Selective non-operative management for penetrating abdominal injury in a Dutch trauma centre

Selective Nonoperative Management of Abdominal Stab Wounds in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

BACKGROUND

Selective nonoperative management (SNOM) of abdominal stab wounds is a well-established approach to managing these injuries and has been practiced since the 1960s. This systematic review and meta-analysis provides an up-to-date analysis of the safety and feasibility of this management strategy in upper-middle-income, lower-middle-income, low-income, and least developed countries and describes evidence of how this management has evolved.

METHODS

Medline (via PubMed), Google Scholar, Scopus, Embase, the International Clinical Trials Registry, and Web of Science were searched for studies describing SNOM of abdominal stab wounds in patients ≥ 16 years old in upper-middle-income, lower-middle-income, low-income, and least developed countries. Study characteristics and method of SNOM (use of computed tomography scanning vs. serial examination only) were extracted. Pooled results for failure of SNOM, mortality, complications, and length of stay (LOS) were analyzed.

RESULTS

Twenty studies were selected containing 1505 patients initially managed nonoperatively with 245 ultimately requiring surgical intervention. The pooled risk of failure of SNOM was 0.14 (95% CI = 0.08-0.22). There was zero reported mortality in patients selected for SNOM. LOS was generally higher in patients undergoing primary operative management, and complications were also reported as being more frequent in primary operative management patients.

CONCLUSION

SNOM of abdominal stab wounds is a safe method of managing these injuries. Computed tomography is now commonly used to aid in decision-making about suitability for attempted SNOM in lower-resource settings.

A clinical observation algorithm for anterior abdominal stab wound is safe in an Australian setting

INTRODUCTION

We previously published the outcomes associated with the use of diagnostic laparoscopy to determine peritoneal breach for AASW patients without an immediate indication for laparotomy. Although this pathway was 100% sensitive there was a 54% non-therapeutic laparotomy rate. Another option that has been extensively reported is the clinical observation algorithm (COA) however, majority of the data originate from high-volume centres. We hypothesized that a COA would also be a safe option in an Australian setting, and reduce the rate of non-therapeutic operative intervention in managing AASW.

METHODS

This was a prospective cohort study examining patients with AASW admitted to a level 1 trauma centre in Sydney, Australia, between June 2021 and August 2023. Patient, injury, management and outcome data were collected from electronic medical records and the hospital trauma registry. Data were then analysed to determine the diagnostic accuracy of the COA, complication rates and median hospital length-of-stay (LOS).

RESULTS

A total of 48 patients presented with AASW. Of these patients, 11 (22.9%) proceeded to immediate laparotomy. Seven patients had a contraindication to COA and underwent diagnostic laparoscopy. Thirty patients were managed with the COA, with three (10%) patients subsequently requiring a laparotomy. Only one patient (3.3%) underwent a non-therapeutic laparotomy. There were no missed injuries. The COA sensitivity was 100%, specificity 92.7%, PPV 50% and NPV 100%. Patients managed with COA had no complications. Overall median hospital LOS was 1 day (1.0-2.3).

CONCLUSION

A COA is a safe approach for evaluating patients with AASW in an Australian setting with adequate resources. It reduces the rate of non-therapeutic operative intervention and has acceptable outcomes compared with a diagnostic laparoscopy pathway.

Patterns and outcomes of patients with abdominal injury: a multicenter study from Iran

BACKGROUND

Injury is one of the leading causes of death worldwide, and the abdomen is the most common area of trauma after the head and extremities. Abdominal injury is often divided into two categories: blunt and penetrating injuries. This study aims to determine the epidemiological and clinical characteristics of these two types of abdominal injuries in patients registered with the National Trauma Registry of Iran (NTRI).

METHODS

This multicenter cross-sectional study was conducted with data from the NTRI from July 24, 2016, to May 21, 2023. All abdominal trauma patients defined by the International Classification of Diseases; 10th Revision (ICD-10) codes were enrolled in this study. The inclusion criteria were one of the following: hospital length of stay (LOS) of more than 24 h, fatal injuries, and trauma patients transferred from the ICU of other hospitals.

