scholarly journals Damage control in the emergency department, a bridge to life

2021 ◽  
Vol 52 (2) ◽  
pp. e4004801
Author(s):  
Laureano Quintero ◽  
Juan Jose Melendez-Lugo ◽  
Helmer Emilio Palacios-Rodríguez ◽  
Natalia Padilla ◽  
Luis Fernando Pino ◽  
...  

Patients with hemodynamic instability have a sustained systolic blood pressure less or equal to 90 mmHg, a heart rate greater or equal to 120 beats per minute and an acute compromise of the ventilation/oxygenation ratio and/or an altered state of consciousness upon admission. These patients have higher mortality rates due to massive hemorrhage, airway injury and/or impaired ventilation. Damage control resuscitation is a systematic approach that aims to limit physiologic deterioration through a group of strategies that address the physiologic debt of trauma. This article aims to describe the experience earned by the Trauma and Emergency Surgery Group (CTE) of Cali, Colombia in the management of the severely injured trauma patient in the emergency department following the basic principles of damage control surgery. Since bleeding is the main cause of death, the management of the severely injured trauma patient in the emergency department requires a multidisciplinary team, which should perform damage control maneuvers aimed at rapidly control bleeding, hemostatic resuscitation and/or prompt transfer to the operating room, if required.

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carlos Alberto Ordoñez ◽  
Michael Parra ◽  
Jose Julian Serna ◽  
Fernando Rodriguez ◽  
Alberto Garcia ◽  
...  

Damage Control Resuscitation (DCR) seeks to combat metabolic decompensation of the severely injured trauma patient by battling on three major fronts: Permissive Hypotension, Hemostatic Resuscitation, and Damage Control Surgery (DCS). The aim of this article is to perform a review of the history of DCR/DCS and to propose a new paradigm that has emerged from the recent advancements in endovascular technology: The Resuscitative Balloon Occlusion of the Aorta (REBOA). Thanks to the advances in technology, a bridge has been created between Pre-hospital Management and the Control of Bleeding described in Stage I of DCS which is the inclusion and placement of a REBOA. We have been able to show that REBOA is not only a tool that aids in the control of hemorrhage, it is also a vital tool in the hemodynamic resuscitation of a severely injured blunt and/or penetrating trauma patient. That is why we propose a new paradigm “The Fourth Pillar”: Permissive Hypotension, Hemostatic Resuscitation, Damage Control Surgery and REBOA.


2011 ◽  
Vol 366 (1562) ◽  
pp. 192-203 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark J. Midwinter ◽  
Tom Woolley

Developments in the resuscitation of the severely injured trauma patient in the last decade have been through the increased understanding of the early pathophysiological consequences of injury together with some observations and experiences of recent casualties of conflict. In particular, the recognition of early derangements of haemostasis with hypocoagulopathy being associated with increased mortality and morbidity and the prime importance of tissue hypoperfusion as a central driver to this process in this population of patients has led to new resuscitation strategies. These strategies have focused on haemostatic resuscitation and the development of the ideas of damage control resuscitation and damage control surgery continuum. This in turn has led to a requirement to be able to more closely monitor the physiological status, of major trauma patients, including their coagulation status, and react in an anticipatory fashion.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carlos Alberto Ordoñez ◽  
Michael Parra ◽  
Alfonso Holguín ◽  
Carlos Garcia ◽  
Monica Guzmán-Rodríguez ◽  
...  

Trauma is a complex pathology that requires an experienced multidisciplinary team with an inherent quick decision-making capacity, given that a few minutes could represent a matter of life or death. These management decisions not only need to be quick but also accurate to be able to prioritize and to efficiently control the injuries that may be causing impending hemodynamic collapse. In essence, this is the cornerstone of the concept of Damage Control Trauma Care. With current technological advances, physicians have at their disposition multiple diagnostic imaging tools that can aid in this prompt decision-making algorithm. This manuscript aims to perform a literature review on this subject and to share the experience on the use of Whole Body Computed Tomography as a potentially safe, effective, and efficient diagnostic tool in cases of severely injured trauma patients regardless of their hemodynamic status. Our general recommendation is that, when feasible, perform a Whole-Body Computed Tomography without interrupting ongoing hemostatic resuscitation in cases of severely injured trauma patients with or without signs of hemodynamic instability. The use of this technology will aid in the decision-making of the best surgical approach for these patients without incurring any delay in definitive management and/or increasing significantly their radiation exposure.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carlos Alberto Ordoñez ◽  
Michael Parra ◽  
Yaset Caicedo ◽  
Natalia Padilla ◽  
Fernando Rodriguez ◽  
...  

