From Admission to Discharge-A Total Friction Burn Review from a Single Institution.

While most friction burns are adequately managed in an outpatient setting, many may require hospital admission, operative excision, and extended care. To this day, there is a wide variance in friction burn management. Our goal is to review the etiology, management, and outcomes of such burns warranting hospitalization. We conducted a retrospective review of all friction burns admitted to a single, American Burn Association-verified burn center from January 1, 2016 to December 31, 2020. A total of 28 (34%) patients required surgery for their friction burns and 15 (18%) ultimately required a split-thickness skin graft. The mean number of operations was 2.4 (95% CI 1.6-3.1). Overall, the operative group was younger (29.9 vs 38.3 years, P = .026), more likely to have a concomitant traumatic brain injury (25% vs 7%, P = .027), and had a longer hospital length of stay (17.5 vs 3.9 days, P < .001). Both groups had a similar overall TBSA (8.5% vs 10.0%, P = .35), but the operative group had a larger surface area comprised of third-degree burns (3.05% vs 0.2%, P < .001). Overall, friction burns resulting in hospital admission are associated with high-energy traumatic mechanisms and concomitant injuries. Patients who need operative intervention for their burns typically require multiple procedures often culminating in a split-thickness skin graft. While non-operative management of friction burns with topical agents has been found to be successful, patients with higher injury severity scores should be monitored very closely as they may require surgical excision.

Early Versus Late Feeding After Percutaneous Endoscopic Gastrostomy Placement in Trauma and Burn.

INTRODUCTION: Timing to resume feeds after percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG) placement continues to vary among US trauma surgeons. The purpose of this study was to assess differences in meeting nutritional therapy goals and adverse outcomes with early versus late enteral feeding after PEG placement. METHODS: This retrospective review included 364 trauma and burn patients who underwent PEG placement. Data included patient characteristics, time to initiate feeds, rate feeds were resumed, % feed volume goals on postoperative days 0-7, and complications. Statistical analysis was performed comparing two groups (feeds ≤ 6 h versus > 6 h) and three subgroups (< 4 h, 4-6 h, ≥ 6 h) based on data quartiles. Chi-square/Fisher's exact test, independent-samples t-test, and one-way analysis of variance were used to analyze the data. RESULTS: Mean time to initiate feeds after PEG was 5.48 ± 4.79 h. Burn patients received early feeds in a larger proportion. A larger proportion of trauma patients received late feeds. The mean % of goal feed volume met on postoperative day 0 was higher in the early feeding group versus the late (P < 0.001). There were no differences in adverse events, even after subgroup analysis of those who received feeds < 4 h after PEG placement. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with early initiation of feeds after PEG placement achieve a higher percentage of goals on day 0 without an increased rate of adverse events. Unfortunately, patients routinely fall short of their target tube feeding goals.

Analysis of real-world length of stay data and costs associated with use of autologous skin cell suspension for the treatment of small burns in U.S. centers.

BACKGROUND: Autologous skin cell suspension (ASCS) is a treatment for acute thermal burn injuries associated with significantly lower donor skin requirements than conventional split-thickness skin grafts (STSG). Projections using the BEACON model suggest that among patients with small burns (total body surface area [TBSA]<20 %), use of ASCS± STSG leads to a shorter length of stay (LOS) in hospital and cost savings compared with use of STSG alone. This study evaluated whether data from real-world clinical practice corroborate these findings. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Electronic medical record data were collected from January 2019 through August 2020 from 500 healthcare facilities in the United States. Adult patients receiving inpatient treatment with ASCS± STSG for small burns were identified and matched to patients receiving STSG using baseline characteristics. LOS was assumed to cost $7554/day and to account for 70 % of overall costs. Mean LOS and costs were calculated for the ASCS± STSG and STSG cohorts. RESULTS: A total of 151 ASCS± STSG and 2243 STSG cases were identified; 63.0 % of patients were male and the average age was 44.2 years. Sixty-three matches were made between cohorts. LOS was 18.5 days with ASCS± STSG and 20.6 days with STSG (difference: 2.1 days [10.2 %]). This difference led to bed cost savings of $15,587.62 per ASCS± STSG patient. Overall cost savings with ASCS± STSG were $22,268.03 per patient. CONCLUSIONS: Analysis of real-world data shows that treatment of small burn injuries with ASCS± STSG provides reduced LOS and substantial cost savings compared with STSG, supporting the validity of the BEACON model projections.

Pediatric Burn Care: How Burn Camps Survived and Thrived During the Coronavirus Pandemic.

