Fatal exsanguination following complete transection of femoral vessels due to angle grinder injury in an industrial accident

Angle grinders are one of the most dangerous and frequently used tools in industrial settings. Angle grinder injuries range from superficial cuts to deep penetrating injuries with underlying fracture-dislocation and vascular trauma. The injuries caused by angle grinders mostly involve the head, face, or upper limbs, while the lower limb is an unusual site. The high-speed rotating disc of the angle grinders does not respect anatomical boundaries or structures; therefore, the injuries caused may be disfiguring, permanently incapacitating, or even fatal. We report a fatal case of an angle grinder injury to the lower limb. The victim sustained a sharp cut over the left thigh while woodworking in an industrial setup. The rotating disc of an angle grinder had transected the skin, subcutaneous fat and muscles, and both the femoral vessels of the left side, which led to fatal exsanguination within 10 min of the incident.

Extra Peritoneal Packing for Exsanguinating Pelvic Hemorrhage: Should We Do It in the Emergency Department?

BACKGROUND

Extra peritoneal packing (EPP) is a quick and highly effective method to control pelvic hemorrhage.

OBJECTIVES

To determine whether EPP can be as safely and efficiently performed in the emergency department (ED) as in the operating room (OR).

METHODS

Retrospective study of 29 patients who underwent EPP in the ED or OR in two trauma centers in Israel 2008-2018.

RESULTS

Our study included 29 patients, 13 in the ED-EPP group and 16 in the OR-EPP group. The mean injury severity score (ISS) was 34.9 ± 11.8. Following EPP, hemodynamic stability was successfully achieved in 25 of 29 patients (86.2%). A raise in the mean arterial pressure (MAP) with a median of 25 mmHg (mean 30.0 ± 27.5, P < 0.001) was documented. All patients who did not achieve hemodynamic stability after EPP had multiple sources of bleeding or fatal head injury and eventually succumbed. Patients who underwent EPP in the ED showed higher change in MAP (P = 0.0458). The overall mortality rate was 27.5% (8/29) with no difference between the OR and ED-EPP. No differences were found between ED and OR-EPP in the amount of transfused blood products, surgical site infections, and length of stay in the hospital. However, patients who underwent ED-EPP were more prone to develop deep vein thrombosis (DVT): 50% (5/10) vs. 9% (1/11) in ED and OR-EPP groups respectively (P = 0.038).

CONCLUSIONS

EPP is equally effective when performed in the ED or OR with similar surgical site infection rates but higher incidence of DVT.

Tourniquet use for civilian extremity hemorrhage: systematic review of the literature

INTRODUCTION

extremity tourniquet (TQ) use has increased in the civilian setting; the beneficial results observed in the military has influenced acceptance by EMS and bystanders. This review aimed to analyze extremity TQ types used in the civilian setting, injury site, indications, and complications.

METHODS

a systematic review was conducted based on original articles published in PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane following PRISMA guidelines from 2010 to 2019. Data extraction focused on extremity TQ use for hemorrhage control in the civilian setting, demographic data, study type and duration, mechanism of injury, indications for use, injury site, TQ type, TQ time, and complications.

RESULTS

of the 1384 articles identified, 14 were selected for review with a total of 3912 civilian victims with extremity hemorrhage and 3522 extremity TQ placements analyzed. The majority of TQs were applied to male (79%) patients, with blunt or penetrating trauma. Among the indications for TQ use were hemorrhagic shock, suspicion of vascular injuries, continued bleeding, and partial or complete traumatic amputations. Upper extremity application was the most common TQ application site (56%), nearly all applied to a single extremity (99%), and only 0,6% required both upper and lower extremity applications. 80% of the applied TQs were commercial devices, and 20% improvised.

CONCLUSIONS

TQ use in the civilian setting is associated with trauma-related injuries. Most are single-site TQs applied for the most part to male adults with upper extremity injury. Commercial TQs are more commonly employed, time in an urban setting is under 1 hour, with few complications described.

Increased reduction in exsanguination rates leaves brain injury as the only major cause of death in blunt trauma

INTRODUCTION

Central nervous system (CNS) related injuries and exsanguination have been the most common causes of death in trauma for decades. Despite improvements in haemorrhage control in recent years exsanguination is still a major cause of death. We conducted a prospective database study to investigate the current incidence of haemorrhage related mortality.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A prospective database study of all trauma patients admitted to an urban major trauma centre between January 2007 and December 2016 was conducted. All in-hospital trauma deaths were included. Cause of death was reviewed by a panel of trauma surgeons. Patients who were dead on arrival were excluded. Trends in demographics and outcome were analysed per year. Further, 2 time periods (2007-2012 and 2013-2016) were selected representing periods before and after implementation of haemostatic resuscitation and damage control procedures in our hospital to analyse cause of death into detail.