RESULTS

Among 532 patients with abdominal injuries, 420 (78.9%) had a blunt injury, and 435 (81.7%) of the victims were men. The most injured organs in blunt trauma were the spleen, with 200 (47.6%) and the liver, with 171 (40.7%) cases, respectively. Also, the colon and small intestine, with 42 (37.5%) cases, had the highest number of injuries in penetrating injuries. Blood was transfused in 103 (23.5%) of blunt injured victims and 17 (15.2%) of penetrating traumas (p = 0.03). ICU admission was significantly varied between the two groups, with 266 (63.6%) patients in the blunt group and 47 (42%) in penetrating (p < 0.001). Negative laparotomies were 21 (28%) in penetrating trauma and only 11 (7.7%) in blunt group (p < 0.001). In the multiple logistic regression model after adjusting, ISS ≥ 16 increased the chance of ICU admission 3.13 times relative to the ISS 1-8 [OR: 3.13, 95% CI (1.56 to 6.28), P = 0.001]. Another predictor was NOM, which increased ICU chance 1.75 times more than OM [OR: 1.75, 95% CI (1.17 to 2.61), p = 0.006]. Additionally, GCS 3-8 had 5.43 times more ICU admission odds than the GCS 13-15 [OR:5.43, 95%CI (1.81 to 16.25), P = 0.002] respectively.

CONCLUSION

This study found that the liver and spleen are mostly damaged in blunt injuries. Also, in most cases of penetrating injuries, the colon and small intestine had the highest frequency of injuries compared to other organs. Blunt abdominal injuries caused more blood transfusions and ICU admissions. Higher ISS, lower GCS, and NOM were predictors of ICU admission in abdominal injury victims.

Outcomes of selective non-operative management in adults with abdominal gunshot wounds: a systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND AND AIMS

Abdominal gunshot wounds (GSWs), a clinically devastating injury, can result in a variety of severe and lethal complications. Traditionally, exploratory laparotomy is the first-line approach for the management of abdominal GSWs, but it is associated with a considerable amount of unnecessary surgeries. At present, selective non-operative management (SNOM) of abdominal GSWs is becoming an effective and well-recognized approach, but it remains widely disputed since many surgeons are skeptical about the validity of SNOM in clinical practice. This meta-analysis aims to estimate the outcomes of SNOM and immediate laparotomy in patients with GSWs by collecting the currently available evidence.

METHODS

The PubMed , EMBASE , and Cochrane Library databases were searched. A random-effects model was employed. A pooled proportion with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) was calculated. Heterogeneity was evaluated using Cochran's Q test and I2 statistics.

RESULTS

Overall, 53 studies involving 60 291 participants were included. The pooled proportions of SNOM and SNOM failure were 27.0% (95% CI=24.0-30.0%) and 10.0% (95% CI=7.0-13.0%), respectively. The pooled mortality after SNOM and SNOM failure were 0.0% (95% CI=0.0-1.0%) and 0.0% (95% CI=0.0-0.0%), respectively. The pooled proportions of immediate laparotomy and unnecessary immediate laparotomy were 73.0% (95% CI=70.0-76.0%) and 10.0% (95% CI=8.0-13.0%), respectively. The pooled mortality after immediate laparotomy and unnecessary immediate laparotomy was 10.0% (95% CI=8.0-13.0%) and 0.0% (95% CI=0.0-1.0%), respectively. Heterogeneity was statistically significant in nearly all meta-analyses.

CONCLUSION

Immediate laparotomy is still the mainstay approach for the management of abdominal GSWs. Approximately one-third of patients with abdominal GSWs undergo SNOM. SNOM failure is not frequent, and its related mortality is also rare.

Characteristics of fatal penetrating injury; data from a retrospective cohort study in three urban regions in the Netherlands

INTRODUCTION

Penetrating injury (PI) is a relatively rare mechanism of trauma in the Netherlands. Nevertheless, injuries can be severe with high morbidity and mortality rates. The aim of this study is to assess fatalities due to PI and evaluate the demographic parameters, mechanism of injury and the resulting injury patterns of this group of patients in three Dutch regions.

METHODS

Patients suffering fatal PI (stab- and gunshot injuries), in the period between July 1st 2013 and July 1st 2019, in the region of Amsterdam, Utrecht and The Hague were included. Data were collected from the electronic registration system (Formatus) of the regional departments of Forensic Medicine.

