Misinterpretation of a skin fold artifact as pneumothorax on the chest x-ray of a trauma patient in Korea: a case report

Misinterpreting radiographic findings can lead to unnecessary interventions and potential patient harm. The urgency required when responding to the compromised health of trauma patients can increase the likelihood of misinterpreting chest x-rays in critical situations. We present the case report of a trauma patient whose skin fold artifacts were mistaken for pneumothorax on a follow-up chest x-ray, resulting in unnecessary chest tube insertion. We hope to help others differentiate between skin folds and pneumothorax on the chest x-rays of trauma patients by considering factors such as location, shape, sharpness, and vascular markings

Management of a trauma patient with alcohol withdrawal who developed neuroleptic malignant syndrome in Korea: a case report

Neuroleptic malignant syndrome (NMS) is a rare but fatal condition, with a high mortality rate. NMS is characterized by altered mental status, fever, myoclonus, autonomic dysfunctions, and elevated creatinine phosphokinase. The clinical manifestations may be confused with alcohol-related symptoms, trauma, sepsis, postoperative agitation, or malignant hyperthermia. A 69-year-old male patient with alcohol withdrawal was admitted to the operating theatre to rule out septic shock due to mesenteric injury after multiple trauma. He was suspected NMS with abrupt increase body temperature to 41.7°C after haloperidol administration. Active cooling and rapid fluid infusion was done during anesthesia. Delayed diagnosis and treatment of NMS lead to catastrophic result. Therefore, if the patient's past medical history is unknown or clinical symptoms develop that are suggestive of NMS, early treatment must be considered

Management of Traumatic Pancreatic Injuries: Evaluation of 7 Years of Experience at a Single Regional Trauma Center

Purpose Traumatic pancreatic injuries are rare, but their diagnosis and management are challenging. The aim of this study was to evaluate and report our experiences with the management of pancreatic injuries. Methods We identified all adult patients (age >15) with pancreatic injuries from our trauma registry over a 7-year period. Data related to patients’ demographics, diagnoses, operative information, complications, and hospital course were abstracted from the registry and medical records. Results A total of 45 patients were evaluated. Most patients had blunt trauma (89%) and 21 patients (47%) had pancreatic injuries of grade 3 or higher. Twenty-eight patients (62%) underwent laparotomy and 17 (38%) received nonoperative management (NOM). The overall in-hospital mortality rate was 24% (n=11), and only one patient died after NOM (due to a severe traumatic brain injury). Twenty-two patients (79%) underwent emergency laparotomy and six (21%) underwent delayed laparotomy. A drainage procedure was performed in 12 patients (43%), and pancreatectomy was performed in 16 patients (57%) (distal pancreatectomy [DP], n=8; DP with spleen preservation, n=5; pancreaticoduodenectomy, n=2; total pancreatectomy, n=1). Fourteen (31%) pancreas-specific complications occurred, and all complications were successfully managed without surgery. Solid organ injuries (n=14) were the most common type of associated abdominal injury (Abbreviated Injury Scale ≥3). Conclusions For traumatic pancreatic injuries, an appropriate treatment method should be considered after evaluation of the accompanying injury and the patient’s hemodynamic status. NOM can be performed without mortality in appropriately selected cases

Impact of obesity on the severity of trauma in patients injured in pedestrian traffic accidents

