A Non-Fatal Impalement Injury to the Right Thorax: A Case Report

Impalement injuries secondary to motor vehicle collisions are rare. Reviewing the systematic approach to treating these injuries can benefit the surgical community. This case report discusses the presentation and management of a 32-year-old male who was involved in a high-speed, roll-over motor vehicle collision. The car struck a chain-link fence, and the unrestrained passenger sustained a fence post impalement injury to his right thorax. He was alert and oriented when emergency services arrived. He was extricated rapidly and transported to our level-one trauma center, where he received definitive operative management. The patient survived the injury and was discharged home. This case highlights key points in the systematic approach to impalement injuries, including minimal handling of the impaled object, expedient transfer to the local trauma center, emergent operative intervention, vascular control prior to removal of the foreign object, and aggressive irrigation and debridement of the wound.

[Transanal evisceration of small bowel caused by impalement in children: about a case]

L'éviscération transanale de l'intestin grêle par empalement est exceptionnelle chez l'enfant. Nous rapportons l'observation d'un adolescent de 11 ans reçu à 2 heures d'une issue des anses grêles à travers l'anus suite à une chute avec réception sur un morceau de bois pointu. L'examen clinique avait objectivé un bon état général, une issue, par l'anus, d'environ 25 cm d'intestin grêle viable et un abdomen sensible dans son ensemble. Le bilan biologique préopératoire était normal et aucune imagerie n'était réalisée. Après une réanimation, l'exploration chirurgicale avait mis en évidence un liquide séro-hématique (300 ml) et une issue d'environ 60 cm d'anse grêle inflammatoire à travers une brèche d'environ 5 cm de la paroi antérieure du rectum. Une réduction des anses grêles éviscérées par traction douce, une réparation de la paroi rectale par des points séparés, une toilette et un drainage ont été réalisés. Le patient était sous antibiotique à large spectre. Les suites opératoires étaient simples avec une reprise du transit à J2 post-opératoire. La sortie a été autorisée à J7 post opératoire. Après un recul d'un mois, la patiente a été revue en consultation et l'examen clinique était normal.

Gluteal, abdominal, and thoracic multiple impalement injuries: A case report on management of a complex polytrauma

RATIONALE

Historically, traumatic injuries include penetrating and blunt lesions. Impalement injury represents one of the rarest and potentially dramatic forms of penetrating trauma. If patient reaches hospital alive and is hemodynamically stable, there is a good chance that patient overcomes the traumatic event. However, non-removal of foreign body represents the cornerstone in initial treatment of this type of patients.

PATIENT CONCERNS

A stable 55-year-old woman was admitted to the Emergency Department after falling out of a tree onto a wooden fence. One fence pole transfixed left gluteus, left abdominal wall, left abdominal cavity, and left thoracic wall by transdiaphragmatic way.

DIAGNOSIS

Due to patient stability, a chest-abdomen CT scan with contrast medium was performed. It showed multiple parietal and visceral traumatic penetrating injuries from a foreign object.

INTERVENTIONS

After primary and secondary advanced trauma life support (ATLS) assessment, patient underwent successful surgery.

OUTCOMES

Patient was discharged on 9th postoperative day in good general clinical condition.

LESSONS

Impalement injury represents a rare and potentially lethal traumatic event. Unstable patients rarely reach Emergency Department alive. On the contrary, stable patients have a good chance of successful treatment, if they are quickly taken to tertiary Trauma Center. In this case, chest X-ray and Focused Assessment with Sonography for Trauma (FAST) represent useful diagnosing investigations, although CT scan remains gold standard. Conservative treatment is not possible, while thoracoscopy/laparoscopy/laparotomy is/are mandatory.

Metal Railing Fences and Accidental Death

Two cases of accidental deaths caused by the sharp ends of fence or gate posts are reported. Case 1: A 47-year-old man was found hanging by his ankle in an inverted position on fencing. He had attempted a shortcut to a railway platform by climbing over a metal rail fence. He had slipped and been impaled through his ankle by the sharp end of the fence post, resulting in death from positional asphyxia. Case 2: An 18-year-old male slipped while climbing over a gate and died after being impaled on a spear tip finial, which had lacerated his external iliac vein. Death was due to exsanguination. These cases demonstrate two rare examples of accidental deaths from impalement by the ends of sharp fence posts. Mechanisms of death in such circumstances involve suspension with positional asphyxia and vascular injury with exsanguination.

Impalement of an unusual foreign body on the temporomandibular joint causing severe trismus

A penetrating injury by a foreign body is comparatively common in the oral and maxillofacial region. On the other hand, injury to the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) by a foreign object is very rare. The TMJ is an anatomically narrow space surrounded by hard bony processes. An unusual case of trauma with severe trismus caused by a foreign body that impaled the TMJ is reported. A 55-year-old man presented with a 5 × 1-cm laceration to the right cheek caused by a flying object propelled during the use of a lawn mower. The edge of the foreign body had a metallic wire, which became imbedded in the wound. His jaw opening was severely limited. Computed tomography revealed that the foreign body was 3 mm in diameter and was impaled on the articular capsule. The object was successfully removed, and the wound and interior of the TMJ were irrigated. Rehabilitation of mouth opening was started on postoperative day 3. On day 9, mouth opening had improved to 35 mm, and he was discharged. After 1 year, mouth opening was 45 mm with no sign of any TMJ disorders.

A conservative approach in a child with haematuria after accidental rectal impalement trauma

We present a case of an 11-year-old boy with haematuria after traumatic rectal insertion of a sharp metal stick. It demonstrates that an expectative management with close observation can be considered in patients with rectal impalement trauma presenting with haematuria and stable vital parameters without significant injury on abdominal ultrasound.

A toothbrush impalement injury of the floor of mouth in autism child

Penetrating injuries in the oral cavity are common in children. However, penetrating injuries with retained foreign bodies are rare. We report a case of a toothbrush impalement injury of the floor of the mouth in a child with autism. A 5-year-old boy with autism presented with an accidentally impaled toothbrush in the oral cavity. He was taken to the operation room and examined under general anesthesia. The handle of the toothbrush was cut off using rib scissors for mask ventilation, and intra-oral intubation was performed. The toothbrush was located approximately 2.5 cm into the floor of the mouth. The toothbrush was removed uneventfully. Intravenous antibiotic therapy was instituted during hospitalization, and discharge from the hospital occurred 4 days after the operation.