Cerebrospinal fluid external leak after penetrating trauma in a neurologic intact infant patient: a case report.

Cranial cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leak is an extremely rare complication of blunt head trauma causing skull fractures, especially fractures involving the skull base. We present the case of a 10-month-old male who received glass fragments on the midline and posterior tier of his anterior fontanelle producing a cranial cerebrospinal fluid leak without any skull fracture or symptoms. Neurologic exam was completely normal and a superficial stitch wound repair was performed. He was observed for 24 h, had no antibiotic, and left with a 1-week outpatient neurosurgical follow-up. The patient had no negative outcome. Cerebrospinal fluid leak should be included in the differential diagnosis of a head trauma in a patient with open fontanelles. No similar case was found in literature.

BET 1: Continuous flow insufflation of oxygen in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest.

A short cut review was carried out to establish whether continuous flow insufflation of oxygen (CFIO) is better than standard ventilation strategies at improving outcome in adults who have suffered an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA). Papers were found in Medline and Embase using the reported searches of which four presented the best evidence to answer the clinical question. The author, date and country of publication, patient group studied, study type, relevant outcomes, results and study weaknesses of these best papers are tabulated. It is concluded that CFIO does not improve survival or return of spontaneous circulation compared with standard ventilation strategies in OHCA.

Traffic in the operating room during joint replacement is a multidisciplinary problem.

BACKGROUND: Door openings disrupt the laminar air flow and increase the bacterial count in the operating room (OR). We aimed to define the incidence of door openings in the OR during primary total joint arthroplasty (TJA) surgeries and determine whether measures were needed and/or possible to reduce OR staff traffic. METHODS: We recorded the number of door openings during 100 primary elective TJA surgeries; the OR personnel were unaware of the observer's intention. Operating time was divided into the preincision period, defined as the time from the opening of surgical trays to skin incision, and the postincision period, defined as time from incision to dressing application. RESULTS: The mean number of door openings during primary TJA was 71.1 (range 35-176) with a mean operative time of 111.9 (range 53-220) minutes, for an average of 0.64 (range 0.36-1.05) door openings/min. Nursing staff were responsible for 52.2% of total door openings, followed by anesthesia staff at 23.9% and orthopedic staff at 12.7%. In the preincision period, we observed an average of 0.84 door openings/ min, with nursing and orthopedic personnel responsible for most of the door openings. The postincision period yielded an average of 0.54 door openings/min, with nursing and anesthesia personnel being responsible for most of the door openings. CONCLUSION: There is a high incidence of door openings during TJA. Because we observed a range in the number of door openings per surgery, we believe it is possible to reduce this number during TJA.

CONTEXTE: Les ouvertures de porte perturbent le flux laminaire et accroissent la numération bactérienne au bloc opératoire. Nous avons voulu mesurer l'incidence des ouvertures de porte au bloc opératoire durant les chirurgies pour prothèse articulaire totale (PAT) et déterminer si des correctifs étaient requis ou s'il était possible de réduire la circulation du personnel au bloc opératoire. MÉTHODES: Nous avons dénombré les ouvertures de porte durant 100 chirurgies électives primaires pour PAT; le personnel du bloc opératoire n'était pas au courant de l'intention de l'observateur. Le temps opératoire a été subdivisé en une période pré-incision, définie par l'intervalle entre l'ouverture des plateaux chirurgicaux et l'incision chirurgicale, et une période post-incision, définie par l'intervalle entre l'incision et l'application du pansement. RÉSULTATS: Le nombre moyen d'ouvertures de porte par intervention pour PAT primaire a été de 71,1 (entre 35 et 176) et la durée moyenne des interventions a été de 111,9 (entre 53 et 220) minutes, pour une moyenne de 0,65 (entre 0,36 et 1,05) ouverture/ minute. Le personnel infirmier était responsable de 52,2 % du nombre total d'ouvertures de porte, suivi du personnel d'anesthésie avec 23,9 % et du personnel d'orthopédie avec 12,7 %. Durant la période pré-incision, nous avons observé une moyenne de 0,84 ouverture de porte/minute, le personnel infirmier et d'orthopédie ayant été responsable de la majorité des ouvertures de porte. La période post-incision a donné lieu à une moyenne de 0,54 ouverture de porte/minute, le personnel infirmier et d'anesthésie ayant été responsable de la majorité des ouvertures de porte. CONCLUSION: On observe un nombre important d'ouvertures de porte durant les interventions pour PAT. Étant donné que ce nombre varie, nous croyons qu'il est possible de le réduire.

Clinical adverse events in prehospital patients with ST-elevation myocardial infarction transported to a percutaneous coronary intervention centre by basic life support paramedics in a rural region.

OBJECTIVES: It remains unclear whether ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) patients transported by ambulance over long distances are at risk for clinical adverse events. We sought to determine the frequency of clinical adverse events in a rural population of STEMI patients and to evaluate the impact of transport time on the occurrence of these events in the presence of basic life support paramedics. METHODS: We performed a health records review of 880 consecutive STEMI patients transported to a percutaneous coronary intervention centre. Patients had continuous electrocardiogram and vital sign monitoring during transport. A classification of clinically important and minor adverse events was established based on a literature search and expert consensus. A multivariate ordinal logistic regression model was used to study the association between transport time (0-14, 15-29, ≥30 minutes) and the occurrence of overall clinical adverse events. RESULTS: Clinically important and minor events were experienced by 18.5% and 12.2% of STEMI patients, respectively. The most frequent clinically important events observed were severe hypotension (6.1%) and ventricular tachycardia/ventricular fibrillation (5.1%). Transport time was not associated with a higher risk of experiencing clinical adverse events (p=0.19), but advanced age was associated with adverse events (p=0.03). No deaths were recorded during prehospital transport. CONCLUSIONS: In our study of rural STEMI patients, clinical adverse events were common (30.7%). However, transport time was not associated with the occurrence of adverse clinical events in these patients.

Traumatic Rupture of an Intermediate Tendon in a Patient with Patellar Duplication.

Patellar duplication is a rare asymptomatic condition. The diagnosis is often made following a traumatic event associated with an injury to the knee extensor mechanism. The treatment is often surgical and consists in removal of the smaller part of the patella with tendon reinsertion. The presence and rupture of an intermediate tendon between the two parts of the patella have not been reported in the modern literature. We present a traumatic rupture of an intermediate tendon in a patient with horizontal patellar duplication. The surgical management consisted of tenorrhaphy protected with a figure-of-eight tension band wire approximating the two parts of the patella. The patient recovered full knee range of motion and quadriceps strength at the last 8-month follow-up.