Purpose Studies on the relationship between obesity and injuries, especially those sustained in pedestrian traffic accidents, are lacking. We aimed to assess the effects of obesity on the severity of injury at the time of admission to the emergency room in patients who experienced pedestrian traffic accidents. Methods This study included trauma patients registered in the Korean Trauma Database from July 1, 2018 to December 31, 2020, whose mechanism of injury was pedestrian traffic accidents and who were treated at a single institution. Those aged below 15 years were excluded. Patients were assigned to nonobese and obese groups based on a body mass index of 25 kg/m2. An Injury Severity Score of 25 or greater was considered to indicate a critical injury. Results In total, 679 cases of pedestrian traffic accidents were registered during the study period, and 543 patients were included in the final analysis. Of them, 360 patients (66.3%) and 183 patients (33.7%) were categorized as nonobese and obese, respectively. The median age was significantly higher in the nonobese group than in the obese group (60 vs. 58 years). Multivariate analysis demonstrated that the odds ratio for critical injury in obese patients was 1.59 (95% confidence interval, 1.01–2.48) compared with nonobese patients. Conclusions Obesity affected the likelihood of sustaining severe injuries in pedestrian traffic accidents. Future studies should analyze the effects of body mass index on the pattern and severity of injuries in patients with more diverse injury mechanisms using large-scale data

Case Series of Zone III Resuscitative Endovascular Balloon Occlusion of the Aorta in Traumatic Shock Patients

Purpose There is increasing evidence in the literature regarding resuscitative endovascular balloon occlusion of the aorta (REBOA) globally, but few cases have been reported in Korea. We aimed to describe our experience of successful Zone III REBOA and to discuss its algorithm, techniques, and related complications. Methods We reviewed consecutive cases who survived from hypovolemic shock after Zone III REBOA placement for 4 years. We reviewed patients’ baseline characteristics, physiological status, procedural data, and outcomes. Results REBOA was performed in 44 patients during the study period, including 10 patients (22.7%) who underwent Zone III REBOA, of whom seven (70%) survived. Only one patient was injured by a penetrating mechanism and survived after cardiopulmonary resuscitation. All patients underwent interventions to stop bleeding immediately after REBOA placement. Conclusions This case series suggests that Zone III REBOA is a safe and feasible procedure that could be applied to traumatic shock patients with normal FAST findings who receive a chest X-ray examination at the initial resuscitation

The Management of Open Pelvic Fractures: A Report of 2 Cases

Open pelvic fractures are rare, but pose challenges for trauma surgeons due to their high morbidity and mortality. Generally, early death results from uncontrolled exsanguination and late death is related to pelvic sepsis. Therefore, management of these injuries should prioritize hemostasis and contamination control starting in the initial phase of treatment. We report two cases of unstable open pelvic fractures with perineal wounds that were managed successfully

Trauma Volume and Performance of a regional Trauma Center in Korea: Initial 5-year analysis

Purpose We aimed to evaluate the trauma volume and performance indicators during the first 5-year period of operation in a single regional trauma center. Methods We analyzed prospectively collected data from the Korean Trauma Data Bank for a single regional trauma center between January 2014 and December 2018. More than 250 variables were analyzed. We calculated the predicted survival rates using the trauma and injury severity score (TRISS) method. Results In total, there were 16,103 trauma admissions during the first 5 years; trauma activation was performed in 5,105 of these cases. Over 70% of the patients were men, and most of the admitted patients were within the age groups of 55–59 years for men and 75–79 years for women. Analyses were performed considering two patient groups: the total patient group and the group of those with severe trauma (injury severity score [ISS] >15). The median ISS, revised trauma score, and TRISS of the two groups were 5 (interquartile range [IQR] 4–10), 22 (IQR 17–27), and 7.6±0.99 and 6.74±1.9, 0.95±0.13, 0.81±2.67, respectively. Of the total patient group, 801 patients (5%) died in the hospital, whereas of the group of patients with ISS >15, 526 (19.5%) died. The direct transportation of patients to the regional trauma center increased year by year. The emergency room stay time and time to entering the operating room showed a decrease until 2017; however, these parameters increased again in 2018. Conclusions The trauma volume in the regional trauma center is appropriate, and some improvements could be observed after its establishment. However, performance indicators reveal the prematurity of the trauma center and its potential for further improvements. Moreover, the development of a national trauma system, beyond regional trauma centers, is required

