Near complete aortic transection and its successful repair using a novel cardiopulmonary bypass technique

Abstract The case of a 38-year old female, victim of a road traffic accident who presented with a near complete aortic transection is presented. An emergent repair employing cardiopulmonary bypass was attempted in the operating room. Anticipating a high-risk of compromise to cerebral perfusion from air micro-emboli, the bypass was attempted with an innovative approach involving the successful cannulation of the pulmonary artery and descending aorta. The patient survived and was found to be doing well on subsequent post-operative visits

Dynamic hip screw fixation for inter-trochanteric fractures: determinants of outcomes

bstract OBJECTIVE: To evaluate factors associated with revision of dynamic hip screw implant in patients undergoing the procedure for the fixation of intertrochanteric fractures. METHODS: The retrospective study was conducted at the Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi, and comprised records of patients who had undergone dynamic hip screw fixation surgery between 2008 and 2012. Medical records and data for all patients were obtained from the medical records office. For all patients, the record files were systematically reviewed using a structured, pre-defined data extraction sheet. SPSS 20 was used statistical analysis. RESULTS: Out of 317 patients who had undergone the procedure, 8(2.5%) were excluded due to missing records. The study sample as such stood at 309(97.5%). Of them, 6(1.9%) required revision of the dynamic hip screw placed initially. High tip apex distance was found to be associated with the revision (p\u3c0.0001).Demographic parameters and co-morbid conditions were not associated with a need for revision surgery (p\u3e0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Patients requiring dynamic hip screw implant revision had higher tip apex distance than the rest. A lower value is advisable during placement of the screw to reduce the need for subsequent revision

Laparoscopic-assisted percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy tube insertion in the immediate post-partum period for head and neck cancer

Abstract Percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG) tube placement serves as a well-tolerated and efficacious technique for long-term enteral access in patients with medical conditions precluding oral food intake. The nutritional optimisation of patients with oral cancer is mostly achieved via PEG tube placement. However, certain special situations, such as pregnancy and the immediatepost-partum period, may render the placement of PEG tubes to be a challenge. A 28-year-old pregnant female patient presented to us with the diagnosis of squamous cell carcinoma of the tongue during her third trimester. Definitive surgical resection was planned post-delivery along with simultaneous PEG tube placement. Immediately following delivery via an elective Caesarean section, she successfully underwent laparoscopic-assisted PEG tube placement. A gravid uterus or an immediately post-partum distended uterus poses significant difficulties whilst attempting PEG insertion. However, laparoscopic-assisted PEG insertion in a controlled setting may make the process safer to perform

Hip fracture surgery: Does type of anesthesia matter?

Background: Hip fracture surgery is a common procedure, and the geriatric population with its multiple comorbid conditions is at most at risk of developing anesthesia-related complications. Data on the impact of type anesthesia on postoperative morbidity and mortality is limited.The effects of regional and general anesthesia on postoperative outcomes need to be clearly elucidated. Methods: In this study, all patients who underwent dynamic hip screw (DHS) fixation for intertrochanteric fractures, between January 2005 and December 2010, at the Aga Khan University Hospital, were included. Patients were divided into two groups; group A included those patients who received general anesthesia, and group B consisted of patients who had received regional anesthesia. The two groups were compared for differences in morbidity, mortality, and intraoperative complications based on the type of anesthesia administered. Results: During this period, 194 patients underwent DHS fixation. One hundred and seven patients received general anesthesia whereas eighty-seven patients received regional anesthesia. The mean operative time was significantly lower in the group receiving regional anesthesia (1.25 ± 0.39 hrs) as compared to those who received general anesthesia (1.54 ± 0.6 hrs) ( \u3c 0.05). There were no statistically significant differences in the rates of wound infections, length of hospital stay, postoperative ambulation status, intraoperative blood loss, postoperative complications, and mortality between the regional and general anesthesia groups. Conclusion: Even though administration of regional anesthesia was positively correlated with shorter operative duration, the type of anesthesia was not found to affect surgical outcomes in the two study groups. Based on these results, we recommend that anesthesia should be tailored to individual patient requirements

Pulmonary talcosis 10 years after brief teenage exposure to cosmetic talcum powder.

