Surgical and critical care management of earthquake musculoskeletal injuries and crush syndrome: A collective review.

Earthquakes are unpredictable natural disasters causing massive injuries. We aim to review the surgical management of earthquake musculoskeletal injuries and the critical care of crush syndrome. We searched the English literature in PubMed without time restriction to select relevant papers. Retrieved articles were critically appraised and summarized. Open wounds should be cleaned, debrided, receive antibiotics, receive tetanus toxoid unless vaccinated in the last 5 years, and re-debrided as needed. The lower limb affected 48.5% (21.9%-81.4%) of body regions/patients. Fractures occurred in 31.1% (11.3%-78%) of body regions/patients. The most common surgery was open reduction and internal fixation done in 21% (0%-76.6%), followed by plaster of Paris in 18.2% (2.3%-48.8%), and external fixation in 6.6% (1%-13%) of operations/patients. Open fractures should be treated with external fixation. Internal fixation should not be done until the wound becomes clean and the fractured bones are properly covered with skin, skin graft, or flap. Fasciotomies were done in 15% (2.8%-27.2%), while amputations were done in 3.7% (0.4%-11.5%) of body regions/patients. Principles of treating crush syndrome include: (1) administering proper intravenous fluids to maintain adequate urine output, (2) monitoring and managing hyperkalemia, and (3) considering renal replacement therapy in case of volume overload, severe hyperkalemia, severe acidemia, or severe uremia. Low-quality studies addressed indications for fasciotomy, amputation, and hyperbaric oxygen therapy. Prospective data collection on future medical management of earthquake injuries should be part of future disaster preparedness. We hope that this review will carry the essential knowledge needed for properly managing earthquake musculoskeletal injuries and crush syndrome in hospitalized patients.

Prehospital management of earthquake crush injuries: A collective review.

Earthquakes are natural disasters which can destroy the rural and urban infrastructure causing a high toll of injuries and death without advanced notice. We aim to review the prehospital medical management of earthquake crush injuries in the field. PubMed was searched using general terms including rhabdomyolysis, crush injury, and earthquake in English language without time restriction. Selected articles were critically evaluated by three experts in disaster medicine, emergency medicine, and critical care. The medical response to earthquakes includes: (1) search and rescue; (2) triage and initial stabilization; (3) definitive care; and (4) evacuation. Long-term, continuous pressure on muscles causes crush injury. Ischemia-reperfusion injury following the relieving of muscle compression may cause metabolic changes and rhabdomyolysis depending on the time of extrication. Sodium and water enter the cell causing cell swelling and hypovolemia, while potassium and myoglobin are released into the circulation. This may cause sudden cardiac arrest, acute extremity compartment syndrome, and acute kidney injury. Recognizing these conditions and treating them timely and properly in the field will save many patients. Majority of emergency physicians who have worked in the field of the recent Kahramanmaras 2023, Turkey, earthquakes, have acknowledged their lack of knowledge and experience in managing earthquake crush injuries. We hope that this collective review will cover the essential knowledge needed for properly managing seriously crushed injured patients in the earthquake field.

Novel coronavirus pandemic: A global health threat.

The world is facing one of its worst public health crises in modern history. Coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) has shown how fragile our global preparedness for infectious diseases is. The world is a small-connected globe with short travel time between its remote parts. COVID-19 has spread globally and swiftly with major impacts on health, economy, and quality of life of communities. At this point in the time, April 9, 2020, >1,500,000 patients have been infected and >88,000 patients have died worldwide within the last 3 months. The status is evolving and the costly lessons learned over time are increasing. These lessons are global as this virus is. They involve different domains of health sciences including virology, public health, clinical, critical care, and disaster management. This review addresses our current knowledge of COVID-19 pandemic from the basic virology and transmission, through prevention, infection control, clinical management, and finally disaster management including the recovery period. This review has a multidisciplinary approach, which is needed at this time. After this difficult period passes, we have to carry the lessons we learned for the future so that we can be better prepared. One thing that has clearly emerged from this ongoing crisis is that infectious diseases have no borders and we have to work together, using the one world, one health approach, if we are to minimize the enormous impact such pandemics can cause.

Cervical necrotizing fasciitis: an overlooked diagnosis of a fatal disease.