Burn camps play a vital role in the recovery of burn survivors by allowing them to develop the confidence and skill sets needed to reintegrate back into society. During the COVID-19 pandemic, burn camps across the United States and Canada could not hold any in-person activities. They had to either pause burn camps or quickly adapt to a virtual online platform. A 37-item electronic survey was developed and emailed to burn camp directors in the United States and Canada to determine what adaptations were necessary during the pandemic. This survey allowed directors to provide details on many facets such as camp format, successes observed, and challenges encountered. Twenty-one of 34 (62%) burn camp organizations completed the survey. Thirteen of the 21 (62%) respondents held virtual burn camps in 2020 while everyone else canceled their camps in 2020. The mean number of camps offered per organization decreased from 6.3 in 2019 to 4.7 in 2020. The average number of burn survivors and family members participating also dropped in that same period (2019 aggregate mean = 229.2 vs 2020 aggregate mean = 151.4). Components of virtual camp included video conferencing platforms, "camp-in-a-box" activities, and some prerecorded sessions. Most camp directors believed that their campers were satisfied with the virtual format. Factors allowing for a successful virtual camp included an effective online platform, scheduling adequate duration of programs, and appropriate staffing levels. Most common barriers to an effective virtual camp were participant engagement, special needs/accessibility concerns, and staff effectiveness in this format. While challenging, burn camps can be held in a virtual format successfully with proper planning, staff training, and support of campers and their families.

Temperature Profiles of Sunlight-Exposed Surfaces in a Desert Climate: Determining the Risk for Pavement Burns.

Plentiful sunlight and high temperatures in desert climates cause burn injuries from contact with sun-exposed surfaces. The peak temperature, times, and surfaces of greatest risk are not well described. This work recorded temperature measurements of six materials in a desert climate. Surface temperatures of asphalt, brick, concrete, sand, porous rock, and galvanized metal were measured throughout the summer, along with ambient temperature, and sunlight intensity. Samples were placed in both shade and direct sunlight for evaluation of sunlight effect. Seventy-five thousand individual measurements were obtained from March to August 2020. Maximum recorded temperatures for sunlight-exposed porous rock were 170°F, asphalt 166°F, brick 152°F, concrete 144°F, metal 144°F, and sand 143°F, measured on August 6, 2020 at 2:10 pm, when ambient temperature was 120°F and solar irradiation 940 W/m2. Sunlight-exposed materials ranged 36 to 56°F higher than shaded materials measured at the same time. The highest daily temperatures were achieved between 2:00 and 4:00 pm due to maximum solar irradiance. Contour plots of surface temperature as a function of both solar irradiation and time of day were created for all materials tested. A computational fluid dynamics model was created to validate the data and serve as a predictive model based upon temperature and sunlight inputs. This information is useful to inform the public of the risks of contact burn due to sunlight-exposed surfaces in a desert climate.

Invasive cutaneous mucormycosis: A case report on a deadly complication of a severe burn.

A 38 year old woman presented with burns totaling 45 % total body surface area, following an explosion resulting from manufacturing cannabis wax. Initial debridement, was delayed to hospital day 7 due to hemodynamic instability. Over the course of her, hospitalization, she required multiple debridements and grafting to her lower, extremities; grafted tissue never survived longer than 72 h. Her bilateral lower, extremities began to exhibit visible mold growth. She underwent repeated, debridements down to vitalized tissue only for recurrent necrosis and mold growth to, occur. She underwent serial amputations eventually reaching the level of her midthigh, At this point her clinical condition deteriorated further resulting in multiorgan failure., Ultimately family made the decision to remove her from life support, and she expired, within a few hours. Postmortem analysis identified Rhizopus spp, Fusarium spp, and, Geotrichum candidum. Mucormycosis species are a frequent infector of Cannabis, sativa, which our patient was working with in the inciting explosion. Cutaneous, mucormycosis is a documented but rare manifestation. We propose that the patient's, relatively young age, severity of burns, and exposure to cannabis plants resulted in this, unusual presentation.

Length of Stay and Costs with Autologous Skin Cell Suspension Versus Split-Thickness Skin Grafts: Burn Care Data from US Centers.