Pulmonary talcosis is a rare but debilitating variant of pneumoconiosis often presenting with isolated non-specific symptoms of progressive exertional dyspnoea or cough. Occupational exposure to talc dust and intravenous drug abuse are well-recognised aetiological factors with only a few cases related to cosmetic talc exposure being reported to date. The authors report a case of a young woman in whom a mere 4 month ritual of inhaling cosmetic talcum powder led to full-blown pulmonary talcosis being diagnosed 10 years later. The importance of a taking a pertinent history relating to environmental exposures in all patients presenting with respiratory symptoms is re-established here

Do delays in surgery affect outcomes in patients with inter-trochanteric fractures?

Abstract OBJECTIVE: To study the differences in outcomes of early versus delayed surgery in patients with intertrochanteric fractures. METHODS: The retrospective chart review was conducted at Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi, and comprised data of patients who underwent surgery for intertrochanteric hip fractures from 2005 to 2010. A gap of \u3e48hours between the event and the surgery was considered a delayed procedure and its impact on outcome was assessed. RESULTS: Of the 190 patients, 138(72.6%) were in the early group and 52(27.3%) in the delayed group. The most common cause for delay of surgery was electrolyte imbalance in 14(27%) patients. Patients with delayed surgery had more comorbidites and higher ASA grades compared to those that underwent early surgery (p CONCLUSIONS: In patients with multiple comorbid conditions, expedited optimisation for surgery may be warranted to reduce mortality

A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of oral montelukast in acute asthma exacerbation.

Background: Leukotriene receptor antagonists (LTRAs) are well established in the management of outpatient asthma. However, there is very little information as to their role in acute asthma exacerbations. We hypothesized that LTRAs may accelerate lung function recovery when given in an acute exacerbation. Methods: A randomized, double blind, placebo-controlled trial was conducted at the Aga Khan University Hospital to assess the efficacy of oral montelukast on patients of 16 years of age and above who were hospitalized with acute asthma exacerbation. The patients were given either montelukast or placebo along with standard therapy throughout the hospital stay for acute asthma. Improvements in lung function and duration of hospital stay were monitored. Results: 100 patients were randomized; their mean age was 52 years (SD +/− 18.50). The majority were females (79%) and non-smokers (89%). The mean hospital stay was 3.70 ± 1.93 days with 80% of patients discharged in 3 days. There was no significant difference in clinical symptoms, PEF over the course of hospital stay (p = 0.20 at day 2 and p = 0.47 at day 3) and discharge (p = 0.15), FEV1 at discharge (p = 0.29) or length of hospital stay (p = 0.90) between the two groups. No serious adverse effects were noted during the course of the study. Conclusion: Our study suggests that there is no benefit of addition of oral montelukast over conventional treatment in the management of acute asthma attack

Effects of a high-dose 24-h infusion of tranexamic acid on death and thromboembolic events in patients with acute gastrointestinal bleeding (HALT-IT): an international randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial

Background: Tranexamic acid reduces surgical bleeding and reduces death due to bleeding in patients with trauma. Meta-analyses of small trials show that tranexamic acid might decrease deaths from gastrointestinal bleeding. We aimed to assess the effects of tranexamic acid in patients with gastrointestinal bleeding. Methods: We did an international, multicentre, randomised, placebo-controlled trial in 164 hospitals in 15 countries. Patients were enrolled if the responsible clinician was uncertain whether to use tranexamic acid, were aged above the minimum age considered an adult in their country (either aged 16 years and older or aged 18 years and older), and had significant (defined as at risk of bleeding to death) upper or lower gastrointestinal bleeding. Patients were randomly assigned by selection of a numbered treatment pack from a box containing eight packs that were identical apart from the pack number. Patients received either a loading dose of 1 g tranexamic acid, which was added to 100 mL infusion bag of 0·9% sodium chloride and infused by slow intravenous injection over 10 min, followed by a maintenance dose of 3 g tranexamic acid added to 1 L of any isotonic intravenous solution and infused at 125 mg/h for 24 h, or placebo (sodium chloride 0·9%). Patients, caregivers, and those assessing outcomes were masked to allocation. The primary outcome was death due to bleeding within 5 days of randomisation; analysis excluded patients who received neither dose of the allocated treatment and those for whom outcome data on death were unavailable. This trial was registered with Current Controlled Trials, ISRCTN11225767, and ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT01658124. Findings: Between July 4, 2013, and June 21, 2019, we randomly allocated 12 009 patients to receive tranexamic acid (5994, 49·9%) or matching placebo (6015, 50·1%), of whom 11 952 (99·5%) received the first dose of the allocated treatment. Death due to bleeding within 5 days of randomisation occurred in 222 (4%) of 5956 patients in the tranexamic acid group and in 226 (4%) of 5981 patients in the placebo group (risk ratio [RR] 0·99, 95% CI 0·82–1·18). Arterial thromboembolic events (myocardial infarction or stroke) were similar in the tranexamic acid group and placebo group (42 [0·7%] of 5952 vs 46 [0·8%] of 5977; 0·92; 0·60 to 1·39). Venous thromboembolic events (deep vein thrombosis or pulmonary embolism) were higher in tranexamic acid group than in the placebo group (48 [0·8%] of 5952 vs 26 [0·4%] of 5977; RR 1·85; 95% CI 1·15 to 2·98). Interpretation: We found that tranexamic acid did not reduce death from gastrointestinal bleeding. On the basis of our results, tranexamic acid should not be used for the treatment of gastrointestinal bleeding outside the context of a randomised trial

