Vascular trauma in Penang and Kuala Lumpur Hospitals.

OBJECTIVES: The nature of vascular trauma varies greatly between continents and across time. The aim of this study was to prospectively analyse the demographics, pathology, management and clinical outcomes of vascular injuries in two urban Malaysian hospitals and review of international literature on vascular trauma. From this information, preliminary management and preventive implications will be described. METHODS: Eighty-four consecutive cases of trauma requiring vascular surgery were prospectively analysed over three years at Hospital Kuala Lumpur and Hospital Pulau Pinang, Malaysia. Extensive patient demographic and injury data, including the mechanism of injury, associated injuries, angiographic findings, operative details and post-operative complications, were systematically gathered. RESULTS: Most vascular injuries were incurred by males (76/84), with 37% (28/76) of them aged between 21 and 30 years. Malays were most frequently injured (n = 36) followed by Chinese and Indians. Road traffic accidents (n = 49) substantially outnumbered all other causes of injury. Lower limb injuries (n = 57) occurred more than twice as often as upper limb injuries (n = 27). Complete arterial transections (n = 43) and intimal injuries (n = 27) were more common than arterial lacerations (n = 10) and pseudoaneurysms (n = 4). The most frequently damaged vessels were the popliteal/tibioperoneal trunk (n = 33). All patients received urgent Doppler ultrasound assessment and, where possible, ankle-brachial systolic index measurement. Of all patients, 40 received an angiogram, haemodynamic instability making this investigation impractical in others. Primary arterial repair was the most frequently employed surgical procedure (n = 54) followed by autogenous reverse long saphenous vein (LSV) interposition graft (n = 14), embolectomy (n = 5) and PTFE interposition graft (n = 3). The most common post-operative complication was wound infection (n = 11). Amputation, as a last resort, was required in 13 cases following either primary or autogenous reverse LSV repair complicated by sepsis or critical ischaemia. CONCLUSIONS: Vascular trauma, especially in conjunction with severe soft tissue, nerve or orthopaedic injury carries colossal physical, psychological, financial and social costs. Associated nerve and venous injury portended poor outcome in this study. Whilst orthopaedic trauma was a common association, the concurrence of occult vascular trauma and soft tissue injury without fracture emphasises the crucial importance of thorough and rapid clinical vascular assessment, investigation and surgical intervention. Fasciotomy, especially for the lower limb, is important for the prevention of compartment syndrome and its, limb-threatening sequelae. Primary preventive road safety promotion and interventions, with attention to high-risk groups (young males and motorcyclists), is urgently required.

Upper gastrointestinal bleeding in Kuala Lumpur Hospital, Malaysia.

Despite advancements in endoscopy and pharmacology in the treatment of peptic ulcer disease the overall mortality has remained constant at 10% for the past four decades. The aim of this study was to determine the age, gender, racial distribution, incidence and causes of endoscopically diagnosed cases of upper gastrointestinal (UGI) bleeding to summarise treatments undertaken and to report their outcome. A prospective study of UGI bleeding in 128 patients was performed in two surgical wards of Kuala Lumpur Hospital, involving both elective and emergency admissions. The study group comprised of 113 (88.2%) males and 15 (11.7%) females. The mean age was 51.9 years (range 14 to 85 years) and 37.5% (48 of 128 patients) were older than 60 years. The Indian race was over-represented in all disease categories. Smoking (50.1%), alcohol consumption (37.5%), non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) (17.2%), traditional remedies (5.5%), anti-coagulants (2.3%) and steroids (0.8%) were among the risk factors reported. Common presenting symptoms and signs included malaena (68.8%), haematemesis (59.4%) and fresh per rectal bleeding (33.6%). The commonest causes of UGI bleeding were duodenal ulcer (32%), gastric ulcer (29.7%), erosions (duodenal and gastric) (21.9%), oesophageal varices (10.9%) and malignancy (3.9%). UGI bleeding was treated non-surgically in 90.6% of cases. Blood transfusions were required in 62.6% (67/107) of peptic ulcer disease patients. Surgical intervention for bleeding peptic ulcer occurred in around 10% of cases and involved under-running of the bleeding vessel in most high risk duodenal and gastric ulcer patients. The overall mortality from bleeding peptic ulcer disease was 4.7%. Six patients died from torrential UGI haemorrhage soon after presentation, without the establishment of a cause. Active resuscitative protocols, early endoscopy, more aggressive interventional therapy, early surgery by more senior surgeons, increasing intensive care unit beds and more active participation of multidisciplinary teams in co-ordinating management are among remedial measures advocated. Broader educational preventive strategies should target the causes of UGI bleeding.

Quantitative CT densitometry for predicting intracerebral hemorrhage growth.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Intracerebral hemorrhage growth independently predicts disability and death. We hypothesized that noncontrast quantitative CT densitometry reflects active bleeding and improves predictive models of growth. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We analyzed 81 of the 96 available baseline CT scans obtained <3 hours post-ICH from the placebo arm of the phase IIb trial of recombinant factor VIIa. Fifteen scans could not be analyzed for technical reasons, but baseline characteristics were not statistically significantly different. Hounsfield unit histograms for each ICH were generated. Analyzed qCTD parameters included the following: mean, SD, coefficient of variation, skewness (distribution asymmetry), and kurtosis ("peakedness" versus "flatness"). These densitometry parameters were examined in statistical models accounting for baseline volume and time-to-scan. RESULTS: The coefficient of variation of the ICH attenuation was the most significant individual predictor of hematoma growth (adjusted R(2) = 0.107, P = .002), superior to BV (adjusted R(2) = 0.08, P = .006) or TTS (adjusted R(2) = 0.03, P = .05). The most significant combined model incorporated coefficient of variation, BV, and TTS (adjusted R(2) = 0.202, P = .009 for coefficient of variation) compared with BV and TTS alone (adjusted R(2) = 0.115, P < .05). qCTD increased the number of growth predictions within ±1 mL of actual 24-hour growth by up to 47%. CONCLUSIONS: Heterogeneous ICH attenuation on hyperacute (<3 hours) CT imaging is predictive of subsequent hematoma expansion and may reflect an active bleeding process. Further studies are required to determine whether qCTD can be incorporated into standard imaging protocols for predicting ICH growth.

Nitinol - its use in vascular surgery and other applications.

OBJECTIVES: to describe the physical properties of shape-memory alloys and the surgical, scientific and commercial applications of nitinol, in particular. DESIGN AND METHODS: a Medline, Internet and library search with contributions from commerce to describe the alloy's structure, behaviour and biocompatibility, and design for devices constructed from nitinol. RESULTS: nitinol has the properties of thermal shape memory and superelasticity that make it ideal for many vascular and general surgical prostheses and disposables, and for various commercial applications. CONCLUSIONS: further research into shape-memory alloys from scientific and commercial groups should widen their use in vascular and endovascular surgery.