INTRODUCTION: Autologous skin cell suspension (ASCS) significantly reduces donor skin requirements versus conventional split-thickness skin grafts (STSG) for thermal burn treatment. In analyses using the Burn-medical counter measure Effectiveness Assessment Cost Outcomes Nexus (BEACON) model, ASCS was associated with shorter hospital length of stay (LOS) and cost savings versus STSG. This study hypothesized that daily practice data from the USA would support these findings. METHODS: Electronic medical record data from 500 healthcare facilities (January 2019-August 2020) were used to match adult patients who received inpatient burn treatment with ASCS (± STSG) to patients treated with STSG alone on the basis of sex, age, percent total body surface area (TBSA), and comorbidities. Based on BEACON analyses, LOS was assumed to represent 70% of total costs and used as a proxy to assess the data. Mean LOS, costs, and the incremental revenue associated with inpatient capacity changes were calculated. RESULTS: A total of 151 ASCS and 2443 STSG patients were identified: 63.0% were male and average age was 44.5 years. Eight-one matches were made between cohorts. LOS was 21.7 days with ASCS and 25.0 days with STSG alone (difference 3.3 days [13.2%]). LOS was lower with ASCS than STSG in four of five TBSA intervals. The LOS difference led to hospital bed cost savings of $25,864 per ASCS patient; overall cost savings were $36,949 per patient. Similar cost savings were observed in TBSA groupings < 20% and ≥ 20%. The reduced LOS with ASCS translated into an increased capacity of 2.2 inpatients/bed annually, which increased hospital revenue by $92,283/burn unit bed annually. CONCLUSIONS: Real-world data show that ASCS (± STSG) is associated with reduced LOS and cost savings versus STSG alone across all burn sizes, supporting the validity of the BEACON analyses. ASCS use may also increase patient capacity and throughput, leading to increased hospital revenue.

Autologous skin cell suspension (ASCS) is a treatment for thermal skin burn injuries that can be used alone or in combination with split-thickness skin grafts (STSG), the conventional standard of care. Projections using the Burn-medical counter measure Effectiveness Assessment Cost Outcomes Nexus (BEACON) model indicate that ASCS leads to shorter hospital length of stay (LOS) and overall cost savings compared with STSG alone. These model findings are supported by benchmarking study data from a limited sample of US burn centers. The current study aimed to understand whether the BEACON projections are supported by daily clinical practice data from US healthcare facilities. Using electronic medical record data, we matched patients who received ASCS ± STSG from January 2019 to August 2020 to those receiving STSG alone on the basis of demographic and clinical factors. Data analysis showed that hospital LOS was shorter (3.3 days) with ASCS ± STSG than STSG alone, a difference associated with a hospital bed cost savings of $25,864 per ASCS patient. Overall cost savings, which included nursing time and other costs, were $36,949 per patient. Analysis of patients with burns comprising total body surface areas less than 20% or at least 20% showed cost savings in both groups. The reduced LOS with ASCS also translated into the ability to treat 2.2 more patients per hospital bed per year, which was projected to increase hospital earnings. These real-world findings support those of modeling analyses, indicating that use of ASCS ± STSG is associated with meaningful clinical and economic benefits compared with use of STSG alone.

Higher risk of auto versus pedestrian crashes in school-age children on school days.

BACKGROUND: This study examines the rates of pediatric auto versus pedestrian collision (APCs) and determined ages and periods of greatest risk. We hypothesized that the rate of APC in children would be higher on school days and in the timeframes correlating with travel to and from school. METHODS: Retrospective case-control study of APC on school and nonschool days for patients younger than 18 years at an urban Level II pediatric trauma center from January 2011 to November 2019. Frequency of APC by hour of the day was plotted overall, for school versus nonschool days and for age groups: 0 year to 4 years, 5 years to 9 years, 10 years to 13 years, and 14 years to 17 years. t Test was used with a p value less than 0.05, which was considered significant. RESULTS: There were 441 pediatric APC in the study period. Frequency of all APC was greater on school days (0.174 vs. 0.101; relative risk [RR], 1.72, p < 0.001), and APC with Injury Severity Score greater than 15 (0.039 vs. 0.024; p = 0.014; RR, 1.67; 95% confidence interval, 1.10-2.56). Comparing school day with nonschool day, the 0-year to 4-year group had no significant difference in APC frequency (0.021 vs. 0.014; p = 0.129), APC frequency was higher on school days in all other age groups: 5 years to 9 years (0.036 vs. 0.019; RR, 1.89; p = 0.0134), 10 years to 13 years (0.055 vs. 0.024; RR, 2.29; p < 0.001), and 14 years to 17 years (0.061 vs. 0.044; RR, 1.39; p = 0.045). The greatest increase in APC on school days was in the 10-year to 13-year age group. DISCUSSION: All school age children are at higher risk of APC on school days. The data support our hypothesis that children are at higher risk of APC during transit to and from school. The age 10-year to 13-year group had a 129% increase in APC frequency on school days. This age group should be a focus of injury prevention efforts. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Prognostic and Epidemiologic; Level IV.

