Spinal Cord Injuries in Emergency Medicine

Spinal cord injury is a serious medical disorder that frequently leads in significant morbidity and permanent impairment. Direct damage to the spinal cord or compression owing to broken vertebrae or masses such as epidural hematomas or abscesses are the most common causes of spinal cord injury. When examining a blunt trauma victim, medical professionals are taught to presume the patient has a spinal column damage unless it is proven otherwise. The early examination of a patient with a suspected cervical spinal injury in the emergency department (ED) is no different than that of any other trauma patient. The ABCs, or airway, breathing, and circulation, procedures are being taken into consideration. In acute spinal cord damage, hypotension can be hemorrhagic or neurogenic. Because of the high prevalence of concomitant injuries and vital sign confusion in acute spinal cord injury, a thorough search for hidden sources of bleeding is required. Surgical removal of bone fragments, foreign objects, herniated discs, or broken vertebrae that appear to be compressing the spine is frequently required. In order to avoid future discomfort or deformity, surgery may be required to stabilize the spine. In this review we’ll be looking at spinal cord injury, it’s diagnosis and treatment.

On the black slope: analysis of the course of a blunt renal trauma collective in a winter sports region

Purpose The aim of this study was to analyze the injury patterns and clinical course of a winter sport dominated by blunt renal trauma collective. Methods Blunt renal trauma cases (N = 106) treated in a Level 1 Trauma Center in Austria were analyzed. Results We encountered 12.3% grade 1, 10.4% grade 2, 32.1% grade 3, 38.7% grade 4 and 6.6% grade 5 renal traumata classified according to the American Association for the Surgery of Trauma (AAST). The mechanisms of injury (MOI) did not have an influence on the frequency of HG trauma (i.e., grade 4 and 5). No concomitant injuries (CIs) were found in 57.9% of patients. The number of patients without CIs was significantly higher in the sports associated trauma group compared to other MOIs (p < 0.01). In 94.3% the primary treatment was a non-operative management (NOM) including 56.6% conservative, 34.0% endourological, and 3.8% interventional therapies. A follow-up computed tomography (FU-CT) was performed in 81.1%, 3.3 days after trauma. After FU-CT, the primary therapy was changed in 11.4% of cases (grade ≥ 3). Comparing the Hb loss between the patients with grade 3 and 4 kidney trauma with and without revision surgery, we find a significantly increased Hb loss within the first 96 h after the trauma in the group with a needed change of therapy (p < 0.0001). The overall rate of nephrectomy (primary or secondary) was 9.4%. Independent predictors of nephrectomy were HG trauma (p < 0.01), age (p < 0.05), and sex (p < 0.05). The probability of nephrectomy was lower with (winter) sports-associated trauma (p < 0.1). Conclusions Sports-associated blunt renal trauma is more likely to occur isolated, and has a lower risk of severe outcomes, compared to other trauma mechanisms. NOM can successfully be performed in over 90% of all trauma grades.

Imaging of Noncontact Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injuries and Associated Bone Marrow Contusion Patterns

Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tears are commonly associated with bone contusions. Bone contusions can lend important insight into increased risk for more subtle concurrent injuries based on common injury mechanisms and patterns, as higher energy trauma has been tied to patterns of specific bone contusions and concomitant injuries. Lateral compartment contusions are most common and occur in pivot shift injuries. Medial compartment contusions may represent a contrecoup mechanism after the initial lateral injuries. Patellotibial contusions require axial loading but are also typically seen in conjunction with lateral and medial compartment contusions. The differences in ACL injury mechanics and physiology as shown by imaging contusion patterns can help clinicians better identify and treat the concurrent associated injuries.

Use of Innovative Technologies in the Treatment of Patients with Severe Concomitant Injury with Liver Damage: Clinical Observation

Liver injury is one of the most common abdominal injuries in patients with severe trauma. A total of 2988 patients with concomitant injuries were treated at the city clinical hospital named after S.S. Yudin during the period from 2010 to 2020, of which 371 (12.4%) were found to have closed abdominal trauma. Damage to the liver was revealed in 124 (33.4%) patients with closed abdominal trauma. The number of discharged patients was 78 (62,9%), lethal outcome — 46 patients (37,1%). The severity of injury according to ISS was (38,1±11,3) points. The development of innovative multimodal approaches, such as endovascular trauma and bleeding management (EVTM), as well as damage control tactics have significantly increased the likelihood of nonoperative treatment for individual patients. A clinical observation is presented that allows to evaluate the effectiveness of innovative technologies in the treatment of patients with severe concomitant trauma with liver damage.

The significance of a concomitant clavicle fracture in flail chest patients: incidence, concomitant injuries, and outcome of 12,348 polytraumata from the TraumaRegister DGU®

Purpose Isolated clavicle fractures (CF) rarely show complications, but their influence in the thorax trauma of the seriously injured still remains unclear. Some authors associate CF with a higher degree of chest injuries; therefore, the clavicle is meant to be a gatekeeper of the thorax. Methods A retrospective analysis of the TraumaRegister DGU® (project 2017-10) was carried out involving the years 2009–2016 (ISS ≥ 16, primary admission to a trauma center). Cohort formation: unilateral and bilateral flail chest injuries (FC), respectively, with and without a concomitant CF. Results 73,141 patients (26.5% female) met the inclusion criteria and 12,348 had flail chest injuries (FC; 20.0% CF; 67.7% monolateral FC), 25,425 other rib fractures (17.7% CF), and 35,368 had no rib fractures (6.5% CF). On average, monolateral FC patients were 56.0 ± 17.9 years old and bilateral FC patients were 57.7 ± 19 years old. The ISS in unilateral and bilateral FC were 29.1 ± 11.7 and 42.2 ± 12.9 points, respectively. FC with a CF occurred more frequently with bicycle and motorbike injuries in monolateral FC and pedestrians in bilateral FC injuries and less frequently due to falls. Patients with a CF in addition to a FC had longer hospital and ICU stays, underwent artificially respiration for longer periods, and died less often than patients without a CF. The effects were highly significant in bilateral FC. CF indicates more relevant concomitant injuries of the lung, scapula, and spinal column. Moreover, CF was associated with more injuries of the extremities in monolateral CF. Conclusion Due to the relevance of a concomitant CF fracture in FC, diagnostics should focus on finding CFs or rule them out. Combined costoclavicular injuries are associated with a significantly higher degree of thoracic injuries and longer hospital stays.

