Ravi R. Rajani

Evaluation and management of penetrating lower extremity arterial trauma: An Eastern Association for the Surgery of Trauma practice management guideline

BACKGROUND Extremity arterial injury after penetrating trauma is common in military conflict or urban trauma centers. Most peripheral arterial injuries occur in the femoral and popliteal vessels of the lower extremity. The Eastern Association for the Surgery of Trauma first published practice management guidelines for the evaluation and treatment of penetrating lower extremity arterial trauma in 2002. Since that time, there have been advancements in the management of penetrating lower extremity arterial trauma. As a result, the Practice Management Guidelines Committee set out to develop updated guidelines. METHODS A MEDLINE computer search was performed using PubMed (www.pubmed.gov). The search retrieved English language articles regarding penetrating lower extremity trauma from 1998 to 2011. References of these articles were also used to locate articles not identified through the MEDLINE search. Letters to the editor, case reports, book chapters, and review articles were excluded. The topics investigated were prehospital management, diagnostic evaluation, use of imaging technology, the role of temporary intravascular shunts, use of tourniquets, and the role of endovascular intervention. RESULTS Forty-three articles were identified. From this group, 20 articles were selected to construct the guidelines. CONCLUSION There have been changes in practice since the publication of the previous guidelines in 2002. Expedited triage of patients is possible with physical examination and/or the measurement of ankle-brachial indices. Computed tomographic angiography has become the diagnostic study of choice when imaging is required. Tourniquets and intravascular shunts have emerged as adjuncts in the treatment of penetrating lower extremity arterial trauma. The role of endovascular intervention warrants further investigation.

Endovascular management of axillo-subclavian arterial injury: A review of published experience

BACKGROUND The role of endovascular treatment for vascular trauma, including injury to the subclavian and axillary arteries, continues to evolve. Despite growing experience with the utilization of these techniques in the setting of artherosclerotic and aneurysmal disease, published reports in traumatic subclavian and axillary arterial injuries remain confined to sporadic case reports and case series. METHODS We conducted a review of the medical literature from 1990 to 2012 using Pubmed and OVID Medline databases to search for all reports documenting the use of endovascular stenting for the treatment of subclavian or axillary artery injuries. Thirty-two published reports were identified. Individual manuscripts were analysed to abstract data regarding mechanism, location and type of injury, endovascular technique and endograft type utilized, follow-up, and radiographic and clinical outcomes. RESULTS The use of endovascular stenting for the treatment of subclavian (150) or axillary (10) artery injuries was adequately described for only 160 patients from 1996 to the present. Endovascular treatment was employed after penetrating injury (56.3%; 29 GSW; 61 SW), blunt trauma (21.3%), iatrogenic catheter-related injury (21.8%) and surgical injury (0.6%). Injuries treated included pseudoaneurysm (77), AV fistula (27), occlusion (16), transection (8), perforation (22), dissection (6), or other injuries otherwise not fully described (4). Initial endovascular stent placement was successful in 96.9% of patients. Radiographic and clinical follow-up periods ranging from hospital discharge to 70 months revealed a follow-up patency of 84.4%. No mortalities related to endovascular intervention were reported. New neurologic deficits after the use of endovascular modalities were reported in only one patient. CONCLUSION Endovascular treatment of traumatic subclavian and axillary artery injuries continues to evolve. Early results are promising, but experience with this modality and data on late follow-up remain limited. Additional multicenter prospective study and capture of data for these patients is warranted to further define the role of this treatment modality in the setting of trauma.

Surgical trauma referrals from rural level III hospitals: should our community colleagues be doing more, or less?

BACKGROUND Rural citizens die more frequently because of trauma than their urban counterparts. Skill maintenance is a potential issue among rural surgeons because of infrequent exposure to severely injured patients. The primary goal was to evaluate the outcomes of multiple injuries patients who required a laparotomy after referral from level III trauma centers. METHODS All severely injured patients (injury severity score >12) referred to a level I trauma center from level III hospitals, during a 48-month period were evaluated. Comparisons between referrals (level III and IV) as well as survivors and nonsurvivors used standard statistical methodology. RESULTS One thousand two hundred and thirty patients (35%) were transferred from level III (33%) and level IV (67%) centers (43% underwent an operative procedure). Only 13% required a laparotomy, whereas 87% needed procedures from other subspecialists. Referred patients had a mean injury severity score of 28, length of stay of 28 days, and mortality rate of 26%. More patients arrived hemodynamically unstable from level IV (55%) versus level III (35%) hospitals (p < 0.05). Nonsurvivors from level III centers were more likely to transfer via aircraft (100%) than from level IV hospitals (55%) (p < 0.05). Most (91%) definitive general surgery procedures could have been completed by surgeons at level III centers; however, 90% also had multisystem injuries requiring treatment by other subspecialists. CONCLUSIONS Most severely injured patient referrals from level III and IV trauma centers in Western Canada are appropriate. The lack of consistent subspecialty coverage mandates most transfers from level III hospitals. This data will be used to engage rural Alberta physicians in an educational outreach program.

