• Journal of Trauma and Injury
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• v.37 no.2
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• pp.151-157
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• 2024

Electrical burn injuries can cause more damage than clinical evaluations initially suggest. The energy waves penetrate from the surface to the deepest layers of tissue, causing extensive harm at every level. The neck is a critical area, both functionally and aesthetically. We present a case involving a young male patient with a severe fourth-degree electrical burn on the neck, who underwent a single-stage debridement and reconstructive surgery. The pectoralis major myocutaneous flap is a versatile option for various head and neck reconstructions. However, if the donor site cannot be closed primarily and requires split-thickness skin grafting, it can result in unsightly scars and deformities. For large flap paddles, it is ideal to reconstruct the secondary defect with locoregional flaps. In this case, we successfully reconstructed the donor site's secondary defect using a contralateral internal mammary artery perforator flap, without resorting to any skin grafts. The early postoperative results demonstrated satisfactory cosmesis, patient satisfaction, and functional outcomes.

• Journal of Trauma and Injury
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• v.37 no.2
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• pp.166-169
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• 2024

Stab wounds, particularly those affecting multiple body regions, present considerable challenges in trauma care. This report describes a case of sustained self-inflicted stab injuries to the abdomen and thighs of a 23-year-old male patient. Although the patient's vital signs were stable and bleeding was minimal from thigh wounds without overt signs of vascular injury, the patient experienced a sudden, profound hemorrhage from the right thigh, leading to cardiac arrest. Successful resuscitation was followed by surgical repair of a right superficial femoral arterial injury accompanying a resuscitative endovascular balloon of the aorta. Subsequent lower extremity computed tomography angiography revealed no additional vascular abnormalities. The patient was discharged in stable condition on the 12th postoperative day. This case underscores the unpredictability of stab wound trajectories and the potential for hidden vascular injuries, even in the absence of immediate life-threatening signs. It also emphasizes the critical role of advanced imaging modalities, such as computed tomography angiography, in identifying concealed injuries, and the importance of strategic intraoperative techniques, including resuscitative endovascular balloon occlusion of the aorta, in achieving favorable patient outcomes.

• Journal of Trauma and Injury
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.12-17
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• 2011

Purpose: A rib fracture secondary to blunt thoracic trauma continues to be an important injury with significant complications. Unfortunately, there are no definite treatment guidelines for severe multiple rib fractures. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the result of early operative stabilization and to find the risk factors of surgical fixation in patients with bilateral multiple rib fractures or flail segments. Methods: From December 2005 to December 2008, the medical records of all patients who underwent operative stabilization of ribs for severe multiple rib fractures were reviewed. We investigated patients' demographics, preoperative comorbidities, underlying lung disease, chest trauma, other associated injuries, number of surgical rib fixation, combined operations, perioperative ventilator support, and postoperative complications to find the factors affecting the mortality after surgical treatment. Results: The mean age of the 96 patients who underwent surgical stabilization for bilateral multiple rib fractures or flail segments was 56.7 years (range: 22 to 82 years), and the male-to-female ratio was 3.6:1. Among the 96 patients, 16 patients (16.7%) underwent reoperation under general or epidural anesthesia due to remaining fracture with severe displacement. The surgical mortality of severe multiple rib fractures was 8.3% (8/96), 7 of those 8 patients (87.5%) dying from acute respiratory distress syndrome or sepsis. And the other one patient expired from acute myocardial infarction. The risk factors affecting mortality were liver cirrhosis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, concomitant severe head or abdominal injuries, perioperative ventilator care, postoperative bleeding or pneumonia, and tracheostomy. However, age, number of fractured ribs, lung parenchymal injury, pulmonary contusion and combined operations were not significantly related to mortality. Conclusion: In the present study, surgical fixation of ribs could be carried out as a first-line therapeutic option for bilateral rib fractures or flail segments without significant complications if the risk factors associated with mortality were carefully considered. Furthermore, with a view of restoring pulmonary function, as well as chest wall configuration, early operative stabilization of the ribs is more helpful than conventional treatment for patients with severe multiple rib fractures.

