• Journal of Trauma and Injury
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• v.36 no.3
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• pp.298-303
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• 2023

Unstable pelvic ring injuries are potentially life-threatening and associated with high mortality and complication rates in polytrauma patients. The most common cause of death in patients with pelvic ring injuries is massive bleeding. With resuscitation, external fixation can be performed as a temporary stabilization procedure for hemostasis in unstable pelvic fractures. Internal fixation following temporary external fixation of the pelvic ring yields superior and more reliable stabilization. However, a time-consuming extended approach to open reduction and internal fixation of the pelvic ring is frequently precluded by an unacceptable physiologic condition and/or concomitant injuries in patients with multiple injuries. Conservative treatment may lead to pelvic ring deformity, which is associated with various functional disabilities such as limb length discrepancy, gait disturbance, and sitting intolerance. Therefore, if the patient is not expected to be suitable for additional surgery due to a poor expected physiologic condition, definitive external fixation in combination with various percutaneous screw fixations to restore the pelvic ring should be considered in the acute phase. Herein, we report a case of unstable pelvic ring injury successfully treated with definitive external fixation and percutaneous screw fixation in the acute phase in a severely injured polytrauma patient.

• Journal of Trauma and Injury
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• v.36 no.3
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• pp.310-314
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• 2023

Pancreatic trauma from a blunt injury is fairly uncommon in the pediatric population. Furthermore, such trauma with associated disruption of the pancreatic duct (PD) is even less prevalent and is associated with high morbidity and mortality. Pancreatic injuries in the pediatric population are often missed and hence require a thorough workup in children presenting with any form of abdominal injury. This case report describes a young boy who presented with abdominal pain and did not initially inform medical staff about any injury. For this reason, his initial provisional diagnosis was appendicitis, but he was later found to have transection of the pancreas with injury to the PD on imaging. The management of such injuries in pediatric patients often poses a challenge due to a lack of pediatric physicians trained to perform interventions such as endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography. Furthermore, such interventions carry a higher risk when performed on children due to the smaller size of their pancreatic ducts. As a result, our patient had to be transferred to an adult center to undergo this procedure. Thus, maintaining a high degree of suspicion, along with a detailed history and examination, is crucial for the early diagnosis and management of pancreatic injuries.

• Journal of Trauma and Injury
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• v.36 no.3
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• pp.242-248
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• 2023

Purpose: Blunt pancreatic trauma in pediatric patients is relatively rare, yet it is associated with high risks of morbidity and mortality This study aimed to review pediatric patients with blunt pancreatic trauma treated at a single center and provide treatment guidelines. Methods: This study included patients under the age of 18 years who visited our center's pediatric emergency department and were diagnosed with pancreatic injury due to abdominal trauma via radiological examination between January 2007 and December 2022. Patients' medical records were retrospectively reviewed and analyzed. Results: Among 107 patients with abdominal trauma, 14 had pancreatic injury, with a median age of 8.2 years (interquartile range, 3.1-12.3 years). Eight patients were male and six were female. The most common mechanism of injury was falls from a height and bicycle handlebars (four cases each). Six patients had associated injuries. Two patients had American Association for the Surgery of Trauma grade I or II, eight had grade III, and four had grade IV or V injuries. Eight patients underwent surgical resection, and four were discharged with only an intervention for duct injuries. Conclusions: Patients with blunt pancreatic trauma at our center have been successfully treated with surgical modalities, and more recently through nonsurgical approaches involving active endoscopic and radiologic interventions.