Noncompressible torso hemorrhage is one of the leading causes of preventable death worldwide. An efficient and appropriate evaluation of the trauma patient with ongoing hemorrhage is essential to avoid the development of the lethal diamond (hypothermia, coagulopathy, hypocalcemia, and acidosis). Currently, the initial management strategies include permissive hypotension, hemostatic resuscitation, and damage control surgery. However, recent advances in technology have opened the doors to a wide variety of endovascular techniques that achieve these goals with minimal morbidity and limited access. An example of such advances has been the introduction of the Resuscitative Endovascular Balloon Occlusion of the Aorta (REBOA), which has received great interest among trauma surgeons around the world due to its potential and versatility in areas such as trauma, gynecology & obstetrics and gastroenterology. This article aims to describe the experience earned in the use of REBOA in noncompressible torso hemorrhage patients. Our results show that REBOA can be used as a new component in the damage control resuscitation of the severely injured trauma patient. To this end, we propose two new deployment algorithms for hemodynamically unstable noncompressible torso hemorrhage patients: one for blunt and another for penetrating trauma. We acknowledge that REBOA has its limitations, which include a steep learning curve, its inherent cost and availability. Although to reach the best outcomes with this new technology, it must be used in the right way, by the right surgeon with the right training and to the right patient.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carlos Alberto Ordoñez ◽  
Michael Parra ◽  
Mauricio Millan ◽  
Yaset Caicedo ◽  
Monica Guzman ◽  
...  

The liver is the most commonly affected solid organ in cases of abdominal trauma. Management of penetrating liver trauma is a challenge for surgeons but with the introduction of the concept of damage control surgery accompanied by significant technological advancements in radiologic imaging and endovascular techniques, the focus on treatment has changed significantly. The use of immediately accessible computed tomography as an integral tool for trauma evaluations for the precise staging of liver trauma has significantly increased the incidence of conservative non-operative management in hemodynamically stable trauma victims with liver injuries. However, complex liver injuries accompanied by hemodynamic instability are still associated with high mortality rates due to ongoing hemorrhage. The aim of this article is to perform an extensive review of the literature and to propose a management algorithm for hemodynamically unstable patients with penetrating liver injury, via an expert consensus. It is important to establish a multidisciplinary approach towards the management of patients with penetrating liver trauma and hemodynamic instability. The appropriate triage of these patients, the early activation of an institutional massive transfusion protocol, and the early control of hemorrhage are essential landmarks in lowering the overall mortality of these severely injured patients. To fear is to fear the unknown, and with the management algorithm proposed in this manuscript, we aim to shed light on the unknown regarding the management of the patient with a severely injured liver.


2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (3) ◽  
pp. e240202
Author(s):  
Benjamin McDonald

An 80-year-old woman presented to a regional emergency department with postprandial pain, weight loss and diarrhoea for 2 months and a Computed Tomography (CT) report suggestive of descending colon malignancy. Subsequent investigations revealed the patient to have chronic mesenteric ischaemia (CMI) with associated bowel changes. She developed an acute-on-chronic ischaemia that required emergency transfer, damage control surgery and revascularisation. While the patient survived, this case highlights the importance of considering CMI in elderly patients with vague abdominal symptoms and early intervention to avoid potentially catastrophic outcomes.


