The choice of tactics for treatment of the injured persons with vertebra-abdominal trauma due to traffic-transport accident

Objective. To estimate the results of application of treatment-diagnostic tactics in the injured persons, suffering vertebro-abdominal trauma as a consequence of the traffic accident. Маterials and methods. For achievement of the investigation aim 122 injured persons with vertebro-abdominal trauma due to traffic accident were analyzed. The injured persons were divided into two Groups: Group I - 53 patients, in whom the «early total care» was applied, and Group II (a control one) - 69 patients, to whom the treatment measures were conducted in accordance to the «damage control surgery» tactics. Results. In the investigation there was established, that in the injured persons, suffering vertebro-abdominal trauma two tactics are affordable: «early total care», which is indicated in moderate internal hemorrhage, injuries of large omentum and intestinal mesentery, and «damage control surgery», which is indicated in presence of severe internal hemorrhage, hepatic, splenic and the retroperitoneal organs damages. Conclusion. Application of the «damage control surgery» tactics in the injured persons, suffering vertebro-abdominal trauma has advantages, what is proved by the mortality reduction by 6.3% and the rate of the infection complications occurrence - by 3.5%.

Experimental evaluation of the effectiveness of a damage control surgery in combined radiation-mechanical injuries

Relevance. Currently, damage control surgery (DCS) is actively used in polytrauma. However, data on the effectiveness of this tactic for combined radiation-mechanical injuries (CRMI) in the available literature was not found.Objective. To develop a model of CRMI on small laboratory animals (rabbits), which allows studying the effectiveness of the use of DCS in comparison with the early total care surgery tactics.Methods. A model of a severe CRMI was proposed. The animals were subjected to a generally uniform short-term gammairradiation, and then they suffered a liver injury on the background of blood loss of 40% of the blood volume and hypothermia. After modeling the lesion, a comparison was made of the effectiveness of the tactics of the DCS and the early total care surgery tactics. During the study, the following indicators were evaluated: the average life expectancy and mortality of animals, changes in the cellular composition of peripheral blood, features of behavioral reactions to irradiation, the amount of blood loss during the implementation of the surgical intervention.Results and their analysis. The experiment showed that the tactics of the DCS have an advantage over the traditional tactics of a one-time exhaustive operation in the case of the CRMI. When performing DCS, there was no death of rabbits on the 1st day after the operation, when implementing early total care surgery - 3 rabbits died, besides, the mortality was absolute, while with DCS one rabbit survived (12.5%). The final operation at the DCS occurs prior to the beginning of the acute period of CRMI, which corresponds to the requirements of the instructions for the treatment of CRMI. In the course of the study, it was found that the proposed model of CRMI contributes to the formation of the phenomenon of mutual burdening and, as a result, complicates both the radiation and mechanical components of the lesion occurs.Conclusion The proposed experimental model for the application of severe CRMI helps to explore DCS tactics in the treatment of this pathology. DCS is a promising method of surgical treatment of CRMI, however, for more accurate extrapolation of data from animal to human, additional research on large laboratory animals is required.

Staged treatment strategy in patients with acute abdomen

Aim. To reason the strategy of staged surgical treatment in patients with acute abdomen.Methods. The study included 72 patients, of them 32 were included in the main group, in which the staged surgical treatment strategy was implemented. To assess the effect of such approach, control group including 40 patients who were treated using the early total care strategy, was formed retrospectively. The decision on the certain strategy use (early total care strategy or staged treatment strategy («aborted operation») was made in every included patient by operating surgeon during the operation.Results. The modern method of surgical treatment («aborted operation» strategy) was introduced into the clinical practice for treating acute surgical abdominal diseases. A new method for patient’s condition severity assessment and operative risk prognosis based on the physical signs, as well as the scale of the indications for the «aborted operation» approach were developed. An original method for laparotomy wound closure was proposed. Device for laparostomy consists of two details - frame, which is stitched to the edges of surgical wound, and replaceable cap, which can be fixed to the frame. The device is made of soft elastic organic material, which is transparent and non-reactive. The key advantage of the device is the transparency of the cap material, allowing to review the condition of abdominal organs at any moment after the surgery without additional analgesia. The device act as a «viewport», allowing to clearly visualize the changes of abdominal organs, to diagnose the possible complications and to timely recognize the indications for programmed abdominal cavity debridement. The mortality in the control group was 100%, in the intervention group - 59%.Conclusion. Staged treatment strategy may significantly reduce the postoperative mortality, being an alternative to standard tactical and technical approaches used in emergency abdominal surgery.

Role of Damage Control Orthopedics and Early Total Care in the Multiple Injured Trauma Patients

The care of multiply injured patients with orthopedic injuries has evolved from prolonged periods in traction to early total care (ETC). ETC is advantageous in ease of nursing care and aiding patient recovery. However, concerns have been raised that this ‘second hit’ of surgery places these severely injured patients at risk of excessive inflammatory responses that can lead to systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS). Damage control was initially used in abdominal trauma but has been adapted for use in orthopedics. The mainstay of treatment involves external fixation of long bone and pelvic fractures which acts to defer definitive fixation until physiologic stability is restored. The indications for implementing each approach are not clear and this article provides a narrative review of the topic.

Early Total Care versus Damage Control: Current Concepts in the Orthopedic Care of Polytrauma Patients

The management of the polytraumatized orthopedic patient remains a challenging issue. In recent years many efforts have been made to develop rescue techniques and to promote guidelines for the management of these patients. Currently controversies persist between two orthopedic approaches: the Early Total Care and the Damage Control Orthopedics. An overview of the current literature on the orthopedic management of polytrauma patient is provided. Subsequently, femoral shaft fractures, representing extremely common lesions, and pelvic ring injuries, that are associated with a high mortality rate, are analyzed in detail.