Celiac Artery Compression After a Spine Fracture, and Pericardium Rupture After Blunt Trauma: A Case Report from a Single Injury

( Joongsuck Kim ),( Hyun Min Cho ),( Sung Hwan Kim ),( Seong Hoon Jung ),( Jeong Eun Sohn ),( Kwangmin Lee ) 대한외상학회 2021 大韓外傷學會誌 Vol.34 No.2

Celiac artery compression is a rare condition in which the celiac artery is compressed by the median arcuate ligament. Case reports of compression after trauma are hard to find. Blunt traumatic pericardium rupture is also a rare condition. We report a single patient who experienced both rare conditions from a single blunt injury. An 18-year-old woman was brought to the trauma center after a fatal motorcycle accident, in which she was a passenger. The driver was found dead. Her vital signs were stable, but she complained of mild abdominal pain, chest wall pain, and severe back pain. There were no definite neurologic deficits. Her initial computed tomography (CT) scan revealed multiple rib fractures, moderate lung contusions with hemothorax, moderate liver injury, and severe lumbar spine fracture and dislocation. She was brought to the angiography room to check for active bleeding in the liver, which was not apparent. However, the guide wire was not able to pass through the celiac trunk. A review of the initial CT revealed kinking of the celiac trunk, which was assumed to be due to altered anatomy of the median arcuate ligament caused by spine fractures. Immediate fixation of the vertebrae was performed. During recovery, her hemothorax remained loculated. Suspecting empyema, thoracotomy was performed at 3 weeks after admission, revealing organized hematoma without pus formation, as well as rupture of the pericardium, which was immediately sutured, and decortication was carried out. Five weeks after admission, she had recovered without complications and was discharged home.

Hydronephrosis during Conservative Treatment for a Renal Injury Patient

( Maru Kim ),( Joongsuck Kim ),( Sung Jeep Kim ),( Hang Joo Cho ) 대한외상학회 2017 大韓外傷學會誌 Vol.30 No.2

A 21-year-old male visited our emergency room. He could not remember the mechanism of injury. He was found beside a motorcycle. Initial vital sign was stable. Observation and conservative treatment were planned at the intensive care unit (ICU). On the third day at ICU, he complained sudden flank pain. It was colicky and hard to control. Without the pain, he had no specific symptom, sign, or laboratory findings. On computed tomography, renal pelvis was filled with hematoma which induced hydronephrosis. Double-J catheter and percutaneous nephrostomy was implemented by an intervention radiologist. Hematome in the renal pelvis was aspirated during the procedure. Symptom of the patient was subsided after the procedure. He was discharged without specific complications. [ J Trauma Inj 2017; 30: 47-50 ]

Temporary Closure for Sternotomy in Patient with Massive Transfusion Might Be Lethal

( Maru Kim ),( Joongsuck Kim ),( Sung Jeep Kim ),( Hang Joo Cho ) 대한외상학회 2017 大韓外傷學會誌 Vol.30 No.1

A 58-year-old male visited our emergency room for multiple traumas from explosion. On initial evaluation, hemopneumoperitoneum with liver laceration (grade 4) and colon perforation was identified. Hemopericardium with cardiac tamponade was also identified. Shrapnel was detected in the right ventricle. Damage control surgery was planned due to condition of hypotension. In operation room, control over bleeding was achieved after sternotomy, pericardiotomy, and laparotomy. Massive transfusion was done during operation. After gauze packing, operation was terminated with temporary closure (TC). Sanguineous fluid was drained profusely. Disseminated intravascular coagulopathy was confirmed through laboratory findings. No extravasation was discovered at hepatic angiogram. On re-operation, there was no active bleeding but oozing from sternotomy site was identified. Bone bleeding was impossible to control. Finally, reoperation was ended after gauze packing and TC all over again. The patient could survive for only a day after re-operation. [ J Trauma Inj 2017; 30: 12-15 ]

Effectiveness after Designation of a Trauma Center: Experience with Operating a Trauma Team at a Private Hospital

( Kyoung Hwan Kim ),( Sung Ho Han ),( Soon-ho Chon ),( Joongsuck Kim ),( Oh Sang Kwon ),( Min Koo Lee ),( Hohyoung Lee ) 대한외상학회 2019 大韓外傷學會誌 Vol.32 No.1

Purpose: The present study aimed to evaluate the influence of how the trauma care system applied on the management of trauma patient within the region. Methods: We divided the patients in a pre-trauma system group and a post-trauma system group according to the time when we began to apply the trauma care system in the Halla Hospital after designation of a trauma center. We compared annual general characteristics, injury severity score, the average numbers of the major trauma patients, clinical outcomes of the emergency department, and mortality rates between the two groups. Results: No significant differences were found in the annual patients’ average age (54.1±20.0 vs. 52.8±18.2, p=0.201), transportation pathways (p=0.462), injury mechanism (p=0.486), injury severity score (22.93 vs. 23.96, p=0.877), emergency room (ER) stay in minutes (199.17 vs. 194.29, p=0.935), time to operation or procedure in minutes (154.07 vs. 142.1, p=0.767), time interval to intensive care unit (ICU) in minutes (219.54 vs. 237.13, p=0.662). The W score and Z score indicated better outcomes in post-trauma system group than in pre-trauma system group (W scores, 2.186 vs. 2.027; Z scores, 2.189 vs. 1.928). However, when analyzing survival rates for each department, in the neurosurgery department, in comparison with W score and Z score, both W score were positive and Z core was higher than +1.96. (pre-trauma group: 3.426, 2.335 vs. post-trauma group: 4.17, 1.967). In other than the neurosurgery department, W score was positive after selection, but Z score was less than +1.96, which is not a meaningful outcome of treatment (pre-trauma group: -0.358, -0.271 vs. post-trauma group: 1.071, 0.958). Conclusions: There were significant increases in patient numbers and improvement in survival rate after the introduction of the trauma system. However, there were no remarkable change in ER stay, time to ICU admission, time interval to emergent procedure or operation, and survival rates except neurosurgery. To achieve meaningful survival rates and the result of the rise of the trauma index, we will need to secure sufficient manpower, including specialists in various surgical area as well as rapid establishment of the trauma center.