2009 ◽  
Vol 16 (01) ◽  
pp. 12-16
Author(s):  
MUHAMMAD ATEEQ ◽  
SHAZIA JAHAN ◽  
M. HANIF

Objective: To analyze the role of damage control in surgery in severely injured and polytrauma patients. D e s i g n:Descriptive study. S e t t i n g : Surgical unit of District Headquarter (teaching) Hospital, Rawalpindi. P e r i o d : January 2000 to December 2007.Patients a n d m e t h o d s : This study included 28 severely injured patients who presented in the accident and emergency department ofDistrict Headquarters (teaching) Hospital, Rawalpindi. These patients were unstable because of life threatening hemorrhage following someblunt or penetrating trauma. After immediate shifting to operation theater, resuscitation and operative intervention was done simultaneously.Different procedures of damage control surgery like abdominal packing for hepatic and pelvic trauma, major vascular ligation for vascularinjuries of neck and extremities were adopted in phase I. In phase II patients were managed in ITC for coagulopathy and hypothermia.Definitive treatment was done in Phase III after 24-72 hours once patients got stable. R e s u l t s : Total 28 patients included in the study. In18 patients abdominal packing for hepatic injury (n=11) and pelvic fractures (n=7) was done. Major vascular ligations in n=11 and temporaryintestinal clamping in n=1 patient. Planned re-exploration after 24-72 hours in n=16 and unplanned re-exploration within 24 hours in n=5patients was done. Complications included ongoing hemorrhage (n=5), coagulopathy (n=2), controlled biliary fistula (n=1), abdominalcompartment syndrome (n=1), cerebral ischemia (n=1) and gangrene of abdominal wall (n=1). Two patients died.


2021 ◽  
Vol 108 (Supplement_6) ◽  
Author(s):  
S Y L Quake ◽  
C Strong ◽  
A Okpala ◽  
M Shaaban

Abstract Damage control surgery (DCS) is an abbreviated laparotomy used as a temporising measure in critically unwell patients who have limited physiological reserves to tolerate complex definitive surgeries. The aim of DCS is to address life-threatening haemorrhage and manage abdominal contamination. Following an abbreviated laparotomy, patients are continuously resuscitated in intensive care unit until physiological stability can be maintained for definitive surgeries. The role of DCS in the trauma setting is well-described; however, its principles can also be applied in General Surgery for a variety of indications such as mesenteric ischaemia, uncontrolled haemorrhage, and secondary peritonitis. Judicious selection of the non-trauma patient who will benefit from this strategy is paramount. We present two cases of a polytrauma patient (Patient A), and non-trauma patient with abdominal septic shock (Patient B) who underwent DCS at our tertiary centre. Patient A is a 49-year-old male involved in a road traffic accident who sustained multiple injuries including liver laceration, splenic laceration, and colonic injury. Intra-abdominal packing and repair of serosal tears were performed, with a re-look laparotomy 48 hours later -- no further bleeding or visceral injuries were identified. Patient B is a 51-year-old gentleman who re-presented in septic shock due to infected retroperitoneal collection following a bleeding duodenal ulcer, initially managed radiologically. A T tube was inserted into the duodenum with two abdominal drains at initial DCS. After thorough washout, a feeding jejunostomy was sited at the re-look laparotomy. 30-days mortality is 0% and both patients are under follow-up.


2021 ◽  
Vol 52 (2) ◽  
pp. e4094682
Author(s):  
Alexander Salcedo ◽  
Carlos Alberto Ordoñez ◽  
Michael W Parra ◽  
José Daniel Osorio ◽  
Mónica Guzmán-Rodríguez ◽  
...  

Urologic trauma is frequently reported in patients with penetrating trauma. Currently, the computerized tomography and vascular approach through angiography/embolization are the standard approaches for renal trauma. However, the management of renal or urinary tract trauma in a patient with hemodynamic instability and criteria for emergency laparotomy, is a topic of discussion. This article presents the consensus of the Trauma and Emergency Surgery Group (CTE) from Cali, for the management of penetrating renal and urinary tract trauma through damage control surgery. Intrasurgical perirenal hematoma characteristics, such as if it is expanding or actively bleeding, can be a reference for deciding whether a conservative approach with subsequent radiological studies is possible. However, if there is evidence of severe kidney trauma, surgical exploration is mandatory and entails a high probability of requiring a nephrectomy. Urinary tract damage control should be conservative and deferred because this type of trauma does not represent a risk in acute trauma management.


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