Gender and frailty predict poor outcomes in infrainguinal vascular surgery

BACKGROUND Women have poorer outcomes after vascular surgery as compared to men as shown by studies recently. Frailty is also an independent risk factor for postoperative morbidity and mortality. This study examines the interplay of gender and frailty on outcomes after infrainguinal vascular procedures. MATERIALS AND METHODS The American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program database was used to identify all patients who underwent infrainguinal vascular procedures from 2005-2012. Frailty was measured using a modified frailty index (mFI; derived from the Canadian Study of Health and Aging). Univariate and multivariate analysis were performed to investigate the association of preoperative frailty and gender, on postoperative outcomes. RESULTS Of 24,645 patients (92% open, 8% endovascular), there were 533 deaths (2.2%) and 6198 (25.1%) major complications within 30 d postoperatively. Women were more frail (mean mFI = 0.269) than men (mean mFI = 0.259; P < 0.001). Women and frail patients (mFI>0.25) were more likely to have a major morbidity (P < 0.001) or mortality (P < 0.001) with the highest risk in frail women. On multivariate logistic regression analysis, female gender and increasing mFI were independently significantly associated with mortality (P < 0.05) as well as major complications. The interaction of gender and frailty in multivariate analysis showed the highest adjusted 30-d mortality and morbidity in frail females at 2.8% and 30.1%, respectively and that was significantly higher (P < 0.001) than nonfrail males, nonfrail females and frail males. CONCLUSIONS Female gender and frailty are both associated with increased risk of complications and death following infrainguinal vascular procedures with the highest risk in frail females. Further studies are needed to explore the mechanisms of interaction of gender and frailty and its effect on long-term outcomes for peripheral vascular disease.

Improved trends in patient survival and decreased major complications after emergency ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm repair

BACKGROUND Improved trends in patient survival and decreased major complications after emergency ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) repair. Emergency AAA repair carries a high risk of morbidity and mortality. This study seeks to examine morbidity and mortality trends from the National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (NSQIP) database, and identify potential risk factors. METHODS All emergency AAA repairs were identified using the NSQIP database from 2005 to 2011. Univariate analysis (using the Student t, χ(2), and Fishers exact tests) and multivariate logistic regression was performed to examine trends in mortality and morbidity. RESULTS Out of 2761 patients who underwent emergency AAA repair, 321 (11.6%) died within 24 hours of surgery. Of the remaining 2440 patients, 1133 (46.4%) experienced major complications and 459 (18.8%) died during the postoperative period. From 2005 to 2011, there was a significant decrease in patient mortality, particularly in patients who survived the perioperative period (P = .002). Total complications increased overall (P < .0001); however, major complications decreased from 58.7% in 2005 to 42.6% in 2011 (P < .0001) among patients who survived beyond 24 hours. The use of endovascular aortic repair (EVAR) increased over the study period (P < .0001). On multivariate analysis of patients who survived past the initial 24-hour period, advancing age (odds ratio [OR], 1.1; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.0-1.1), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (OR, 2.6; 95% CI, 1.7-4.1), dependent functional status (OR, 2.0; 95% CI, 1.2-3.2), and presence of a major complication (OR, 3.1; 95% CI, 2.0-5.0) were significantly associated with death, whereas presence of a senior resident (OR, 0.4; 95% CI, 0.3-0.6) or fellow (OR 0.3; 95% CI, 0.2-0.6) was inversely associated with death. EVAR was not associated with death, but was associated with 30-day complications (OR, 0.5; 95% CI, 0.3-0.6). CONCLUSIONS Patient survival has increased from 2005 to 2011 after emergency AAA repair, with a significant improvement particularly in patients who survive past the first 24 hours. EVAR was not associated with mortality, but was protective of 30-day complications. Although the total number of complications increased, the number of major complications decreased over the study period, suggesting that newer techniques and patient care protocols may be improving outcomes.

Preoperative frailty is predictive of complications after major lower extremity amputation.