Contemporary Utilization and Outcomes of Resuscitative Endovascular Balloon Occlusion of the Aorta for Traumatic Noncompressible Torso Hemorrhage in Korea: A Retrospective Multi-Center Study

Purpose This study aimed to evaluate the utilization and outcomes of resuscitative endovascular balloon occlusion of the aorta (REBOA) in managing noncompressible torso hemorrhage (NCTH) among trauma patients in Korea. The evolution of REBOA and its impact on patient survival was investigated as well as predictors of mortality. Methods This retrospective study included 234 post-REBOA patients from 5 leading regional trauma centers across Korea between 2016 and 2021. Primary outcomes were in-hospital mortality, and secondary outcomes were various clinical parameters regarding REBOA, overall treatment flow, and complications. For comparative analyses, patients were dichotomized into in-hospital non-survivors or survivors. Then, generalized additive and linear regression models were used to evaluate the trend of in-hospital mortality. Results The overall in-hospital mortality was 65.4%. The survivors had a higher proportion of responders following REBOA (87.7% vs 62.7%, p < 0.001). Key variables influencing outcomes included total occlusion time, red blood cell transfusion volume within the first 24 hours, revised trauma score, and systolic blood pressure gap. These factors significantly correlated with mortality rates in multivariate logistic regression. Conclusion Over 6 years, survival rates for NCTH patients undergoing REBOA in Korea have shown improvement. Despite diverse REBOA protocols across institutions, the results underscore the need for continued research, standardized practices, and national quality control measures to further optimize patient outcome and establish more effective treatment protocols for NCTH

Salvation of a solitary kidney in a patient with grade IV renal trauma: a case report

There are many reasons for solitary kidney. Congenital causes include renal agenesis and dysplasia. Acquired causes include nephrectomy performed for reasons including traumatic kidney injury, disease (e.g., renal cell carcinoma), and donation for kidney transplantation. According to the European Association of Urology, the World Society of Emergency Surgery, and the American Association for the Surgery of Trauma guidelines, it is important to preserve the remaining renal function as much as possible when a solitary kidney patient has suffered a traumatic kidney injury. The authors present a case of kidney preservation in a solitary kidney patient with a traumatic grade IV renal injury through non-operative management involving superselective renal artery angioembolization

An Early Experience of Resuscitative Endovascular Balloon Occlusion of the Aorta (REBOA) in the Republic of Korea: A Retrospective Multicenter Study

Purpose This retrospective multicenter study analyzed trauma patients who underwent resuscitative endovascular balloon occlusion of the aorta (REBOA) in the Republic of Korea. Methods This study was conducted from February 2017 to May 2018 at three regional trauma centers in the Republic of Korea. The patients were divided into two groups (cardiopulmonary resuscitation [CPR] and No-CPR) for comparative analysis based on two criteria (complication and mortality) for logistic regression analysis (LRA). Results There were significant differences between the CPR and No-CPR groups in mortality (p=0.003) and treatment administered (p=0.016). By LRA for complications, total occlusion has significantly lesser risk than intermittent or partial occlusion in both univariate (odds ratio [OR] 0.06, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.00-0.36, p=0.01) and multivariate (OR 0.05, 95% CI 0.00-0.38, p=0.01) analyses. The Rescue had a higher risk than the Coda or Reliant in univariate analysis (OR 4.91, 95% CI 1.14-34.25, p=0.05); however, it was not statistically significant in multivariate analysis (OR 6.98, 95% CI 1.03-74.52, p=0.07). By LRA for mortality, the CPR group was the only variable that had a significantly higher risk of mortality than the No-CPR group in both univariate (OR 17.59, 95% CI 3.05-335.25, p=0.01), and multivariate (OR 24.92, 95% CI 3.77-520.51, p=0.01) analyses. Conclusions This study was conducted in the early stages of REBOA implementation in the Republic of Korea and showed conflicting results from studies conducted by multiple institutions. Therefore, additional research with more accumulated data is needed