An uncommon and easily overlooked case: Delayed intraperitoneal bladder rupture following blunt trauma: A case report and review of the literature.

INTRODUCTION: Delayed intraperitoneal bladder rupture is a rare clinical occurrence, frequently overlooked and misdiagnosed due to its nonspecific clinical manifestations. However, literature provides only a limited number of cases reporting delayed intraperitoneal bladder rupture resulting from blunt abdominal injury. PATIENT CONCERNS: A 72-year-old female pedestrian was struck by a vehicle and experienced sudden, severe abdominal pain on the 8th day following the injury. Abdominal B-ultrasound revealed a significant accumulation of peritoneal effusion. The abdominal puncture retrieved serosanguinous ascites. Then the patient was promptly transferred to our hospital. Upon transfer, the physical examination revealed the patient vital signs to be stable, accompanied by mild abdominal distension, slight tenderness, tension, and an absence of rebound tenderness. Urinalysis detected microscopic hematuria, while contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CT) revealed considerable fluid accumulation in the abdominal cavity, without evidence of solid organ damage, and the bladder was adequately filled. DIAGNOSIS: The diagnosis of delayed intraperitoneal bladder rupture primarily relied on intraoperative observations. INTERVENTIONS: An emergency exploratory laparotomy was performed, revealing a linear rupture at the dome of the bladder. Subsequently, the bladder rupture was repaired. OUTCOMES: Postoperative cystography demonstrated full recovery and the patient was discharged 28 days post-surgery. The postoperative recovery was uneventful without any complications. CONCLUSIONS: A well-distended bladder observed in CT does not definitively rule out the potential for bladder injury. False negatives may occur due to incomplete bladder filling during CT cystography. Retrograde cystography can identify cases missed by CT cystography. In cases of substantial intra-abdominal free fluid, surgical intervention should be actively considered for patients with blunt abdominal trauma without concurrent solid organ damage.

Emergency Surgery for Blunt Cardiac Injury: Experience in 43 Cases.

BACKGROUND: Blunt cardiac injury (BCI) increases with traffic accidents and is an important cause of death in trauma patients. In particular, for patients who need surgical treatment, the mortality rate is extremely high unless the patient is promptly operated on. This study aimed to explore early recognition and expeditious surgical intervention to increase survival. METHODS: All patients with BCIs during the past 15 years were reviewed, and those who underwent operative treatment were analyzed retrospectively regarding the mechanism of injury, diagnostic and therapeutic methods, and outcome. RESULTS: A total of 348 patients with BCIs accounted for 18.3% of 1903 patients with blunt thoracic injury (BTI). Of 348 patients, 43 underwent operative treatment. The main cause of injury was traffic accidents, with an incidence of 48.8%. Of them, steering wheel injuries occurred in 15 patients. In 26 patients, a preoperative diagnosis was obtained by echocardiography, CT scanning, etc. In the remaining 17, who had to undergo urgent thoracotomy without any preoperative imaging, a definitive diagnosis of BCI was proven during the operation. The volume of preoperative infusion or crystalloid was <1000 ml in 31 cases. Preoperative pericardiocentesis was not used in anyone. In 12 patients, the operation commenced within 1 h. Overall mortality was 32.6%. The death was caused by BCI in 9. CONCLUSIONS: Facing a patient with BTI, a high index of suspicion for BCI must be maintained. To manage those requiring operations, early recognition and expeditious thoracotomy are essential. Preoperatively, limited fluid resuscitation is emphasized. We do not advocate preoperative pericardiocentesis.

Use of bronchofiberscopy in management of severe thoracic trauma.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the diagnostic and therapeutic effect of bronchofiberscopy in the management of severe thoracic trauma. METHODS: A retrospective study was conducted on 207 consecutive patients with severe thoracic trauma enrolled in our hospital between January 2008 and June 2012. During the period, 488 bronchofiberscopies and lavages were done. The bronchofiberscope was inserted through tracheal incision (282), nasal cavity (149) and oral cavity (57). Intensive SaO2 monitoring as well as blood gas analysis were performed pre-, intra- and postoperatively. Simultaneously oxygen therapy or ventilatory support was given. Sputum culture was done intraoperatively. RESULTS: Diagnosis in 207 cases was confirmed by bronchofiberscopy. The result of sputum culture was positive in 78 cases. Lavage was performed on 156 cases. SaO2 significantly increased after bronchofiberscopies as well as lavages and PaO2 obviously improved 2 h after surgery (both P less than 0.05). Heart rate and respiratory rate decreased. There was no bronchofiberscopy-related death. CONCLUSION: Bronchofiberscopy plays an important role in the diagnosis and treatment of severe thoracic trauma, which can not only timely diagnose bronchial injury and collect deep tracheal sputum for bacterial culture but also effectively remove foreign body, secretion, blood and sputum crust in the airway, manage obstructive atelectasis and pneumonia, and significantly improve respiratory function and treatment outcome.