Objective: Preoperative clinical frailty is increasingly used as a surrogate for predicting postoperative outcomes. Patients undergoing major lower extremity amputation (LEA) carry a high risk of perioperative morbidity and mortality, including high 30‐day mortality and readmission rates. We hypothesized that preoperative frailty would be associated with an increased risk of postoperative mortality and readmission. Methods: A retrospective review was performed for all patients who underwent transfemoral or transtibial amputation for any indication within a multi‐institution system during a 5‐year period. Standard demographics and all components of the Modified Frailty Index (mFI) were used to determine preoperative frailty status for each patient. The primary outcome was 30‐day mortality, with secondary outcomes of 30‐day readmission, unplanned revision, and composite adverse events. Results: Among 379 patients who underwent LEA, the overall readmission and mortality rates for the group were 22.69% and 6.06%, respectively. Readmission rates increased with increasing mFI score: rates were 8.6%, 13.5%, 16.3%, 19.7%, 31.4%, and 37.0% for mFI scores of 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, and ≥5, respectively (P = .015). On multivariate logistic regression, only mFI (odds ratio, 1.49, 95% confidence interval, 1.24–1.77) and sex (odds ratio, 1.81, 95% confidence interval, 1.00–2.98) were significant predictors of 30‐day readmission. Conclusions: Preoperative clinical frailty is associated with an increased 30‐day readmission rate in patients undergoing LEA and should be incorporated into preoperative counseling and risk stratification, as well as postoperative planning and care.

Airway management for victims of penetrating trauma: analysis of 50,000 cases

BACKGROUND Current recommendations for victims of penetrating trauma include prompt transportation to a trauma center. It remains unclear whether field intubation allows for improvements in mortality rate. METHODS A retrospective review of the National Trauma Data Bank of adult victims of penetrating trauma was performed. Standard demographic data, method, and location of airway management were examined. Mortality rate was used as the primary outcome measure. RESULTS There were 56,094 victims of penetrating trauma identified. A total of 1,925 patients required a prehospital airway. The mortality rate for patients who underwent airway management at the scene was 69.2%, compared with a rate of 35.9% for patients in whom airway management was deferred. The mortality rate for patients undergoing surgical airway management at the scene was only 23.9%. CONCLUSIONS Victims of penetrating trauma who require any airway management have a high mortality rate. The cause of this difference awaits further prospective investigation.

Venous air emboli and computed axial tomography power contrast injectors

A 47-year-old female presented to our level 1 trauma center following a single vehicle rollover. The computed tomography power injector was not appropriately primed with contrast, resulting in a large venous air embolus.

Anatomic Characteristics of Aortic Transection: Centerline Analysis to Facilitate Graft Selection

BACKGROUND Traumatic transection of the thoracic aorta is a life-threatening complication that most commonly occurs after high-speed motor vehicle collisions. Although such injuries were previously treated with open surgical reconstruction, they are now more commonly being treated with endovascularly placed stent grafts. Unfortunately, most stent grafts are designed for treating aortic aneurysmal disease instead of traumatic injury. Further refinements in stent graft technology depend on a thorough anatomic understanding of the transection injury process. METHODS All patients with computed tomography (CT) evidence of blunt aortic injury (BAI) between 2006 and 2012 at a Level 1 trauma center were queried. Their initial CT scans were imported into the Intuition (Terarecon, Inc.) viewing program, and off-line centerline reconstruction was performed. Standard demographic data were collected in addition to anatomic characteristics, including aortic diameters and the relationship of the injury to the arch vessels. RESULTS Thirty-five patients were identified. Three patients were injured proximal to the left subclavian artery. The average length from the left subclavian artery to the proximal site of injury was 16.2 mm (range 2-31 mm). Most patients had >15 mm of landing zone beyond the left subclavian artery. The range of proximal diameters ranged from 17 to 32 mm, with an average aortic diameter of 23.9 mm. The average length of injured aortic segment was 27 mm. CONCLUSIONS In this contemporary series from a large trauma center, 91% of patients are anatomically able to be treated with a stent graft that does not require coverage of the left common carotid artery. Most patients have an aortic diameter that falls between 21 and 26 mm in diameter, as well as a short segment of injured artery. Centers interested in emergently treating aortic transections are able to do so while maintaining a limited stock of stent grafts that can be used to treat the majority of the population.

Inferior gluteal artery pseudoaneurysm 37 years after transpelvic gunshot wound

Vascular injury secondary to blunt or penetrating trauma may result in pseudoaneurysm. Most injuries are recognized acutely following trauma, although cases of missed injury have been reported. Delay from initial injury to diagnosis of pseudoaneurysm usually ranges from weeks to months, and rarely exceeds a year [1,2]. We report a case of post-traumatic inferior gluteal artery pseudoaneurysm diagnosed 37 years after a gunshot injury to the pelvis and successfully treated with transcatheter embolization.