RESULTS

During the study period 283 patients died as the result of PI. The mean age was 44 years (SD 16.9), 83% was male and psychiatric history was reported in 22%. Over 60% of the injuries were due to assault and 35% was self-inflicted. Almost half of the incidents took place at home (47%). Injuries were most frequently to the head (24%) and chest (16%). Mortality was due to exsanguination (chest 27%, multiple body region's 17%, neck 9% and extremities 8%) and traumatic brain injury (21%). Up to 40% of the patients received medical treatment, surgical intervention was performed in 25%. The injuries to the extremities suggest a (potentially) preventable death rate of over 8%. Over 70% of the total population died at the scene.

CONCLUSION

Fatal PI most often involves the relatively young, male, and psychiatric patient. Self-inflicted fatal PI accounted for 35%, addressing the importance of suicide prevention programs. Identification of preventable deaths needs more awareness to reduce the number of fatal PI.

Rare penetrating abdominal injury caused by falling from height: Miraculously good prognosis

Fall from height causing penetrating abdominal visceral injuries is rare condition leading to abdominal multiorgan damage. It carries high mortality. A case of construction site worker sustaining penetrating visceral injuries by falling from height leading to impalement of steal bar from anus presented to our hospital and managed by timely evacuation from site of accident to hospital, resuscitations, radiological investigations and multi-Disciplinary team management lead to successful outcome. Our protocol for such cases will be discussed with references.

SELECTIVE NONOPERATIVE MANAGEMENT OF PENETRATING ABDOMINAL STAB WOUNDS: RETROSPECTIVE COHORT STUDY

Introduction: in modern conditions, the number of patients with penetrating abdominal wounds remains high. At present, in urgent surgical practice, the problem of developing a unified algorithm for the diagnosis and treatment of hemodynamically stable patients with penetrating abdominal stab wounds in order to reduce the number of «unnecessary» laparotomies/laparoscopies remains relevant.

Aim: improving the effectiveness of management of patients with penetrating stab wounds of the abdomen w, the creation and implementation of the Level I trauma centers of the nonoperative algorithm for this category of patients.

Materials and methods: a cohort retrospective study for the period from 2018 to 2021 included hemodynamically stable patients with penetrating stab wounds of the abdomen, who were treated at the N.V. Sklifosovsky, to which various surgical tactics were applied. Over a 3-year period, 96 patients were selected, of which 72.9% were men and 27.1% were women. The mean age was 33.6 ± 6.5 years. 34 (35.4%) patients were treated conservatively, exploratory laparotomy was performed in 22 (22.9%) patients, exploratory laparoscopy was performed in 40 (41.7%) patients. Results: the analysis of the data obtained during the study revealed a significant decrease in the number of intra- and postoperative complications, a decrease in the duration of hospital stay by using selective non operative management in hemodynamically stable patients.

Conclusion: a selective conservatism in hemodynamically stable patients are effective and allow avoiding «unnecessary» surgical interventions, reducing the level of disability and mortality.

25-Year experience with adult polytraumatized patients in a European level 1 trauma center: polytrauma between 1995 and 2019. What has changed? A retrospective cohort study

PURPOSE

To analyze the changes of the clinical characteristics, injury patterns, and mortality rates of polytraumatized patients within the past 25 years in a European Level I trauma center.

METHODS

953 consecutive polytraumatized patients treated at a single-level 1 trauma center between January 1995 and December 2019 were enrolled retrospectively. Polytrauma was defined as AIS ≥ 3 points in at least two different body regions. Retrospective data analysis on changes of clinical characteristics and mortality rates over time.

RESULTS

A significant increase of the average age by 2 years per year of the study could be seen with a significant increase of geriatric patients over time. No changes of the median Injury Severity Score (ISS) could be seen over time, whereas the ISS significantly decreased by patient's year. The rates of concomitant severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) remained constant over time, and did not increase with rising age of the patients. Although, the mortality rate remained constant over time the relative risk of overall in-hospital mortality increased by 1.7% and the relative risk of late-phase mortality increased by 2.2% per patient's year.

CONCLUSION

The number of polytraumatized patients remained constant over the 25-year study period. Also, the mortality rates remained stable over time, although a significant increase of the average age of polytraumatized patients could be seen with stable injury severity scores. Severe TBI and age beyond 65 years remained independent prognostic factors on the late-phase survival of polytraumatized patients.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

NCT04723992.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE

Prognostic study, level III.