Fractures of the femoral head: a narrative review

Fractures of the femoral head are rare injuries, which typically occur after posterior hip dislocation. The Pipkin classification, developed in 1957, is the most commonly used classification scheme to date. The injury is mostly caused by high-energy trauma, such as motor vehicle accidents or falls from a significant height. Emergency treatment consists of urgent closed reduction of the hip joint, followed by non-operative or operative treatment of the femoral head fracture and any associated injuries. There is an ongoing controversy about the suitable surgical approach (anterior vs. posterior) for addressing fractures of the femoral head. Fracture location, degree of displacement, joint congruity and the presence of loose fragments, as well as concomitant injuries are crucial factors in choosing the adequate surgical approach. Long-term complications such as osteonecrosis of the femoral head, posttraumatic osteoarthritis and heterotopic ossification can lead to a relatively poor functional outcome. Cite this article: EFORT Open Rev 2021;6:1122-1131. DOI: 10.1302/2058-5241.6.210034

Classifying and standardizing panfacial trauma according to anatomic categories and Facial Injury Severity Scale: a 10-year retrospective study

Background The purpose of this study was to identify the epidemiologic factors of panfacial fractures (PFs), and to evaluate the significance of anatomic PF categories and the Facial Injury Severity Scale (FISS) in classifying and standardizing panfacial injuries. Methods A retrospective review of all patients treated with PFs at our institution between June 2010 and April 2021 was performed. PF was defined as a concurrent fracture in at least 3 of 4 facial subunits (frontal, upper midface, lower midface, and mandible). Data regarding patient demographics, causes of injury, location of fractures, major concomitant injuries, and postinjury complications were collected, and the FISS score was collected from each patient. Statistical analysis was performed using IBM SPSS Statistics version 22.0. Results A total of 227 patients were enrolled. The most commonly fractured bones were the maxillary sinus wall (92.1%), mandible (82.8%), and zygomatic arch (75.3%), and the most common fracture sites in PFs were graphically presented. Four PF patterns were defined: FULM (n = 60), FUL (n = 39), ULM (n = 127), and FUM (n = 1). There was a significant association between PF patterns and sex (p = 0.018), the number of concomitant injuries (p = 0.014), and early surgical airway management (p = 0.003). Different PF patterns were significantly correlated with different types of concomitant injuries and complications. The FISS score showed a significant difference with PF patterns (p = 0.000) and sex (p = 0.007), and a FISS value of 11 or more is the appropriate cutoff for the prediction of multiple concomitant injuries and complications. Conclusions Both the anatomic PF categories and FISS were significantly correlated with various concomitant injuries and complications. The combination of PF categories and FISS provided a better positive and negative prediction of concomitant injuries and complications for PF patients. Patients with FULM and FISS > 11 had an obviously higher proportion of the need for multiprofessional treatment.

In memory of Professor Valentin N. Guryev

At the 99th year of his life, Valentin Nikolayevich Guryev, Honored Scientist, Laureate of the State Prize of the USSR, Doctor of Medical Sciences, Professor, Veteran of the Great Patriotic War, was gone. He made an enormous contribution to the organization and scientific development of medical care by a team of specialists at the prehospital stage, which made it possible to reduce mortality in patients with multiple and concomitant injuries by one third. The collective of the N.N. Priorov National Medical Research Center of Traumatology and Orthopedics grieves over the loss, the bright memory of a talented surgeon, scientist, organizer, cheerful and charming person will forever remain in the hearts of friends, colleagues and students.

Jumper’s fracture of the sacrum: a novel and reproducible way for successful reduction and fixation

Purpose Surgical treatment of jumper’s fractures is a highly demanding situation for the surgeon due to its rareness and frequent association with severe concomitant injuries. There is no current consensus regarding a standard treatment approach, thus reducing quality of care. Our objectives were to describe, apply and assess a novel surgical technic. Methods The presented research is an observational retrospective study of patients who underwent the described novel surgical intervention in a level 1 trauma center. We conducted analyses of the patient cohort using patient-related outcome measures at least 1 year after surgery, as well as investigating pain, quality of life and the clinical effectiveness of the procedure. Results A total of 24 patients (17 male and 7 female) with an average age 47 ± 16.3 years were included. ISS scores ranged from 9 to 66 with a mean ISS of 40 ± 15. Clinical scores exist of 15 out of 24 patients (62.5%). The mean VAS score was 53.7 ± 12.9. The mean EQ-5D index was 0.68 ± 0.22. Significant negative correlation existed between the ISS value and the EQ-5D index (r = − 0.704; p < 0.005) and EQ-5D VAS (r = − 0.809; p < 0.001). Anatomical reduction was achieved in all patients (n = 24). Radiological follow-up was performed in 58%. Conclusion We present one of the largest studies with operatively treated jumper’s fractures of the sacrum. The technique is capable of reproducibly restoring the physiological anatomy of the patient and allows pain-adapted mobilization.