Staged Strategy for Early Abdominal Wall Closure in a Case Involving Ruptured Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Requiring Open Abdomen in Which Primary Fascial Closure was Difficult to Achieve: A Case Report.

Open abdomen is sometimes necessary to save lives after ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm repair. We report a case in which a staged strategy for early abdominal wall closure was applied to prevent the severe complications due to the extended period of open abdomen. An 81-year-old man with ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm was transported to our hospital. After the first operation, which required open abdomen, prolonged visceral edema and retroperitoneal hematoma made primary fascial closure difficult. Mesh mediated fascial traction was undergone to reduce the gap in fascial dehiscence under negative pressure wound therapy. However, primary fascial closure could not be accomplished, and abdominal wall reconstruction was performed using bilateral anterior rectus abdominis sheath turnover flap method. Moreover, the skin along the abdominal wall was too tight to be closed primarily. Thus, a bipedicled skin flap was applied. The patient was transferred to another hospital without any remarkable complications. In the present case, the application of a staged closure strategy, which was based on the duration of open abdomenand the condition of the fascia and skin was considered to be important for achieving definitive abdominal closure and preventing the severe complications.

A novel technique for managing open abdomen with the combined use of mesh-mediated traction and the bilateral anterior rectus abdominis sheath turnover flap method: how to do it.

Proper management of abdominal compartment syndrome and open abdomen is important for improving the survival of critically ill patients. However, in cases requiring a prolonged period of open abdomen, it is frequently difficult to perform definitive fascial closure due to lateralization of the abdominal musculature. We herein present a novel combined technique for managing open abdomen. A 74-year-old male with diffuse peritonitis was transferred to our department, after which a long period of open abdomen made it difficult to achieve fascial closure. Polypropylene mesh was sutured to the fascial edges to reduce the gap, which was then serially tightened under negative pressure wound therapy. However, since it was not possible to accomplish definitive fascial closure, abdominal closure was performed using the bilateral anterior rectus abdominis sheath turnover flap method after removing the mesh, without any complications. This combined technique may be an effective alternative in patients requiring open abdomen with subsequent difficulty in achieving definitive fascial closure.

Benzalkonium chloride intoxication caused by intravenous self-injection.

BACKGROUND: Benzalkonium chloride (BZK) is widely used as a germicide in hospitals and other places. Although several cases of accidental oral intake of BZK have been reported, there have been few reported cases of BZK toxicity due to intravenous injection. CASE REPORT: A male nurse in his 40 s injected 15 mL of 10% BZK (Osvan S) directly into his left antebrachial vein while at home, as a suicide attempt. The patient was admitted to our hospital 1 hour later. Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) was diagnosed by blood gas analysis, chest X-ray, and CT scan. Due to extracorporeal blood purification therapy, including hemoperfusion and plasma exchange, serum BZK became undetectable. However, the ARDS was not improved. Extracorporeal blood purification therapy consisting of continuous hemodiafiltration (CHDF) was continued to treat the ARDS. After performing CHDF for the next 36 hours, improvement of both the PaO2/FiO2 ratio and chest X-ray findings was noted. Tracheal extubation was performed on day 9 and no further complications occurred after this period, he was discharged on day 21. CONCLUSION: Extracorporeal blood purification therapy is probably effective for treatment of BZK intoxication by intravenous injection.

Development of an educational program for the helicopter emergency medical services in Japan.

INTRODUCTION: The Japanese helicopter emergency medical service (HEMS) system provides advanced prehospital treatment at the scene. The education of the dispatched HEMS physicians is important for guaranteeing the quality of medical and safety management, but there is no nationally established training program. This study aimed to determine the validity of the HEMS educational program developed by our team. METHODS: A 3-step educational program was designed for HEMS trainees: step 1, 20 HEMS missions as an observer; step 2, 80 missions of on-the-job training; and step 3, certifying examination conducted by a supervisor. As an evaluation standard, scene time, defined as time from landing at the scene to taking off for a hospital, was determined retrospectively. RESULTS: For trainees, scene time was significantly longer (16.3 ± 5.4 min, 95% CI 15.5-17.1) than for experts (doctors who completed >200 HEMS missions; 15.2 ± 6.7 min, 95% CI 14.7-15.8; P = 0.040) but was significantly shorter than for doctors trained before establishment of the HEMS program (17.5 ± 7.0 min, 95% CI 16.9-18.2; P = 0.030). In cases of trauma or intrinsic disease, there was no significant difference in scene time between trainees (17.4 ± 5.6 min and 14.9 ± 4.8 min, respectively) and experts (16.4 ± 7.8 min and 14.2 ± 5.5 min, respectively). CONCLUSION: The finding that scene time was shortened for program trainees demonstrates the validity of our HEMS educational program. The quality of HEMS missions will be better ensured through this educational system.

Influence of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic on the incidence of heat stroke and heat exhaustion in Japan: a nationwide observational study based on the Heatstroke STUDY 2019 (without COVID-19) and 2020 (with COVID-19).

