Omental whirl associated with bilateral inguinal hernia: a case report

INTRODUCTION: Torsion of the omentum is a rare cause of abdominal pain. It is clinically similar to common causes of acute surgical abdomen and is often diagnosed during surgery. Inguinal hernia is a common condition but not frequently related with torsion of the omentum. CASE PRESENTATION: A 40-year-old Caucasian man came to our emergency department with abdominal pain of the left quadrant and abdominal distension for 2 days. His medical history included an untreated left inguinal hernia in the last year. Computed tomography revealed densification of mesocolon with left omentum "whirl" component and other signs of omental torsion. During an exploratory laparoscopy, a wide twist of his omentum with necrotic alterations that extended to the bilateral inguinal hernial content was observed. Omentectomy and surgical repair of bilateral inguinal hernia were performed. CONCLUSIONS: Torsion of the omentum is a rare entity and usually presents a diagnostic challenge. The use of abdominal computed tomography can help diagnosing torsion of the omentum preoperatively and, thus, prevents a surgical approach. Nonetheless, some cases of torsion of the omentum require surgical repair. Accordingly, a laparoscopic approach is minimally invasive and efficient in performing omentectomy.(undefined

Childhood trauma fatality and resource allocation in injury control programs in a developing country

BACKGROUND: Only a few studies have addressed the trimodal distribution of childhood trauma fatalities in lesser developed countries. We conducted this study to evaluate pre-hospital, Emergency Department (ED) and in-hospital distribution of childhood injury-related death for each mechanism of injury in Tehran, Iran. This information will be used for the efficient allocation of the limited injury control resources in the city. METHODS: We used Tehran's Legal Medicine Organization (LMO) database. This is the largest and the most complete database that receives information about trauma fatalities from more than 100 small and large hospitals in Tehran. We reviewed all the medical records and legal documents of the deceased registered in LMO from September 1999 to September 2000. Demographic and injury related characteristics of the children 15 years old or younger were extracted from the records. RESULTS: Ten percent of the 4,233 trauma deaths registered in LMO occurred among children 15 years old or younger. Motor vehicle crashes (MVCs) (50%), burns (18%), falls (6%) and poisonings (6%) were the most common mechanisms of unintentional fatal injuries. Prehospital, emergency department and hospital deaths comprised 42%, 20% and 37% of the trauma fatalities, respectively. While, more than 80% of fatal injuries due to poisoning and drowning occurred in prehospital setting, 92% of burn-related fatalities happened after hospital admission. CONCLUSION: Injury prevention is the single most important solution for controlling trauma fatalities due to poisoning and drowning. Improvements in the quality of care in hospitals and intensive care units might substantially alleviate the magnitude of the problem due to burns. Improvements in prehospital and ED care might significantly decrease MVC and falls-related fatalities

Barriers and facilitators to provide effective pre-hospital trauma care for road traffic injury victims in Iran: a grounded theory approach

BACKGROUND: Road traffic injuries are a major global public health problem. Improvements in pre-hospital trauma care can help minimize mortality and morbidity from road traffic injuries (RTIs) worldwide, particularly in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) with a high rate of RTIs such as Iran. The current study aimed to explore pre-hospital trauma care process for RTI victims in Iran and to identify potential areas for improvements based on the experience and perception of pre-hospital trauma care professionals. METHODS: A qualitative study design using a grounded theory approach was selected. The data, collected via in-depth interviews with 15 pre-hospital trauma care professionals, were analyzed using the constant comparative method. RESULTS: Seven categories emerged to describe the factors that hinder or facilitate an effective pre-hospital trauma care process: (1) administration and organization, (2) staff qualifications and competences, (3) availability and distribution of resources, (4) communication and transportation, (5) involved organizations, (6) laypeople and (7) infrastructure. The core category that emerged from the other categories was defined as "interaction and common understanding". Moreover, a conceptual model was developed based on the categories. CONCLUSIONS: Improving the interaction within the current pre-hospital trauma care system and building a common understanding of the role of the Emergency Medical Services (EMS) emerged as key issues in the development of an effective pre-hospital trauma care process

Calculation of probability of survival based on TRISS model in three hospitals in Tehran, 1996-97

Different aspects of the effect of trauma on the health status of populations have been studied annually 35 millions deaths, 3.5 millions disabilities and a sum of 500 billions $ cost. Evaluating different modes of prevention, a comprehensive study was carried out in the US during the 7th and 8th decades, introducing the TRISS method for the purpose of comparing the outcomes of trauma cases among multiple centers. This study has been carried out during 1996-97 in there hospitals of Tehran. After entering the hospital, all trauma cases were traced by trained interviewers until leaving the hospital. Based on the TRISS model, probability of survival was calculated for each patient and compared with the results of the MTOS study. Among 4863 cases evaluated, 300 (6.2%) deaths were observed, which is significantly more than the expected number (222 deaths, 2.7%) calculated under TRISS model. This difference may indicate a difference in the quality of trauma care

Prognosis of Carotid Endarterectomy in High Risk Patients

Introduction: Carotid Endarterectomy (CE) can be mentioned as a valuable theraputic method for primary and secondary prevention of stroke, provided it can be performed in vascular surgery centers with a low surgical risk. Thus, the present study aimed to assess prognosis of CE in high risk patients of an Iranian vascular surgery center. Methods: This prospective observational study consisted of 50 high risk CE patients during 2011-14 in Mashhad University of Medical Sciences. All the high risk CE were performed by a vascular surgeon and a surgical carotid shunt was placed in each CE. Neurologic evaluation was performed before CE and serial neurologic axamination was done after CE by a neurologist. Surgical complications including stroke, death and lower cranial nerve palsy were recorded for 30 days after operation. Results: The study results revealed that 80% of high risk CE patients had symptomatic carotid stenosis on the operation side and 80% had carotid stenosis contralateral to the operation side. Thirteen high risk CE were performed simultaneously with coronary artery by pass graft and 24 patients were demonstrated to have diabetes. Post surgical death and stroke in the high risk CE patients were reported 2% and 4%, respectively. Lower cranial nerve palsy appeared in 2% of patients. Conclusion: The 6% post operative stroke and death rate in the high risk CE patients are comparable to best vascular surgery centers in Europe and North America