• Journal of Trauma and Injury
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• v.29 no.4
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• pp.187-190
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• 2016

With the development of safety measures for employees who work with dangerous machinery, the frequency of amputation injuries has been decreasing with resultant decrease in replantation procedures. However, in some patients with major amputation injury, replantation is still necessary for the preservation of limb and it's function. The replantation of the upper extremity (UE) is a complex and technically demanding surgical procedure. For the successful replantation of UE, the type of injury, reconstruction sequence, ischemic time, and other combined injury of patient should be considered. We report a case of major amputation of UE by guillotine-type injury and discuss the treatment process of this patient.

• Journal of Trauma and Injury
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• v.29 no.4
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• pp.172-175
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• 2016

Penetrated injury of common carotid artery (CCA) is rare and extremely lethal. Carotid artery injury tends to bleed actively and potentially occlude the trachea. It can cause fatal neurological complications. An accurate diagnosis and adequate treatment are very needed to the successful outcome of the penetrating vascular injury in zone 1, 2, and 3 of the neck. Open surgical treatment is more invasive and complicated than endovascular treatment. We experienced a case with penetrating injury in neck zone 2. Here, we report the case successfully treated with endovascular stent graft technique.

• Journal of Trauma and Injury
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• v.28 no.3
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• pp.195-197
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• 2015

Artifacts can seriously degrade the quality of computed tomography (CT) images, sometimes to the point of making them diagnostically unusable. Here, we report an unusual CT artifact that could have resulted in the misdiagnosis of a hyperdense hemorrhagic lesion in a 55-year-old man. The author recommend that when hemorrhagic lesion in posterior fossa is suggested on CT, the physician should carefully consider all patient-related clinical data prior to considering surgical intervention or a biopsy. Cranial magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) can help in preventing the misdiagnosis as hemorrhage of CT scan.

• Journal of Trauma and Injury
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.168-170
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• 2011

Blunt cardiac rupture is uncommon and is associated with significant mortality. Patients with blunt cardiac rupture usually have combined injury and do not always show signs of cardiac tamponade, which delays the diagnosis of cardiac rupture and increases mortality. We report a case of cardiac rupture diagnosed and treated by using only thoracic exploration based on clinical impression, with radiologic studies, including even echocardiography, showing negative results.

• Journal of Trauma and Injury
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• v.29 no.3
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• pp.89-92
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• 2016

Non-surgical traumatic chylothorax following blunt chest trauma is rare, with only a few cases having been reported. In general, conservative treatment measures are recommended as initial management of traumatic chylothorax; these include closed thoracostomy, dietary restriction, and parenteral nutrition. There are few reports of surgery for traumatic chylothorax. We report our experience with thoracic duct ligation using video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery in a patient with chylothorax following blunt chest injury with associated fractures of the thoracic spine.

• Journal of Trauma and Injury
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• v.30 no.2
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• pp.51-54
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• 2017

We here report a case of long-term fistula formation due to bullet retention for 30 years in the lumbar spine after a gunshot injury, and describe its treatment. A 62-year-old male visited our hospital due to pus-like discharge from his left flank. The discharge had been present for 30 years, since his recovery from an abdominal gunshot injury. A spine radiography showed radiopaque material in the body of the third lumbar vertebra. Foreign body was removed using an anterolateral retroperitoneal approach. The postoperative course was uneventful. The patient was discharged 7 days after the operation and was followed-up for 8 months, during which time, the fistula did not reoccur. A bullet retained long term in the vertebral body may cause obstinate osteomyelitis and fistula formation. A fistula caused by a foreign body in the spine can be effectively treated by surgical removal.

• Journal of Trauma and Injury
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• v.32 no.4
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• pp.248-251
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• 2019

Traumatic intrapulmonary glass foreign bodies that are missed on an initial examination can migrate and lead to severe complications. Here, we present a rare case of a traumatic intrapulmonary glass foreign body surgically removed by a direct pulmonary incision, which preserved the pulmonary parenchyma and avoided severe complications caused by migration.