Abdominal gunshot wounds-a comparative assessment of severity measures.

Abstract BACKGROUND: Penetrating abdominal trauma is a common feature of trauma treated in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). The penetrating abdominal trauma index (PATI) and the injury severity score (ISS) are severity-measures most often used to gauge injury severity. It remains unclear which measure better accounts for the severity of sustained injuries. This study compares the predictive ability of both injury severity measures in patients presenting to an LMIC in South Asia. METHODS: All isolated gunshot wounds to the abdomen presenting to a university hospital between 2011 and 2012 were included. ISS and PATI were calculated for each case. Primary outcome measures included all-cause mortality and complications. Multivariable analysis adjusting for age, sex, referral status, hypotension, tachycardia, and injury severity measures was performed. The area under the receiver operating characteristic (AUROC) curve were further calculated to compare the respective abilities of ISS and PATI at predicting death and complications. RESULTS: A total of 70 patients were included. The average age on presentation was 34.5 y (±11.4) within a predominantly male (n = 68, 97.1%) cohort. Most gunshot wounds were intentionally inflicted (n = 67, 95.7%). The crude rates of death and complications were 34.3% and 15.7%, respectively. The median ISS was 14 (interquartile range: 11-21), and the median PATI was 16 (interquartile range: 9-26). AUROC analysis revealed that ISS was comparable with PATI at predicting mortality (AUROC [95% confidence interval]: 0.952 [0.902-1.00] versus 0.934 [0.860-1.00]) and complications (AUROC [95% confidence interval]: 0.868 [0.778-0.959] versus 0.895 [0.815-0.975]). CONCLUSIONS: The predictive ability of ISS and PATI severity measures was found to be comparable. The results suggest that both measures can be used to risk-stratify patients with isolated abdominal gunshot wounds in an LMIC

Impact of a predefined hospital mass casualty response plan in a limited resource setting with no pre-hospital care system

Introduction: Pre-hospital triage is an intricate part of any mass casualty response system. However, in settings where no such system exists, it is not known if hospital-based disaster response efforts are beneficial. This study describes in-hospital disaster response management and patient outcomes following a mass casualty event (MCE) involving 200 victims in a lower-middle income country in South Asia. Methods: We performed a single-center, retrospective review of bombing victims presenting to a trauma center in the spring of 2013, after a high energy car bomb leveled a residential building. Descriptive analysis was utilized to present demographic variables and physical injuries. Results: A disaster plan was devised based on the canons of North-American trauma care; some adaptations to the local environment were incorporated. Relevant medical and surgical specialties were mobilized to the ED awaiting a massive influx of patients. ED waiting room served as the triage area. Operating rooms, ICU and blood bank were alerted. Seventy patients presented to the ED. Most victims (88%) were brought directly without prehospital triage or resuscitation. Four were pronounced dead on arrival. The mean age of victims was 27 (±14) years with a male preponderance (78%). Penetrating shrapnel injury was the most common mechanism of injury (71%). Most had a systolic blood pressure (SBP) \u3e90 with a mean of 120.3 (±14.8). Mean pulse was 90.2 (±21.6) and most patients had full GCS. Extremities were the most common body region involved (64%) with orthopedics service being consulted most frequently. Surgery was performed on 36 patients, including 4 damage control surgeries. All patients survived. Conclusion: This overwhelming single mass-casualty incident was met with a swift multidisciplinary response. In countries with no prehospital triage system, implementing a pre-existing disaster plan with pre-defined interdisciplinary responsibilities can streamline in-hospital management of casualtie