BACKGROUND: Necrotizing fasciitis of the neck is a rare potentially lethal condition if not early diagnosed and managed. We aimed to study the clinical presentation, radiological and microbiological diagnosis, management, and surgical outcome of patients having cervical necrotizing fasciitis (CNF). MATERIALS AND METHODS: We retrospectively studied patients having a final diagnosis of CNF who were treated at Al Ain Hospital during the period of January 2000 to December 2016. RESULTS: Six patients with CNF were studied. Diabetes mellitus was the most common predisposing factor (83.3%). All patients presented with a painful neck swelling. The most common source of infection was odontogenic. Mixed microbiological flora was present in five patients. Five patients underwent CT scan of the head and neck with a positive finding of gas in all of them. Repeated aggressive surgical debridement in combination with antibiotic therapy was adopted. Four patients (66.7%) developed superior mediastinitis, two had septicemia, and one patient had a perforated duodenal ulcer. One patient died (overall mortality 16.7%). CONCLUSION: Maintaining a high index of suspicion is crucially important for diagnosing CNF. Early diagnosis, timely resuscitation, and aggressive surgical debridement are the key to a successful clinical outcome.

Necrotizing fasciitis: a challenging diagnosis.

The objective of the study was to evaluate our recent experience in diagnosis and management of necrotizing fasciitis. Records of patients who were diagnosed as having necrotizing fasciitis at Al-Ain Hospital in the period between March 2003 and August 2005 were studied retrospectively with regard to clinical features, risk factors, diagnosis, causative organisms, treatment, and outcome. Eleven patients, eight of whom were men of low socio-economic status, were studied. The median age (range) was 46 (8-65) years. The main risk factor was diabetes mellitus in seven patients (64%). The provisional clinical diagnosis was incorrect in seven patients (64%). Pure beta-hemolytic streptococcus group A or B was the causative organism in five patients (46%). Most of our patients underwent multiple surgical debridements with a median range of two (1-11) operations. Two patients died (overall mortality rate 18%). High clinical suspicion is essential for the diagnosis of necrotizing fasciitis. Accurate early diagnosis, aggressive resuscitation, using proper antibiotics, and extensive surgical debridement are essential for a favorable outcome.

Strangulated epigastric hernia in a 90-year-old man: Point-of-Care Ultrasound (POCUS) as a saving kit: Case report.

INTRODUCTION: The physiological reserve of extreme elderly patients is very limited and has major impact on clinical decisions on their management. Hereby we report a 90-year-old man who presented with a strangulated epigastric hernia and who developed postoperative intra-abdominal bleeding, and highlight the value of Point-of-Care Ultrasound (POCUS) in critical decisions made during the management of this patient. PRESENTATION OF CASE: A 90-year-old man presented with a tender irreducible epigastric mass. Surgeon-performed POCUS using colour Doppler showed small bowel in the hernia with no flow in the mesentery. Resection anastomosis of an ischaemic small bowel and suture repair of the hernia was performed. Twenty four hours after surgery, in a routine follow up using POCUS, significant intra-peritoneal fluid was detected although the patient was haemodynamically stable. The fluid was tapped under bedside ultrasound guidance and it was frank blood. During induction of anaesthesia for a laparotomy, the patient became hypotensive. Resuscitation under inferior vena cava sonographic measurement, followed by successful damage control surgery with packing, was performed. 36h later, the packs were removed, no active bleeding could be seen and the abdomen was closed without tension. The patient was discharged home 50 days after surgery with good general condition. CONCLUSION: POCUS has a central role in the management of critically-ill elderly patients for making quick critical decisions.

Blunt traumatic tension chylothorax: Case report and mini-review of the literature.

Tension chylothorax following blunt thoracic trauma is an extremely rare condition. Here we report such a case and review its management. A 31-year-old man was involved in a road traffic collision. The car rolled over and the patient was ejected from the vehicle. On arrival at the Emergency Department the patient was conscious and haemodynamically stable. Clinical examination of the chest and abdomen was normal. The patient had sustained fractures of the sixth cervical vertebra and the tenth thoracic vertebra, left pleural effusion, haematoma around the descending aorta and fracture of the right clavicle. The left pleural effusion continued to increase in size and caused displacement of the trachea and mediastinum to the opposite side. An intercostal chest tube was inserted on the left side on the second day. It drained 1500 mL of milky, blood-stained fluid. We confirmed the diagnosis of chylothorax by a histopathological examination of a cell block prepared from the left pleural effusion using Oil red O stain. The patient was managed conservatively with chest tube drainage and fat free diet. The chylothorax completely resolved on the eighth day after the injury. The patient was discharged home on day 16.