Angioembolization performed by trauma surgeons for trauma patients: is it feasible in Korea? A retrospective study

Soonseong Kwon,Kyounghwan Kim,Soon Tak Jeong,Joongsuck Kim,Kwanghee Yeo,Ohsang Kwon,Sung Jin Park,Jihun Gwak,Wu Seong Kang The Korean Society of Traumatology 2024 大韓外傷學會誌 Vol.37 No.1

Purpose: Recent advancements in interventional radiology have made angioembolization an invaluable modality in trauma care. Angioembolization is typically performed by interventional radiologists. In this study, we aimed to investigate the safety and efficacy of emergency angioembolization performed by trauma surgeons. Methods: We identified trauma patients who underwent emergency angiography due to significant trauma-related hemorrhage between January 2020 and June 2023 at Jeju Regional Trauma Center. Until May 2022, two dedicated interventional radiologists performed emergency angiography at our center. However, since June 2022, a trauma surgeon with a background and experience in vascular surgery has performed emergency angiography for trauma-related bleeding. The indications for trauma surgeon-performed angiography included significant hemorrhage from liver injury, pelvic injury, splenic injury, or kidney injury. We assessed the angiography results according to the operator of the initial angiographic procedure. The term "failure of the first angioembolization" was defined as rebleeding from any cause, encompassing patients who underwent either re-embolization due to rebleeding or surgery due to rebleeding. Results: No significant differences were found between the interventional radiologists and the trauma surgeon in terms of re-embolization due to rebleeding, surgery due to rebleeding, or the overall failure rate of the first angioembolization. Mortality and morbidity rates were also similar between the two groups. In a multivariable logistic regression analysis evaluating failure after the first angioembolization, pelvic embolization emerged as the sole significant risk factor (adjusted odds ratio, 3.29; 95% confidence interval, 1.05-10.33; P=0.041). Trauma surgeon-performed angioembolization was not deemed a significant risk factor in the multivariable logistic regression model. Conclusions: Trauma surgeons, when equipped with the necessary endovascular skills and experience, can safely perform angioembolization. To further improve quality control, an enhanced training curriculum for trauma surgeons is warranted.

Emergency department laparotomy for patients with severe abdominal trauma: a retrospective study at a single regional trauma center in Korea

Yu Jin Lee,Soon Tak Jeong,Joongsuck Kim,Kwanghee Yeo,Ohsang Kwon,Kyounghwan Kim,Sung Jin Park,Jihun Gwak,Wu Seong Kang The Korean Society of Traumatology 2024 大韓外傷學會誌 Vol.37 No.1

Purpose: Severe abdominal injuries often require immediate clinical assessment and surgical intervention to prevent life-threatening complications. In Jeju Regional Trauma Center, we have instituted a protocol for emergency department (ED) laparotomy at the trauma bay. We investigated the mortality and time taken from admission to ED laparotomy. Methods: We reviewed the data recorded in our center's trauma database between January 2020 and December 2022 and identified patients who underwent laparotomy because of abdominal trauma. Laparotomies that were performed at the trauma bay or the ED were classified as ED laparotomy, whereas those performed in the operating room (OR) were referred to as OR laparotomy. In cases that required expeditious hemostasis, ED laparotomy was performed appropriately. Results: From January 2020 to December 2022, 105 trauma patients admitted to our hospital underwent emergency laparotomy. Of these patients, six (5.7%) underwent ED laparotomy. ED laparotomy was associated with a mortality rate of 66.7% (four of six patients), which was significantly higher than that of OR laparotomy (17.1%, 18 of 99 patients, P=0.006). All the patients who received ED laparotomy also underwent damage control laparotomy. The time between admission to the first laparotomy was significantly shorter in the ED laparotomy group (28.5 minutes; interquartile range [IQR], 14-59 minutes) when compared with the OR laparotomy group (104 minutes; IQR, 88-151 minutes; P<0.001). The two patients who survived after ED laparotomy had massive mesenteric bleeding, which was successfully ligated. The other four patients, who had liver laceration, kidney rupture, spleen injury, and pancreas avulsion, succumbed to the injuries. Conclusions: Although ED laparotomy was associated with a higher mortality rate, the time between admission and ED laparotomy was markedly shorter than for OR laparotomy. Notably, major mesenteric hemorrhages were effectively controlled through ED laparotomy.