An unusual presentation of a minor head injury sustained during a game of rugby.

In the UK, about 2% of the population attend the accident and emergency (A&E) department every year after a head injury. A majority of the patients have minor head injury and are discharged. Studies reveal that patients who reattend the A&E after a minor head injury represent a high-risk group. Concussion injuries are common and not all require treatment at the time of presentation. However, some may worsen after initial presentation and develop signs of serious head injury. A case of minor head injury as a result of head butt during a game of rugby, not associated with alteration in conscious state or focal neurological signs, and subsequent development of frontal lobe abscess a month later is reported. It is important that patients fit to be discharged at the time of consultation are discharged in the care of a responsible adult with clear head injury instruction sheets and are advised to return should their symptoms change. A high index of suspicion should be maintained and an early imaging technique, such as CT scan should be considered in patients reattending the A&E with persistent symptoms even after minor head injury.

Retrospective review of a tertiary adult burn centre's experience with modified Meek grafting.

BACKGROUND: Autologous split skin grafting is the gold standard in treating patients with massive burns. However, the limited availability of donor sites remains a problem. The aim of this study is to present our experience with the modified Meek technique of grafting, outcomes achieved and recommendations for optimized outcomes. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed patient records from our tertiary referral burn centre and the Bi-National Burns Registry to identify all patients who had modified Meek grafting between 2010 and 2013. Patient records were reviewed individually and information regarding patient demographics, mechanism of injury and surgical management was recorded. Outcome measures including graft take rate, requirement for further surgery and complications were also recorded. RESULTS: Eleven patients had modified Meek grafting procedures. The average age of patients was 46 years old (range 23 - 64). The average total body surface area (TBSA) burnt was 56.75 % (range 20-80 %). On average, 87 % of the grafted areas healed well and did not require regrafting. In the regrafted areas, infection was the leading cause of graft failure. CONCLUSIONS: Modified Meek grafting is a useful method of skin expansion. Similar to any other grafting technique, infection needs to be sought and treated promptly. It is recommended for larger burns where donor sites are not adequate or where it is desirable to limit their extent.

Symptomatic gastric heterotopic pancreas: clinical presentation and review of the literature.

Heterotopic pancreas is usually asymptomatic. Associated complications include ulceration, bleeding and obstruction, especially gastric outlet obstruction. Acute and chronic pancreatitis including malignant change have been reported. These lesions are often difficult to differentiate clinically from other gastrointestinal diseases including primary gastric malignancy. Histological examination is mandatory to make a correct diagnosis. Limited surgical excision has been shown to be safe and adequate for heterotopic pancreas. We present a patient with heterotopic pancreas who presented with a non-healing gastric ulcer.