Pediatric Trauma Arrival Times and the Swing Shift.

BACKGROUND: Trauma center staff and trainees are often assigned to a day and night shift. However, for adult trauma, the swing shift has been found to offer superior clinical exposure compared with a standard day or night shift for trainees. We characterized patterns in pediatric trauma arrival times based on the hour, weekday, and month and studied whether or not the swing shift also maximizes exposure to hands-on experiences in managing pediatric trauma. METHODS: We performed a retrospective review of the trauma database at our urban, level 2 pediatric trauma center. We identified all the pediatric trauma activations in the last 13 years (2006-2018). A retrospective shift log was created, which included day (7:00 am to 7:00 pm), night (7:00 pm to 7:00 am), and swing (noon to midnight) shifts. The shifts were compared using the Wilcoxon match-pairs signed rank test. Weekends data were also compared with weekdays, and comparisons were also made for pediatric patients with Injury Severity Scores (ISS) >15. RESULTS: There were 3532 pediatric patients identified for our study. The swing shift had 1.98 times more activations than the night shift, and 1.33 more than the day shift (P < 0.001). The swing shift was also superior to both the day and night shifts for exposure to patients with Injury Severity Score greater than 15 (P < 0.001). Weekend days had 1.28 times more trauma than the weekdays (P < 0.001). Peak arrival time was between the hours of 3:00 pm and 9:00 pm, and patient age did not have an effect on this trend. CONCLUSIONS: Experience in managing pediatric trauma patients will improve for trainees who utilize the swing shift. In addition, the hours between 3:00 pm and 9:00 pm on weekends may represent a time of particularly high likelihood of pediatric trauma arrivals, which may require extra staff and hospital resources.Level of Evidence: Therapeutic Study, Level IV.

Electronic Cigarette-Related Injuries Presenting to Five Large Burn Centers, 2015-2019.

Electronic cigarettes are advertised as safer alternatives to traditional cigarettes yet cause serious injury. U.S. burn centers have witnessed a rise in both inpatient and outpatient visits to treat thermal injuries related to their use. A multicenter retrospective chart review of American Burn Association burn registry data from five large burn centers was performed from January 2015 to July 2019 to identify patients with electronic cigarette-related injuries. A total of 127 patients were identified. Most sustained less than 10% total body surface area burns (mean 3.8%). Sixty-six percent sustained second-degree burns. Most patients (78%) were injured while using their device. Eighteen percent of patients reported spontaneous device combustion. Two patients were injured while changing their device battery, and two were injured modifying their device. Three percent were injured by secondhand mechanism. Burn injury was the most common injury pattern (100%), followed by blast injury (3.93%). Flame burns were the most common (70%) type of thermal injury; however, most patients sustained a combination-type injury secondary to multiple burn mechanisms. The most injured body region was the extremities. Silver sulfadiazine was the most common agent used in the initial management of thermal injuries. Sixty-three percent of patients did not require surgery. Of the 36% requiring surgery, 43.4% required skin grafting. Multiple surgeries were uncommon. Our data recognize electronic cigarette use as a public health problem with the potential to cause thermal injury and secondary trauma. Most patients are treated on an inpatient basis although most patients treated on an outpatient basis have good outcomes.

Management of Pediatric Pavement Burns.

