Bilateral ureteropelvic disruption following blunt abdominal trauma: Case report

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Ureteral injury occurs in less than 1% of blunt abdominal trauma cases, partly because the ureters are relatively well protected in the retroperitoneum. Bilateral ureteral injury is extremely rare, with only 10 previously reported cases. Diagnosis may be delayed if ureteric injury is not suspected, and delay of 36 hours or longer has been observed in more than 50% of patients with ureteric injury following abdominal trauma, leading to increased morbidity.</p> <p>Case presentation</p> <p>A 29-year-old man was involved in a highway motor vehicle collision and was ejected from the front passenger seat even though wearing a seatbelt. He was in a preshock state at the scene of the accident. An intravenous line and left thoracic drain were inserted, and he was transported to our hospital by helicopter. Whole-body, contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CT) scan showed left diaphragmatic disruption, splenic injury, and a grade I injury to the left kidney with a retroperitoneal haematoma. He underwent emergency laparotomy. The left diaphragmatic and splenic injuries were repaired. Although a retroperitoneal haematoma was observed, his renal injury was treated conservatively because the haematoma was not expanding. In the intensive care unit, the patient's haemodynamic state was stable, but there was no urinary output for 9 hours after surgery. Anuresis prompted a review of the abdominal x-ray which had been performed after the contrast-enhanced CT. Leakage of contrast material from the ureteropelvic junctions was detected, and review of the repeat CT scan revealed contrast retention in the perirenal retroperitoneum bilaterally. He underwent cystoscopy and bilateral retrograde pyelography, which showed bilateral complete ureteral disruption, preventing placement of ureteral stents. Diagnostic laparotomy revealed complete disruption of the ureteropelvic junctions bilaterally. Double-J ureteral stents were placed bilaterally and ureteropelvic anastomoses were performed. The patient's postoperative progress was satisfactory and he was discharged on the 23^rdday.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Diagnosis of ureteral injury was delayed, although delayed phase contrast-enhanced CT and abdominal x-rays performed after CT revealed the diagnosis early. Prompt detection and early repair prevented permanent renal damage and the necessity for nephrectomy.</p

The role of protected areas in the avoidance of anthropogenic conversion in a high pressure region : a matching method analysis in the core region of the brazilian cerrado

Global efforts to avoid anthropogenic conversion of natural habitat rely heavily on the establishment of protected areas. Studies that evaluate the effectiveness of these areas with a focus on preserving the natural habitat define effectiveness as a measure of the influence of protected areas on total avoided conversion. Changes in the estimated effectiveness are related to local and regional differences, evaluation methods, restriction categories that include the protected areas, and other characteristics. The overall objective of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of protected areas to prevent the advance of the conversion of natural areas in the core region of the Brazil’s Cerrado Biome, taking into account the influence of the restriction degree, governmental sphere, time since the establishment of the protected area units, and the size of the area on the performance of protected areas. The evaluation was conducted using matching methods and took into account the following two fundamental issues: control of statistical biases caused by the influence of covariates on the likelihood of anthropogenic conversion and the non-randomness of the allocation of protected areas throughout the territory (spatial correlation effect) and the control of statistical bias caused by the influence of auto-correlation and leakage effect. Using a sample design that is not based on ways to control these biases may result in outcomes that underestimate or overestimate the effectiveness of those units. The matching method accounted for a bias reduction in 94–99% of the estimation of the average effect of protected areas on anthropogenic conversion and allowed us to obtain results with a reduced influence of the auto-correlation and leakage effects. Most protected areas had a positive influence on the maintenance of natural habitats, although wide variation in this effectiveness was dependent on the type, restriction, governmental sphere, size and age group of the unit

Bladder injuries after external trauma: 20 years experience report in a population-based cross-sectional view

