An Early Case of Fat Embolism Syndrome Occurring Following Polytrauma.

Fat embolism syndrome (FES) is a clinical entity occurring due to the presence of fat particles in the microcirculation, typically manifesting 12-72 hours after long bone trauma with respiratory distress, altered mental status, and petechial rash. Our case is that of a 17-year-old girl who suffered multiple orthopedic injuries without intracranial trauma after being a pedestrian struck by a vehicle. Despite presenting with a normal Glasgow Coma Score (GCS), within 4 hours of presentation, she was noted to have an acute mental status change to a GCS 7 with a normal computed tomography brain. Magnetic resonance imaging of the brain was suggestive of FES which, in this patient, had a rapidly progressing course with the development of severe cerebral edema and intracranial hypertension refractory to maximal medical therapy. Our patient required bilateral craniectomies for intracranial decompression and progressed over a 2-month hospital course to have subsequent cranioplasty and functional neurologic improvement. FES requires a high index of clinical suspicion in the presence of long bone fracture with unexplained altered mental status. The clinical course can be rapidly progressing with the development of intracranial hypertension which may benefit from surgical decompression with optimistic prognosis.

Evolving Role of Liver Resection in Selected Patients With Metastatic Breast Cancer.

BACKGROUND: More effective chemotherapy regimens combined with metastasectomy have improved overall survival (OS) in several cancer populations. The value of liver resection (LR) in breast cancer liver metastasis (BCLM) remains controversial. We sought to investigate the role of LR in BCLM as a therapeutic option in patients with isolated liver metastasis. METHODS: The National Cancer Data Base (NCDB) was queried for patients with BCLM diagnosed from 2010 to 2014. The primary outcome was the OS. Kaplan-Meier and Cox proportional hazards regression were performed for intergroup comparison. RESULTS: A total of 9244 patients with BCLM were included. The median age was 58 y (IQR 49-68 y). Of them, 2632 (28.5%) patients had isolated liver metastasis, 1957 (78.2%) received chemotherapy, 93 (3.6%) underwent LR, and only 83 (3.2%) received chemotherapy and LR. Median OS for the entire cohort and for patients with isolated BCLM was 18.3 mo and 29 mo, respectively. Chemotherapy with LR was associated with superior OS compared to chemotherapy alone (69.7 versus 49.2 mo, P < 0.001) in patients with BCLM: ER+ (69.6 versus 54.1 mo, P = 0.002) and triple-negative BC (49.2 versus 17.6 mo, P = 0.006). Cox regression showed that LR, chemotherapy, and positive hormone receptor status (ER+, PR+, and/or HER2+) were independent predictors of improved OS. Advanced age and comorbidity score negatively impacted OS. CONCLUSIONS: This is the largest series thus far assessing the role of LR in patients with BCLM. LR plus chemotherapy may be associated with acceptable outcomes in selected patients with BCLM. LR should be considered in patients with isolated BCLM who had a good response to systemic therapy.