Pavement burns are common in a dry high heat climate. This study reviews the etiology, management, and outcome pavement burns in children. All patients age <18 who sustained contact burns from hot pavement from January 1, 2014 to December 31, 2019 were reviewed for mechanism, medical history, treatment course, and outcome. The high ambient temperature on each date and zip code of each injury were extracted from Weather Underground (www.wunderground.com). In this study, 45 patients met criteria and were reviewed 27 patients (60%) were male. Average age was 3.29 years (SD 0.69), made up two discrete age groups: age 3 years and under (n = 40, 89%) and older patients 14 years of age and up (n = 5, 11%). Thirty-eight patients (84%) had no known medical history. All had second-degree burns and one patient (2%) also had third-degree burns. Mean TBSA was 2.5% (SD 1.4%, range 0.75%-5.5%). Burn etiology included 31 patients (69%) who were walking barefoot on pavement, six (13%) who fell onto pavement, one (2%) seizure, and other/unknown etiology for the remaining seven patients (16%). Thirty patients (67%) had injuries on the plantar aspect of the bilateral feet, two (4%) to bilateral palms of hands, four (9%) to other parts of upper extremities, and 10 (22%) to other parts of lower extremities. Thirty-four patients (76%) were managed without any hospitalization. Those that were hospitalized had an average length of stay of 2.72 days (range 1-9 days). All burns were managed nonoperatively with topical therapy alone. Thirty-four patients (76%) were managed initially with silver sulfadiazene alone and six (13%) with bacitracin alone. Aquacel dressing was utilized in 10 patients at a follow-up visit (22%). Three patients (6.7%) were treated with collagenase enzyme therapy at some point in their care. One patient developed a superficial infection requiring oral antibiotic therapy. There were no mortalities in this group. High ambient temperature on date and location of each injury was 102.1°F (SD 5.4°F, range 89-111°F). Of the 30 patients that continued to follow up in clinic the average time to the burn being 95% healed was 10.50 days (SD 8.97 days, range 2-40 days). Pavement burns in children are partial thickness and are safely managed with topical therapy alone with good outcomes. Patients age 3 and under are at high risk.

Contemporary management of traumatic cervical and thoracic esophageal perforation: The results of an Eastern Association for the Surgery of Trauma multi-institutional study.

BACKGROUND: Traumatic esophageal perforation is rare and associated with significant morbidity and mortality. There is substantial variability in diagnosis and treatment. Esophageal stents have been increasingly used for nontraumatic perforation; however, stenting for traumatic perforation is not yet standard of care. The purpose of this study was to evaluate current management of traumatic esophageal perforation to assess the frequency of and complications associated with esophageal stenting. METHODS: This was an Eastern Association for the Surgery of Trauma multi-institutional retrospective study from 2011 to 2016 of patients with traumatic cervical or thoracic esophageal injury admitted to one of 11 participating trauma centers. Data were collected and sent to a single institution where it was analyzed. Patient demographics, injury characteristics, initial management, complications, and patient mortality were collected. Primary outcome was mortality; secondary outcomes were initial treatment, esophageal leak, and associated complications. RESULTS: Fifty-one patients were analyzed. Esophageal injuries were cervical in 69% and thoracic in 31%. Most patients were initially managed with operative primary repair (61%), followed by no intervention (19%), esophageal stenting (10%), and wide local drainage (10%). Compared with patients who underwent operative primary repair, patients managed with esophageal stenting had an increased rate of esophageal leak (22.6% vs. 80.0%, p = 0.02). Complication rates were higher in blunt compared with penetrating mechanisms (100% vs. 31.8%, p = 0.03) despite similar Injury Severity Score and neck/chest/abdomen Abbreviated Injury Scale. Overall mortality was 9.8% and did not vary based on location of injury, mechanism of injury, or initial management. CONCLUSION: Most patients with traumatic esophageal injuries still undergo operative primary repair; this is associated with lower rates of postoperative leaks as compared with esophageal stenting. Patients who have traumatic esophageal injury may be best managed by direct repair and not esophageal stenting, although further study is needed. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Therapeutic, level IV.

Pavement Burns Treated at a Desert Burn Center: Analysis of Mechanisms and Outcomes.

Burns from contact with hot pavement are a common mechanism treated at burn centers located in desert climates. Previous work has shown increased risk of pavement burns as ambient temperatures rise above 95 degrees. In direct sunlight, pavement absorbs radiant energy causing the temperature to rise high enough to cause second-degree burns in seconds. The goal of this study is to review the mechanisms and outcomes of patients suffering pavement burns and to compare patients who presented with hyperthermia to their normothermia counterparts. A retrospective chart review was performed on pavement burns at an ABA-verified Burn Center for 5 years from 2014 to 2018. A total of 195 patients were identified. It was found that 50.5% of admitted pavement burn patients required burn excision and 35.9% required split-thickness skin grafting. The leading causes of pavement burn admissions were found down by EMS and walking on pavement at 21.6% each, followed by mechanical falls at 15.1%. We found that patients with recorded hyperthermia had statistically significant increase in 30-day hospital mortality, intensive care unit days, surgical procedures, and %TBSA. Data provided from this study can be used for a public health initiative to help patients who may be at risk of acquiring pavement burns. The data may also be helpful for clinicians gaining information about the management, mechanism, and outcomes of pavement burn patients.

A 5-Year Review of Pavement Burns From a Desert Burn Center.