• Journal of Trauma and Injury
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• v.36 no.3
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• pp.165-171
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• 2023

Trauma remains a significant healthcare burden, causing over five million yearly fatalities. Notably, the liver is a frequently injured solid organ in abdominal trauma, especially in patients under 40 years. It becomes even more critical given that uncontrolled hemorrhage linked to liver trauma can have mortality rates ranging from 10% to 50%. Liver injuries, mainly resulting from blunt trauma such as motor vehicle accidents, are traditionally classified using the American Association for the Surgery of Trauma grading scale. However, recent developments have introduced the World Society of Emergency Surgery classification, which considers the patient's physiological status. The diagnostic approach often involves multiphase computed tomography (CT). Still, newer methods like split-bolus single-pass CT and contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) aim to reduce radiation exposure. Concerning management, nonoperative strategies have emerged as the gold standard, especially for hemodynamically stable patients. Incorporating angiography with embolization has also been beneficial, with success rates reported between 80% and 97%. However, it is essential to identify the specific source of bleeding for effective embolization. Given the severity of liver trauma and its potential complications, innovations in diagnostic and therapeutic approaches have been pivotal. While CT remains a primary diagnostic tool, methods like CEUS offer safer alternatives. Moreover, nonoperative management, especially when combined with angiography and embolization, has demonstrated notable success. Still, the healthcare community must remain vigilant to complications and continuously seek improvements in trauma care.

• Journal of Trauma and Injury
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• v.36 no.3
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• pp.180-186
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• 2023

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to report the treatment results of patients with traumatic cardiac tamponade after the opening of Jeju Regional Trauma Center. Methods: We analyzed the treatment outcomes of patients with traumatic cardiac tamponade who were treated at Jeju Regional Trauma Center from January 2018 to August 2022. Results: Seven patients with traumatic cardiac tamponade were treated. The male to female ratio was 1.33:1 (four male and three female patients) and the average age was 60.3±7.2 years. The mechanism of injury was blunt trauma in six cases and penetrating injury in one case. Upon arrival at the emergency department, pericardiostomy was performed in four cases, and an emergency operation was performed in six cases. Pericardiostomy alone was performed in one patient, who had cardiac tamponade due to extrapericardial suprahepatic inferior vena cava rupture. The causes of cardiac tamponade were right atrium appendage rupture in one case, right ventricle rupture in one case, inferior vena cava rupture in two cases, right atrium and left atrium rupture in one case, both atria and left ventricle rupture in one case, and intercostal artery rupture in one case. In three cases, intraoperative cardiopulmonary bypass was required. Two of the seven patients died (mortality rate, 28.5%). Conclusions: Relatively favorable treatment results were observed for traumatic cardiac tamponade patients after Jeju Regional Trauma Center was established.

• Journal of Trauma and Injury
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• v.36 no.4
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• pp.425-430
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• 2023

Axillary defects need pliable, vascular tissue to cover the critical structures traversing the axilla and to allow near-normal range of motion in the shoulder. Although local flaps are the first choice, free tissue transfer is a good option when local tissues are injured or scarred. Herein, we report two cases of axillary defects that were reconstructed using anterolateral thigh free flaps. One was a post-electric burn axillary defect for which a thoracoacromial pedicle was used as the recipient, and the other was a posttraumatic axillary defect with the transverse cervical vessels as the recipient. In both patients, the flap survived well with no complications and resulted in adequate functional recovery. In large defects of the axilla with a scarcity of local tissues, free flaps can yield optimal results. The proper selection of recipient vessels and a donor flap with adequate pedicle length impact the outcomes of such reconstruction.

• Journal of Trauma and Injury
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• v.36 no.4
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• pp.447-450
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• 2023

Traumatic abdominal wall hernia is a rare presentation, most commonly reported in the context of motor vehicle accidents and associated with blunt abdominal injuries and handlebar injuries in the pediatric population. A 13-year-old boy presented with multiple traumatic injuries and hemodynamic instability after a high-speed motor vehicle accident. His injuries consisted of massive traumatic abdominal wall hernia (grade 4) with bowel injury and perforation, blunt aortic injury, a Chance fracture, hemopneumothorax, and a humeral shaft fracture. Initial surgical management included partial resection of the terminal ileum, sigmoid colon, and descending colon. Laparostomy was managed with negative pressure wound therapy. The patient underwent skin-only primary closure of the abdominal wall and required multiple returns to theatre for debridement, dressing changes, and repair of other injuries. Various surgical management options for abdominal wall closure were considered. In total, he underwent 36 procedures. The multiple injuries had competing management aims, which required close collaboration between specialist clinicians to form an individualized management plan. The severity and complexity of this injury was of a scale not previously experienced by many clinicians and benefited from intrahospital and interhospital specialist collaboration. The ideal aim of primary surgical repair was not possible in this case of a giant abdominal wall defect.