Comparative Study between Operative and Conservative Management of Penetrating Anterior Abdominal Stab Injuries

Background: Presently, non-operative management of penetrating abdominal stab injuries has been standardized in several trauma centers. This strategy has appromising outcome conserving decreasing morbidity. Aim of the work: This study aimed to assess the safety and feasibility of SNOM of patients having penetrating abdominal stab injuries not indicating emergent laparotomy and  to identify a protocol for selection of patient candidates for non-operative management in a tertiary care hospital in Egypt. Patients & Methods: This is a prospective study that involved patients who presented to the casualty department of Kasr Elainy teaching Hospital, in the period from August 2018 to August 2020, for management of a penetrating abdominal Stab injuries. Fully conscious, haemodynimacally stable patients were included. Eligible patients were allocated to either SNOM group or immediate operative management (IOM) group. Results: SNOM group included64 patients and IOM group included 40 patients. The age of the patients ranged from 16 to 49 years with a mean of 33±6.8 years, and the majority were males (99%). SNOM failed in 4/69 patients (5.7%) who required delayed laparotomy for peritonitis (2 cases) and HB drop and haemodynamic instability (2 cases). In IOM group, only 3 cases had therapeutic laparotomies (7.3%). The remaining cases had unnecessary laparotomies (92.7%). Statistically significant higher LOS was seen in SNOM group (p<0.05). However, less unnecessary laparotomies and lower incidences of complications were noted (p<0.01). Conclusion: vital signs together with abdominal examination are the most important clinical criteria in decision making in penetrating abdominal stab injury patients  When surgery is not absolutely indicated, SNOM is a safe and feasible approach in management of penetrating abdominal stab injury by following proper management algorithm and selection criteria.

Multi-detector computed tomography in traumatic abdominal lesions: value and radiation control

Background, The context

A prospective study was conducted involving 81 patients (mean age, 20.79 years) with abdominal trauma who underwent ultrasonography and post-contrast CT on MDCT scanner. The total DLP for each patient was reviewed, and the effective dose was calculated. Purpose of the study to: explore the role of MDCT in assessing traumatic abdominal lesions, demonstrate radiation dose delivered by MDCT, and describe specific CT technical features to minimize radiation.

Results

The spleen was the most commonly injured organ (49.4%) followed by liver (39.5%) and kidney (24.7%). Pancreatic injury occurred in seven patients, whereas only two patients had intestinal injuries. One patient had adrenal injury. Minimal, mild and moderate free intra-peritoneal fluid collection was detected in 21 (25.9%), 47 (58%) and 10 (12.3%) patients, respectively. Only three (3.7%) patients had no collection. One patient had active uncontrolled bleeding and died. Radiation dose was below the detrimental level (calculated effective dose), with optimal image quality.

Conclusions

MDCT is sensitive to all types of traumatic abdominal lesions. Not only in determining the injury, but also in its grading. MDCT has affected the treatment directions, spotting a focus on conservative treatment by raising the diagnostic confidence. FAST cannot be the sole imaging modality. The individual radiation risk is small but real. Advancements in medical imaging reduce radiation risk.

Selective non-operative management of penetrating abdominal injuries at Northern European trauma centers: the NordiPen Study

PURPOSE

A selective nonoperative management (SNOM) of penetrating abdominal injuries (PAI) is a standard of care in numerous established trauma centers. However, available evidence supporting SNOM of PAI in European settings remains scarce. Thus, we performed a multi-center study at selected Northern European trauma centers to investigate the management and outcomes of PAI. We hypothesized that despite a low number of penetrating injuries in included trauma centers, SNOM is successfully utilized with outcomes comparable with trauma centers with a high number of PAI.

METHODS

All adult patients admitted to participating trauma centers in the Northern European region with PAI between 1/2015 and 12/2016 were retrospectively reviewed. Primary outcomes were mortality and success rate of SNOM.

RESULTS

Overall, 119 patients were included. Median age was 38 (28-47) years. SNOM was initiated in 55 patients (46.0%) with 94.5% success rate. Three patients (5.5%) failed SNOM and had a delayed laparotomy with one gastric injury, one small bowel injury and one patient with a bleeding from mesentery. Overall mortality of the cohort was 5.0%. However, all patients in the SNOM group survived. Higher median ISS, median Abbreviated Injury Scale score of the abdomen, rate of combined anterior and posterior wounds, rate of in-hospital complications and longer hospital length of stay were observed in the immediate laparotomy group compared to the SNOM group.

CONCLUSIONS

SNOM of PAI is a safe practice even in regions with a low prevalence of penetrating injuries. The outcomes in our study are comparable with results from trauma centers treating larger numbers of patients with PAI.