Traumatic abdominal wall hernias in children: A case for early exploration.

PURPOSE: Traumatic abdominal wall hernia (TAWH) is a rare consequence of blunt abdominal trauma (BAT). We examined a series of patients suffering TAWH to evaluate its frequency, rate of associated concurrent intraabdominal injuries (CAI) and correlation with CT, management and outcomes. METHODS: A Level 1 pediatric trauma center trauma registry was queried for children less than 18 years old suffering TAWH from BAT between 2009 and 2019. RESULTS: 9370 patients were admitted after BAT. TAWH was observed in 11 children, at incidence 0.1%. Eight children (73%) were male, at mean age 10 years, and mean ISS of 16. Six cases (55%) were because of MVC, three (27%) impaled by a handlebar or pole, and two (18%) dragged under large machinery. Seven (64%) had a CAI requiring operative or interventional management. Patients with CAI were similar to those without other injury, with 20% and 50% CT scan sensitivity and specificity for detection of associated injury, respectively. Five patients had immediate hernia repair with laparotomy for repair of intraabdominal injury, three had delayed repair, two have asymptomatic unrepaired TAWH, and one resolved spontaneously. CONCLUSIONS: Children with TAWH have high rates of CAI requiring operative repair. CT scans have low sensitivity and specificity for detecting associated injuries. A high suspicion of injury and low threshold for exploration must be maintained in TAWH cases. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: IV.

Prognostic value of tumour deposit and perineural invasion status in colorectal cancer patients: a SEER-based population study.

AIMS: The definition of tumour deposit (TD) in colorectal cancer (CRC) was changed recently in the American Joint Commission on Cancer (AJCC) Staging Manual, 7th edition. We aimed to examine the prognostic values of the newly defined TD and perineural invasion (PNI) in this population study. METHODS AND RESULTS: We identified the incidental CRC cases with known TD or PNI status in the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) programme diagnosed in 2010 and 2011. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis and multivariable Cox proportional hazards models were used to estimate overall survivals (OS) and cancer-specific survival (CSS). We found that 6.71% (2774 of 41 323) of the CRC cases were positive for TD and 9.61% (3970 of 41 215) positive for PNI. In multivariable models, TD- and PNI-positive statuses correlated independently with worse 3-year OS [hazard ratio (HR): 1.68, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.58-1.80 and HR: 1.24, 95%: CI: 1.16-1.32, respectively] and 3-year CSS (HR: 1.79, 95% CI: 1.65-1.94 and HR: 1.28, 95% CI: 1.18-1.38, respectively, P < 0.001 for all). Other independent prognostic factors included age, T category, N category, tumour location and tumour grade, but not gender. TD and PNI correlated with worse OS in all N categories (P < 0.001 for all). TD-associated HR for 3-year OS increases as the N category becomes lower (1.73 in N2, 2.32 in N1 and 3.24 in N0), while rare (1.4%) TD-positive CRC in N0 category should have been assigned to N1c. CONCLUSIONS: Tumour deposit and PNI correlate independently with worse 3-year OS and CSS. TD appears prognostically more important in the CRC of lower N categories.

Detection of missed injuries in a pediatric trauma center with the addition of acute care pediatric nurse practitioners.

Missed injuries contribute to increased morbidity in trauma patients. A retrospective chart review was conducted of pediatric trauma patients from 2010 to 2013 with a documented missed injury. A significant percentage of missed injuries were identified (3.01% during July 2012 to December 2013 vs 0.39% during January 2010 to July 2012) with the addition of acute care trained pediatric nurse practitioners to the trauma service at a pediatric trauma center. The increase is thought to be due to improvement in charting, consistent personnel performing tertiary examinations, and improved radiology reads of outside films.

The complex management of a traumatic brain injury and aortic injury after a motor vehicle crash: a case report.

Blunt aortic injuries are extremely rare in the pediatric population. This case report examines a pediatric patient involved in a motor vehicle crash that resulted in aortic dissection combined with traumatic brain injury. The clinical management of this patient was particularly challenging because of the conflicting needs of optimal management for the head and aortic injuries. Despite the patient's low predicted probability of survival based on Injury Severity Score, the patient had an exceptional outcome.

Spousal perspectives on factors influencing recruitment and retention of rural family physicians.

INTRODUCTION: Recruiting and retaining medical personnel to rural communities is a human resource challenge. Studies suggest that the spouse's experiences and perceptions of a rural community are among the most influential factors in a physician's decision to remain in or leave a rural practice. This study describes the factors that both directly and indirectly influence spousal contentment and explores how these factors contribute toward recruitment and retention of physicians to rural practice locations. METHODS: In this explorative study, 13 interviews were conducted with spouses of rural physicians to gain a better understanding of spousal concerns and experience regarding rural living. Participants in the present study included the spouses of general practitioners and family physicians practising and living in rural communities (population