AIM: To assess heat stroke and heat exhaustion occurrence and response during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic in Japan. METHODS: This retrospective, multicenter, registry-based study describes and compares the characteristics of patients between the months of July and September in 2019 and 2020. Factors affecting heat stroke and heat exhaustion were statistically analyzed. Cramér's V was calculated to determine the effect size for group comparisons. We also investigated the prevalence of mask wearing and details of different cooling methods. RESULTS: No significant differences were observed between 2019 and 2020. In both years, in-hospital mortality rates just exceeded 8%. Individuals >65 years old comprised 50% of cases and non-exertional onset (office work and everyday life) comprised 60%-70%, respectively. The recommendations from the Working Group on Heat Stroke Medicine given during the coronavirus disease pandemic in 2019 had a significant impact on the choice of cooling methods. The percentage of cases, for which intravascular temperature management was performed and cooling blankets were used increased, whereas the percentage of cases in which evaporative plus convective cooling was performed decreased. A total of 49 cases of heat stroke in mask wearing were reported. CONCLUSION: Epidemiological assessments of heat stroke and heat exhaustion did not reveal significant changes between 2019 and 2020. The findings suggest that awareness campaigns regarding heat stroke prevention among the elderly in daily life should be continued in the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic. In the future, it is also necessary to validate the recommendations of the Working Group on Heatstroke Medicine.

Bilateral traumatic abducens nerve palsy associated with skull base fracture--case report.

A 29-year-old man presented with skull base fractures involving the bilateral petrous bones and clivus to the posterior clinoid process manifesting as bilateral abducens nerves palsy. Conservative treatment resulted in residual bilateral abducens nerves palsy. Posterolateral impact probably resulted in strain-stress in the neighborhood of the foramen lacerum, resulting in a clivus fracture of the posterior clinoid process and bilateral petrous bone fractures. Chalasia of Gruber's ligament then exerted mechanical pressure on the bilateral abducens nerves.

Subarachnoid Aneurysmal Hemorrhage Associated with Coarctation of the Aorta: Case Report and Review of the Literature.

Intracranial aneurysms (IAs) that undergo rupture causing subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH), are common in young patients with coarctation of the aorta (CoA), but rarer in middle-aged and elderly patients. The pathogenesis of IAs associated with CoA remains unclear. We report the case of a 50-year-old woman who presented with SAH. On evaluation, six IAs were distributed among the anterior communicating artery (ACoA) (ruptured), distal segments of both anterior cerebral arteries (ACA), the left internal carotid artery (ICA), the bifurcation of the left middle cerebral artery (MCA)/MCA early branch, and the inferior trunk of the left MCA. CoA was also diagnosed. The ruptured ACoA IA, and two other unruptured IAs, were successfully clipped during emergency surgery. Postoperative intensive care was instituted to avoid cerebral vasospasm and renal or spinal cord ischemia. During the same hospitalization, the remaining three IAs were clipped at a second surgery. She was discharged with slight cognitive impairment eighty days after admission. Subsequently, she underwent elective treatment for the CoA. According to the literature, IAs associated with CoA have a higher tendency to involve the ACoA than IAs without CoA. Moreover, adult CoA patients tend to have multiple IAs, considered to be due to hypertension associated with CoA, as well as genetic predisposition. In CoA patients, ruptured IAs should be treated as early as possible before correction of the CoA. Close postoperative observation with management of cerebral vasospasm, renal or spinal cord ischemia, and respiratory compromise in the perioperative period is vital.

Case of simultaneous bilateral spontaneous pneumothorax developed into tension pneumothorax.

Spontaneous pneumothorax is a relatively common disease in the clinical practice setting and is generally recognized to occurs most often in slender young men. However, spontaneous pneumothorax that occurs bilaterally and simultaneously and progresses to tension pneumothorax has rarely been documented. Although spontaneous pneumothorax can be diagnosed based on the patient's medical history or information from ambulance personnel, it should be remembered that there are some rare cases of bilateral tension pneumothorax. Prompt and appropriate diagnosis and treatment are necessary for patients with such conditions, which may can be life-threatening.

Studies on therapeutic effects and pathological features of an antithrombin preparation in septic disseminated intravascular coagulation patients.

PURPOSE: Few reports have been made on the therapeutic effects as well as pathological features of an antithrombin preparation in patients diagnosed with septic disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) by the diagnostic criteria for acute DIC. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 88 sepsis patients who had received inpatient hospital care during the period from January 2000 through December 2008 were divided into two groups, an antithrombin group and a non-antithrombin group, to study the outcomes. Furthermore, the relationship between sepsis-related factors and DIC in 44 patients was studied. RESULTS: The antithrombin group contained 34 patients, and the non-antithrombin group contained 54 patients. The outcomes were significantly better in the antithrombin group. The levels of protein C were low in DIC patients. CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that early administration of antithrombin might improve outcomes of septic DIC patients in the diagnostic criteria for Japanese Association for Acute Medicine acute DIC.