Pavement burns account for significant burn-related injuries in the Southwestern United States and other hot climates with nearly continuous sunlight and daily maximum temperatures above 100°F. At peak temperatures, pavement can be hot enough to cause second-degree burns in a matter of seconds. The goal of this study was to review pavement burn injury admissions at a desert burn center compared with maximum ambient temperatures to determine which temperatures correlated to an increase in burn admissions. We obtained ambient temperature data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. We reviewed our registry for 5 years retrospectively of all pavement burn injury admissions to our burn center. A total of 173 pavement-related burn cases were identified. We demonstrated an exponential increase in the rate of burn admissions as maximum ambient temperatures increased. More than 88% of pavement-related burn injury admissions occurred when the ambient temperature reached 95°F or higher. The risk per day was extrapolated based on the number of pavement burn injury admissions and the number of days at each of the maximum ambient temperatures recorded. The risk of pavement burns in areas of direct sunlight begins around 95°F and increases exponentially as ambient temperatures rise. This information will be used for burn outreach prevention and public health awareness programs. The benefit of this study relates to the entire community since high ambient temperatures put everyone at risk for hot pavement burns.

Implementation of a CT scan practice guideline for pediatric trauma patients reduces unnecessary scans without impacting outcomes.

INTRODUCTION: Computed tomography (CT) scans are useful in the evaluation of trauma patients, but are costly and pose risks from ionizing radiation in children. Recent literature has demonstrated the use of CT scan guidelines in the management of pediatric trauma. The study objective is to review our treatment of pediatric blunt trauma patients and evaluate CT use before and after CT-guideline implementation. METHODS: Our Pediatric Level 2 Trauma Center (TC) implemented a CT scan practice guideline for pediatric trauma patients in March 2014. The guideline recommended for or against CT of the head and abdomen/pelvis using published criteria from the Pediatric Emergency Care and Research Network. There was no chest CT guideline. We reviewed all pediatric trauma patients for CT scans obtained during initial evaluation before and after guideline implementation, excluding inpatient scans. The Trauma Registry Database was queried to include all pediatric (age < 15) trauma patients seen in our TC from 2010 to 2016, excluding penetrating mechanism and deaths in the TC. Scans were considered positive if organ injury was detected. Primary outcome was the proportion of patients undergoing CT and percent positive CTs. Secondary outcomes were hospital length of stay, readmissions, and mortality. Categorical and continuous variables were analyzed with χ and Wilcoxon rank-sum tests, respectively. p < 0.05 was considered significant. RESULTS: We identified 1,934 patients: 1,106 pre- and 828 post-guideline. Absolute reductions in head, chest, and abdomen/pelvis CT scans were 17.7%, 11.5%, and 18.8%, respectively (p < 0.001). Percent positive head CTs were equivalent, but percent positive chest and abdomen CT increased after implementation. Secondary outcomes were unchanged. CONCLUSIONS: Implementation of a pediatric CT guideline significantly decreases CT use, reducing the radiation exposure without a difference in outcome. Trauma centers treating pediatric patients should adopt similar guidelines to decrease unnecessary CT scans in children. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Therapeutic study, level IV.

Use of intraoperative sodium tetradecyl sulfate for the treatment of a spinal epidural hemangioma. Technical note.

Spinal hemangiomas can be categorized into three different groups based on location. Vertebral body (VB) hemangiomas are frequent incidental findings on magnetic resonance (MR) imaging. There is a subdivision of these with spinal epidural extension that have been reported in the literature. Spinal hemangiomas can also be epidural without VB involvement; these are extremely rare with few reported cases in the thoracic epidural spinal column. The diagnosis and imaging characteristics as well as the surgical tools used in gross-total resection of spinal epidural hemangioma are not well understood. The authors present a detailed characterization of a spinal epidural hemangioma in a 30-year-old woman who presented with complaints of gradual onset of low-back pain that worsened over 1 year. The MR imaging findings indicated a large L2-S1 epidural spinal mass causing thecal sac compression. The patient underwent an L2-S1 laminectomy, and a vascular extradural mass was noted on the posterior aspect of the dura mater. Preoperative spinal angiography as well as intraoperative angiography was performed. Total resection of the tumor was achieved using intraoperative embolization with sodium tetradecyl sulfate and microscopic dissection. The postoperative MR imaging findings and clinical outcome were excellent. The findings and use of sodium tetradecyl sulfate in gross-total resection are discussed. The authors also review treatment modalities and demonstrate the utility and effectiveness of intraoperative sodium tetradecyl sulfate in grosstotal resection of large difficult spinal epidural hemangiomas.