A rare cause of acute massive lower gastrointestinal bleeding.

Even if lower gastrointestinal bleeding (LGIB) can present as trivial haematochezia, massive hemorrhage with shock may occur. Acute massive LGIB is defined as bleeding of recent duration that originates beyond the ligament of Treitz and encompasses: passage of a large volume of red or maroon blood through the rectum, haemodynamic instability and shock, initial decrease in haematocrit level of 6 g/dL or less, transfusion of at least 2 U of packed red blood cells, bleeding that continues for 3 days or significant rebleeding in 1 week. This report presents the case of a 58-year-old man with massive LGI bleeding. Colonoscopy was performed in emergency with a poor colonic preparation, but the examiner fortunately and with difficulty managed to identify the source of the haemorrhage- a Dieulafoy's lesion of the right colon. The bleeding was successfully stopped permanently by injecting sclerosing agents into the spurting vessel. We have preferred colonoscopy as our first choice of investigation due to the facile availability and the opportunity of endoscopic haemostasis in case of finding the source of bleeding. Angiography was planned in case of failure of the first method. The definition, clinical presentation, and treatment of Dieulafoy's lesion are further discussed.

Prehospital trauma care: a clinical review.

INTRODUCTION: There are many controversies related to the trauma patient care during the pre-hospital period nowadays. Due to the heterogeneity of the rescue personnel and variability of protocols used in various countries, the benefit of the prehospital advanced life support on morbidity and mortality has been not established. METHOD: Systematic review of the literature using computer search of the Library of Medicine and the National Institutes of Health International PubMed Medline database using Entre interface.We reviewed the literature in what concerns the basic and advanced life support given to the trauma patients during the prehospital period. RESULTS: Although the organization of the medical emergency system varies from a country to another, the level of patient'scare can be classified into two main categories: Basic Life Support (BLS) and Advanced Life Support (ALS).There are many studies addressing what to be done at the scene.The prehospital care can be divided into two extremes: stay and play/treat then transfer or scoop and run/load and go. CONCLUSIONS: A balance between "scoop and run" and "stay and play" is probably the best approach for trauma patients. The chosen approach should be made according to the mechanism of injury (blunt versus penetrating trauma), distance to the trauma center (urban versus rural) and the available resources.

[Selective nonoperative management of solid abdominal visceral lesions]. / Managementul selectiv nonoperator al leziunilor viscerale parenchimatoase in traumatismele abdominale.

Selective nonoperative management of abdominal visceral lesions is one of the most important and challenging changes that occurred in the traumatized patient care over the last 20 years. The main advantage of this type of management is the avoidance of unnecessary/nontherapeutic laparotomies. The trauma surgeons who deal with this type of treatment are worried of missed abdominal injuries. Modern diagnostic tools (spiral CT, ultrasound, angiography, laparoscopy) allow the trauma surgeon to accurately characterize the lesions to be nonoperative addressed. This literature review discusses the main elements of selective nonoperative management of principle solid visceral lesions (liver, spleen, kidney). We highlight the advantages and limitations of the main diagnostic instruments used for evaluation of trauma patiens allocated to nonoperative management.

Complicated diverticular disease--our recent experience.

Diverticular disease is more frequently seen in our practice. The aim of this retrospective study was to evaluate our experience with complicated diverticular disease in our surgical emergency unit. Between 2004-2007 46 cases with complicated diverticular disease were registered in Surgical Emergency Clinical Hospital of Bucharest. A male preponderance (sex ratio M: F 1:1.4) and a medium age of 62.9 +/- 15 years were recorded. Perforation was the main complication encountered and sigmoid colon was the most frequent involved segment (71.7%). Diagnostic procedures relayed especially on CT-scan. Three cases were operated laparoscopically. Failure of conservative measures was the main cause for interventions. A Hartmann procedure was performed in 7 patients (15.2%). Global mortality was 8.1% (4 cases). There were no significant differences among the surgical procedures employed. Diverticular disease is more frequently encountered in our practice. CT-scan is the most efficient diagnostic tool but there are limitations. Conservative measures are not always successful and urgent operative treatment is the only choice. Hartmann procedure is still frequently employed in our practice.

[Management for pseudoaneurysm of cystic artery with an arterio-biliary fistula after laparoscopic cholecystectomy: a rare case of hemobilia]. / Managementul pseudoanevrismului de artera cistica cu fistula arterio-biliara dupa colecistectomie laparoscopica: cauza rara de hemobilie.

Although laparoscopic cholecystectomy is considered to be the gold standard for treatment for symptomatic cholelithiasis, it is associated with an increased risk of biliary and vascular injury compared to the traditional technique. Massive hemobilia is a rare but potentially life-threatening cause of upper gastrointestinal hemorrhage. Arterio-biliary fistula is an uncommon cause of hemobilia. We describe a case of cystic artery pseudo-aneurysm causing arterio-biliary fistula and presenting as severe melaena and cholangitis that occurred 7 months after laparoscopic cholecystectomy. Gastroduodenoscopy failed to establish the exact source of bleeding and hepatic artery angiography and selective embolization of the pseudo-aneurysm successfully controlled the bleeding. Pseudo-aneurysm of the hepatic artery is mostly iatrogenic due to biliary intervention, as demonstrated in this case. Transarterial embolization is considered the first line of intervention to stop the bleeding for most causes of hemobilia. Hemobilia is a rare complication that should be considered when managing patients with bleeding or jaundice even several months after laparoscopic cholecystectomy.