• Journal of Trauma and Injury
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• v.36 no.4
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• pp.451-453
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• 2023

We introduce a convenient method of urethrography before catheterization for patients with pelvic trauma that can be used in a resuscitation area. A 10-mL syringe without a needle was used. X-ray contrast medium (Iohexol, 300 mg I/mL) was administered through the urethral orifice using a 10-mL syringe without needle and a simple pelvic anteroposterior film was taken (70 kilovolt [peak], 50 mAs). A 36-year-old soldier with a saddle injury from a gun barrel was taken to a trauma center. He had a pelvic fracture and complained of hematuria. Bedside urethrography above described was performed. The anterior urethra showed nonspecific findings, but dye leaked from the posterior urethra. Bedside Foley catheter insertion was attempted, but the catheter could not be advanced past the membranous urethra. Thereafter, suprapubic catheterization was performed. On the day of the injury, iliac artery embolization was carried out. The dislocated sacroiliac joint was also treated using open reduction and internal fixation. On hospital day 7, guidewire Foley insertion was performed. This bedside urethrography technique is simple and useful for pelvic fractures in which urethral injury is suspected.

• Journal of Trauma and Injury
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• v.37 no.2
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• pp.161-165
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• 2024

Femoral head fractures with associated hip dislocations substantially impact the functional prognosis of the hip joint and present a surgical challenge. The surgeon must select a safe approach that enables osteosynthesis of the fracture while also preserving the vascularization of the femoral head. The optimal surgical approach for these injuries remains a topic of debate. A 44-year-old woman was involved in a road traffic accident, which resulted in a posterior iliac dislocation of the hip associated with a Pipkin type II fracture of the femoral head. Given the size of the detached fragment and the risk of incarceration preventing reduction, we opted against attempting external orthopedic reduction maneuvers. Instead, we chose to perform open reduction and internal fixation using the Watson-Jones anterolateral approach. This involved navigating between the retracted tensor fascia lata muscle, positioned medially, and the gluteus medius and minimus muscles, situated laterally. During radiological and clinical follow-up visits extending to postoperative month 15, the patient showed no signs of avascular necrosis of the femoral head, progression toward coxarthrosis, or heterotopic ossification. The Watson-Jones anterolateral approach is a straightforward intermuscular and internervous surgical procedure. This method provides excellent exposure of the femoral head, preserves its primary vascularization, allows for anterior dislocation, and facilitates the anatomical reduction and fixation of the fracture.

• Journal of Trauma and Injury
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• v.37 no.2
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• pp.132-139
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• 2024

Purpose: Curricula for surgical residents should include training in trauma care; however, such training is absent in many low income countries. At the largest surgical training institution in Ethiopia, a trauma training program was developed, integrated into the existing surgical curriculum, and implemented. This study was conducted to evaluate the trainees' response to the new program. Methods: Over a 5-month period, 35 first-year surgical residents participated in weekly trauma care training sessions. The program included journal clubs, practical sessions, didactic sessions, and case-based discussions. Six months after the conclusion of the training, changes in knowledge, attitude, and practices were evaluated through a self-report survey. Results: For knowledge-based items, the survey data revealed reported improvements in 83.8% to 96.8% of students. Furthermore, 90.3% to 93.5% of participants indicated improvements in practice, while 96.7% exhibited a change in attitude. Respondents reported that attending didactic courses improved their presentation skills and facilitated the acquisition of knowledge. They suggested the inclusion of additional practical sessions. Conclusions: Training structures that are simple to implement are crucial for residency programs with limited resources. Such programs can be developed using existing academic staff and can aid residents in delivering improved care to trauma patients.