of the baby's skin as differentiation symptom of infanticide versus SIDS.The successive killing of three siblings by their biological mother at two-year intervals is described. The children were 367 days, 75 days and 3 years old. Although sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) or interstitial pneumonia could not be ruled out as the cause of death in the two younger children, who were killed first, the third child exhibited discrete signs of violence in the mouth and throat area which were interpreted as proof of infanticide. All three children had petechiae of the skin of the face and throat, the upper thorax, the shoulders and the mucous membranes of the mouth. None of the children exhibited signs of a disease-related hemorrhagic tendency. After the mother was convicted of murdering the three-year-old boy by smothering in combination with compression of the thorax, she confessed to having killed the other two children in a similar manner. In the absence of hemostatic disease, the presence of petechiae of the skin extending over the entire drainage area of the Vena cava superior can be regarded as evidence of an increase in pressure in the thoracic cavity secondary to obstruction of the airways with simultaneous chest compression.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 0.5keywords = pressure (Clic here for more details about this article) |
4/56. Fatal air embolism during thoracotomy for gunshot injury to the lung. Report of a case.Fatal coronary air embolism occurred during thoracotomy in a patient with a gunshot wound involving the hilum of the right lung. embolism was observed during a second period of failure of heart action. Evidently, air entered the pulmonary veins from the bronchus, which was receiving positive-pressure ventilation. The literature contains reports of only 3 similar cases, but we suspect that air embolism may be responsible for death and morbidity in additional cases in which accidental or iatrogenic lung trauma has produced a pathway between the bronchial tree and the pulmonary veins.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 0.5keywords = pressure (Clic here for more details about this article) |
5/56. Non-invasive positive pressure ventilation for severe thoracic trauma.A 35-year-old man was admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) following a road traffic accident. He had sustained severe trauma to the left side of his chest, as well as other musculoskeletal injuries. After a short initial period of ventilation of the lungs via a tracheal tube, he was managed using a combination of continuous positive airway pressure and non-invasive positive pressure ventilation. He avoided ventilator-associated pneumonia, and spent a large part of his time on the ICU without any invasive monitoring lines, another potential focus of infection. He was discharged from the ICU after 25 days without having suffered any septic complications. The role of non-invasive positive pressure ventilation in severe thoracic trauma is discussed.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 3.5keywords = pressure (Clic here for more details about this article) |
6/56. Blunt chest trauma with deep pulmonary laceration.BACKGROUND: Deep pulmonary laceration (DPL) is rare and its survival rate is low. The present study focused on the prognostic factors of DPL. methods: The present study concerned 17 DPL patients treated in Tokai University Hospital between 1988 and 1998. The prognostic factors of DPL were compared with systolic blood pressure (SBP), PaO2, and the volume of intrathoracic blood loss. Characteristic findings of initial chest roentgenograms of DPL were investigated. RESULTS: Eleven patients were saved and 6 patients died. An SBP of less than 80 mm Hg on arrival at the hospital and a blood loss of more than 1,000 mL through the chest tube within 2 hours after arrival were poor prognostic factors. Hypoxemia on arrival was not a poor prognostic factor. Chest roentgenograms showed macular infiltrative shadow with moderate lung collapse and deviation of the mediastinal shadow toward the unaffected side. Selective bronchial occlusion with a Univent prevented suffocation by intrabronchial blood. CONCLUSIONS: Two poor prognostic factors of DPL are SBP less than 80 mm Hg on arrival and blood loss of more than 1,000 mL through the chest tube within 2 hours after arrival.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 0.5keywords = pressure (Clic here for more details about this article) |
7/56. vacuum-assisted closure in the treatment of a 9-year-old child with severe and multiple dog bite injuries of the thorax.The vacuum-assisted closure (VAC; KCI International, San Antonio, TX) device is a negative pressure dressing, which we have used in the treatment of wounds with devitalized or infected tissues. Although introduced in plastic and reconstructive surgery, its use has extended to orthopedic and cardiothoracic surgical practice in the treatment of infected joint replacement and sternal wound infections, respectively. Although the VAC is becoming more widely used in surgical practice, only a small number of case reports exist in addition to the original case series by Argenta and Morykwas in 1997. Previously, the device was described in treating single wounds in adult patients. We report a case where it was successfully used to treat multiple dog bite injuries in a 9-year-old child.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 0.5keywords = pressure (Clic here for more details about this article) |
8/56. Blunt chest trauma: a right pulmonary vein rupture.This report describes the case of a 37-year-old man who fell from 6 m height and presented an isolated rupture of the right pulmonary vein. The patient had a low blood pressure without any sign of intrathoracic injury. An echocardiogram revealed a tamponade with hemodynamic intolerance. The repair was made using cardiopulmonary bypass which made the inspection and total repair of the lesions easier. This case is unusual because of the isolated lesion and the few articles about similar reports founded in an extended literature review. Mechanisms and generation of blunt chest trauma lesions are discussed.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 0.5keywords = pressure (Clic here for more details about this article) |
9/56. Systemic air embolism after intercostal chest drain insertion and positive pressure ventilation in chest trauma.Systemic air embolism is a potentially lethal often unrecognised complication of severe chest trauma. We present a case of delayed diagnosis of cerebral air embolism in a patient with severe thoracic trauma. The initiation of positive pressure ventilation, systemic hypotension, intraparenchymal chest drains and aerial transfer to an intensive care unit were all factors contributing to the development of systemic air embolism. The common clinical features, diagnostic tests and management of systemic air emboli are discussed.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 2.5keywords = pressure (Clic here for more details about this article) |
10/56. Orbital compartment syndrome mimicking cerebral herniation in a 12-yr-old boy with severe traumatic asphyxia.OBJECTIVE: To report a case of orbital compartment syndrome mimicking cerebral herniation in a boy with severe traumatic asphyxia. DESIGN: Case report. SETTING: A tertiary-care pediatric intensive care unit. SUBJECT: A 12-yr-old boy with traumatic asphyxia syndrome. INTERVENTION: Mechanical ventilation, chest tube drainage, nitric oxide, lateral canthotomies, intracranial pressure monitoring. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: A patient is presented with severe traumatic asphyxia syndrome complicated by prolonged hypoxemia, massive capillary leak syndrome, and acute onset of pupillary dilation and loss of reactivity to light. Ophthalmologic examination confirmed bilateral orbital compartment syndrome, which was treated emergently with bilateral canthotomies at the bedside. The procedure was followed by prompt return of pupillary size and function and decrease in intraocular pressure. The patient experienced complete recovery of vision in the right eye, but vision in the left eye was severely impaired. CONCLUSIONS: Our case report emphasizes the importance of considering orbital compartment syndrome in patients with traumatic asphyxia syndrome. Recognition of orbital compartment syndrome is important in this setting because prompt operative intervention may reduce the likelihood of permanent vision loss.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = pressure (Clic here for more details about this article) |
| | Next -> |