Report 20 years experience of bladder injuries after external trauma. Gender, age, mechanism/location of damage, associated injuries, systolic blood pressure (SBP), Revised Trauma Score (RTS), Injury Severity Score (ISS), Trauma Injury Severity Score (TRISS), complications, and length of stay (LOS) were analyzed in a prospective collected bladder injuries AAST-OIS grade a parts per thousand yenII database (American Association for the Surgery of Trauma Organ Injury Scaling) from 1990 to 2009 in a trauma reference center. Among 2,575 patients experiencing laparotomy for trauma, 111 (4.3 %) presented bladder ruptures grade a parts per thousand yenII, being 83.8 % (n = 93) males, mean age 31.5 years old (+/- 11.2). Blunt mechanism accounted for 50.5 % (n = 56)-motor vehicle crashes 47.3 % (n = 26), pedestrians hit by a car (29.1 %). Gunshot wounds represented 87.3 % of penetrating mechanism. The most frequent injury was grade IV (51 patients, 46 %). The mean ISS was 23.8 (+/- 11.2), TRISS 0.90 (+/- 0.24), and RTS 7.26 (+/- 1.48). Severity (AAST-OIS), mechanism (blunt/penetrating), localization of the bladder injury (intra/extraperitoneal, associated), and neither concomitant rectum lesion were related to complications, LOS, or death. Mortality rate was 10.8 %. ISS > 25 (p = 0.0001), SBP < 90 mmHg (p = 0.0001), RTS < 7.84 (p = 0.0001), and pelvic fracture (p = 0.0011) were highly associated with grim prognosis and death with hazard ratios of 5.46, 2.70, 2.22, and 2.06, respectively. Trauma scores and pelvic fractures impact survival in bladder trauma. The mortality rate has remained stable for the last two decades.31491391

Penetrating cardiac trauma: 20-y experience from a university teaching hospital

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)Background: Penetrating traumas, including gunshot and stab wounds, are the major causes of cardiac trauma. Our aim was to describe and compare the variables between patients with penetrating cardiac trauma in the past 20 y in a university hospital, identifying risk factors for morbidity and death. Methods: Review of trauma registry data followed by descriptive statistical analysis comparing the periods 1990-1999 (group 1, 54 cases) and 2000-2009 (group 2, 39 cases). Clinical data at hospital admission, Injury Severity Score (ISS), Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS), and Revised Trauma Score (RTS) were recorded. Results: The incidences of penetrating cardiac injuries were steady within the period of study in the chosen metropolitan area. The two groups were similar regarding age, mechanism of trauma (gunshot x stab), and ISS. Group 1 showed lower systolic blood pressure at admission (mean 87 versus 109 mm Hg), lower GCS (12.9 versus 14.1), lower RTS (6.4 versus 7.3), higher incidence of grade IV-V cardiac lesions (74% versus 48.7%), and were less likely to survive (0.83 versus 0.93). The major risk factor for death was gunshot wound (13 times higher than stab wound), systolic blood pressure < 90 mm Hg, GCS < 8, RTS < 7.84, associated injuries, grade IV-V injury, and ISS > 25. We observed a tendency in mortality reduction from 20.3% to 10.3% within the period of observation. Conclusions: Several associated factors for mortality and morbidity were identified. In the last decade, patients were admitted in better physiological condition, perhaps reflecting an improvement on prehospital treatment. We observed a trend toward a lower mortality rate. (c) 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.1832792797Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)FAPESP [FAPESP - 09/52986-1

Urinary Tract Trauma

Only 43% of ureteral trauma cases present with hematuria, and therefore there are no pathognomonic signs of ureteral trauma. The diagnosis is usually performed by the visualization of contrast leakage into the retroperitoneum on helical computed tomography (CT) with late cuts. Excretory urography and retrograde pyelography are more precise exams. Grade I and II injuries can be treated by ureteral stent implantation or nephrostomy. Isolated blunt bladder trauma is rare, and normally it is associated with pelvic fractures. Hematuria (occurs in 95% of cases), abdominal pain, inability to urinate, gross scrotal or perineal hematoma, and abdominal distention are the most common signs and symptoms. Diagnosis is generally made by retrograde cystography. Extraperitoneal injuries are usually treated by closed-system urethral catheterization. Intraperitoneal injuries require surgical exploration and correction

The Development of modelling methods and interface tools supporting a risk based approach to fire safety in ship design

The FIREPROOF project aims to develop a risk based performance assessment framework for fire safety in passenger ship design. Building on previous work on probabilistic damaged stability, this framework requires developments in modelling, simulation and analysis in several areas to allow the probabilistic representation of ship performance. To support the FIREPROOF framework, an outline Ship Product Model (SPM) was developed, demonstrating the modelling and information storage methods required of future CAD tools to be compatible with the risk based approach. This supported the use of simulation based analysis on a model representative of early stage ship design. Winner of best paper at COMPIT 2012