RESULTS

11,553 trauma patients were admitted, 596 patients (5.2%) died. Mean age of deceased patients was 61 years and 61% were male. Mechanism of injury (MOI) was blunt in 98% of cases. Mean ISS was 28 with head injury the most predominant injury (mean AIS head 3.4). There was no statistically significant difference in sex and MOI over time. Even though deceased patients were older in 2016 compared to 2007 (67 vs. 46 years, p < 0.001), mortality was lower in later years (p = 0.02). CNS related injury was the main cause of death in the whole decade; 58% of patients died of CNS in 2007-2012 compared to 76% of patients in 2013-2016 (p = 0.001). In 2007-2012 9% died of exsanguination compared to 3% in 2013-2016 (p = 0.001).

DISCUSSION

In this cohort in a major trauma centre death by exsanguination has decreased to 3% of trauma deaths. The proportion of traumatic brain injury has increased over time and has become the most common cause of death in blunt trauma. Besides on-going prevention of brain injury future studies should focus on treatment strategies preventing secondary damage of the brain once the injury has occurred.

Accuracy of shock index versus ABC score to predict need for massive transfusion in trauma patients

BACKGROUND

Various scoring systems have been developed to predict need for massive transfusion in traumatically injured patients. Assessments of Blood Consumption (ABC) score and Shock Index (SI) have been shown to be reliable predictors for Massive Transfusion Protocol (MTP) activation. However, no study has directly compared these two scoring systems to determine which is a better predictor for MTP activation. The primary objective was to determine whether ABC or SI better predicted the need for MTP in adult trauma patients with severe hemorrhage.

METHODS

This was a retrospective cohort study which included all injured patients who were trauma activations between January 1, 2009 and December 31, 2013 at an urban Level I trauma center. Patients <18 years old or with traumatic brain injury (TBI) were excluded. ABC and SI were calculated for each patient. MTP was defined as need for >10 units PRBC transfusion within 24h of emergency department arrival. Sensitivity, specificity, and area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC) were used to evaluate scoring systems' ability to predict effective MTP utilization.

RESULTS

A total of 645 patients had complete data for analysis. Shock Index ≥1 had sensitivity of 67.7% (95% CI 49.5%-82.6%) and specificity of 81.3% (95% CI 78.0%-84.3%) for predicting MTP, and ABC score ≥2 had sensitivity of 47.0% (95% CI 29.8%-64.9%) and specificity of 89.8% (95% CI 87.2%-92.1%). AUROC analyses showed SI to be the strongest predictor followed by ABC score with AUROC values of 0.83 and 0.74, respectively. SI had a significantly greater sensitivity (P=0.035), but a significantly weaker specificity (P<0.001) compared to ABC score.

CONCLUSION

ABC score and Shock Index can both be used to predict need for massive transfusion in trauma patients, however SI is more sensitive and requires less technical skill than ABC score.

Transfusion of plasma, platelets, and red blood cells in a 1:1:1 vs a 1:1:2 ratio and mortality in patients with severe trauma: the PROPPR randomized clinical trial

IMPORTANCE

Severely injured patients experiencing hemorrhagic shock often require massive transfusion. Earlier transfusion with higher blood product ratios (plasma, platelets, and red blood cells), defined as damage control resuscitation, has been associated with improved outcomes; however, there have been no large multicenter clinical trials.

OBJECTIVE

To determine the effectiveness and safety of transfusing patients with severe trauma and major bleeding using plasma, platelets, and red blood cells in a 1:1:1 ratio compared with a 1:1:2 ratio.

DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS

Pragmatic, phase 3, multisite, randomized clinical trial of 680 severely injured patients who arrived at 1 of 12 level I trauma centers in North America directly from the scene and were predicted to require massive transfusion between August 2012 and December 2013.

INTERVENTIONS

Blood product ratios of 1:1:1 (338 patients) vs 1:1:2 (342 patients) during active resuscitation in addition to all local standard-of-care interventions (uncontrolled).

MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES

Primary outcomes were 24-hour and 30-day all-cause mortality. Prespecified ancillary outcomes included time to hemostasis, blood product volumes transfused, complications, incidence of surgical procedures, and functional status.

RESULTS

No significant differences were detected in mortality at 24 hours (12.7% in 1:1:1 group vs 17.0% in 1:1:2 group; difference, -4.2% [95% CI, -9.6% to 1.1%]; P = .12) or at 30 days (22.4% vs 26.1%, respectively; difference, -3.7% [95% CI, -10.2% to 2.7%]; P = .26). Exsanguination, which was the predominant cause of death within the first 24 hours, was significantly decreased in the 1:1:1 group (9.2% vs 14.6% in 1:1:2 group; difference, -5.4% [95% CI, -10.4% to -0.5%]; P = .03). More patients in the 1:1:1 group achieved hemostasis than in the 1:1:2 group (86% vs 78%, respectively; P = .006). Despite the 1:1:1 group receiving more plasma (median of 7 U vs 5 U, P < .001) and platelets (12 U vs 6 U, P < .001) and similar amounts of red blood cells (9 U) over the first 24 hours, no differences between the 2 groups were found for the 23 prespecified complications, including acute respiratory distress syndrome, multiple organ failure, venous thromboembolism, sepsis, and transfusion-related complications.

CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE

Among patients with severe trauma and major bleeding, early administration of plasma, platelets, and red blood cells in a 1:1:1 ratio compared with a 1:1:2 ratio did not result in significant differences in mortality at 24 hours or at 30 days. However, more patients in the 1:1:1 group achieved hemostasis and fewer experienced death due to exsanguination by 24 hours. Even though there was an increased use of plasma and platelets transfused in the 1:1:1 group, no other safety differences were identified between the 2 groups.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT01545232.

Damage control surgery and open abdomen in trauma patients with exsanguinating bleeding

Acute coagulopathy with exsanguinating bleeding occurs in 2-5% of all trauma cases carrying mortality rate near 100% after conventional management. In the last few decades, the development of damage control surgery (DCS) in combination with the technique of open abdomen led to significantly improved survival among these patients.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

A descriptive study based on a retrospective analysis of 12 consecutive blast victims with exsanguinating bleeding underwent DCS and open abdomen management. All patients were soldiers injured during their deployment in Iraq and Afghanistan during 2002-2007, treated by our deployed surgical teams. Vacuum Assisted Closure (V.A.C., KCI) and vacuum pack (VP) was used for a temporary closure of abdomen. A cumulative analysis of all relevant series used these methods during the period 2000-2013 was performed.

RESULTS

DCS was applied in 12 of 114 consecutive blast victims (10.5%) with survival rate 66.7% (8/12). Eleven had open abdomen with temporary closure with V.A.C. in 6 and VP in 5. Four patients died before the definitive closure (36.4%). The survivors (n = 8) were with a mean age 28.5 years, suffered from a critical trauma with a mean Injury Severity Score 35.5. V.A.C was used in 4 of them, VP in 3. Primary closure of abdomen was achieved in 6 (85.7%) within 3.5 days and mean 1.3 dressing changes. Due to ACS, the abdomen was closed through skin suture only and a creation of planned ventral hernia in 1 patient treated with VP (1/7, 14.3%). Wound infection was observed in 1 case (14.3%).

CONCLUSION

Despite the small sample size, our series clearly demonstrate the benefits of DCS and open abdomen in trauma patients with exsangiunating bleeding. The survival rate is highly dependent on the rapid implementation of DCS in properly selected patients. V.A.C. and VP provide a high rate of primary fascial closure in trauma.

Development of a lethal, closed-abdomen, arterial hemorrhage model in noncoagulopathic swine

BACKGROUND

Prehospital treatment for noncompressible abdominal bleeding, particularly due to large vascular injury, represents a significant unmet medical need on the battlefield and in civilian trauma. To date, few large animal models are available to assess new therapeutic interventions and hemostatic agents for prehospital hemorrhage control.

METHODS

We developed a novel, lethal, closed-abdomen injury model in noncoagulopathic swine by strategic placement of a cutting wire around the external iliac artery. The wire was externalized, such that percutaneous distraction would result in vessel transection leading to severe uncontrolled abdominal hemorrhage. Resuscitation boluses were administered at 5 and 12 min.

RESULTS

We demonstrated 86% mortality (12/14 animals) at 60 min, with a median survival time of 32 min. The injury resulted in rapid and massive hypotension and exsanguinating blood loss. The noncoagulopathic animal model incorporated clinically significant resuscitation and ventilation protocols based on best evidenced-based prehospital practices.

CONCLUSION

A new injury model is presented that enables screening of prehospital interventions designed to control noncompressible arterial hemorrhage.

Early death and late morbidity after blood transfusion of injured children: a pilot study

BACKGROUND/PURPOSE

Early postinjury death after packed red blood cell (pRBC) transfusion is attributed to uncontrolled hemorrhage and coagulopathy. The adverse immunomodulatory effects of blood transfusion are implicated in subsequent morbidity. We hypothesized that injured children requiring pRBC transfusion demonstrate patterns in outcome similar to those observed in adults.

METHODS

Our prospectively collected trauma registry was queried for demographics, treatment, and outcome (2006-2009). Outcomes of children who received pRBC transfusion were compared with those of age- and Injury Severity Score (ISS)-matched children who did not receive pRBC transfusion by both univariate and multivariable analysis.

RESULTS

Eight percent (43/512) of injured children received a pRBC transfusion: 20 early and 23 late. The likelihood of pRBC transfusion increased with increasing ISS (ISS <15, 2%; ISS 16-25, 17%; ISS >25, 72%). One-half of injured children who received an early pRBC transfusion died; however, most deaths were because of central nervous system injury. Both ventilator and intensive care unit days were increased in children who received pRBC transfusion as compared with those who did not.

CONCLUSION

Early pRBC transfusion is associated with a high mortality in children. Late blood transfusion is associated with worse outcomes, although this relationship may not be causal. This pilot study provides evidence of an association between pRBC transfusion, morbidity, and mortality among injured children that warrants refinement in larger, prospective investigations.

[A surgical alternative for placenta accreta]

The placenta accreta is the second leading cause of obstetric hemorrhage in the world. In many occasions it is necessary to make an obstetric hysterectomy, a circumstance that increases morbidity, and maternal mortality. Communicates a surgical alternative to hysterectomy obstetric that has enabled us to reduce until the time to zero our rate of maternal deaths by obstetric hemorrhage, in addition to reducing the surgical time and the associated morbidity, without changing the perinatal outcome.