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Biomedical subjects

J M Burch

Publications and source records attributed to J M Burch.

81 records · Page 5Linked to original sources

Packing for control of hepatic hemorrhage.

From July 1978 to July 1985, 1,348 patients with hepatic injuries were treated. During this period, 66 patients (5.3% or 9.4 patients/year) required perihepatic packing. Penetrating wounds accounted for 77.2% of injuries requiring packing. Seventeen patients died in the operating room from massive hepatic and other intra-abdominal injuries and were excluded from further analysis. Perihepatic packing was inserted in 41 patients at a first operation and at a second or third operation in eight others. The major indications for packing were post-repair coagulopathies (85.5%) and extensive subcapsular hematomas or capsular avulsion (12.2%). Packing was removed from 28 surviving patients (28/49 = 57.1%) at an average of 3.7 days following insertion. Pack removal was accomplished by laparotomy in 24 patients (85.7%) and extraction through a hole in the body wall in four others. Ten postoperative intra-abdominal fluid collections, hematomas, or abscesses occurred in nine patients (9/49 = 18.4%) surviving the first operation. Perihepatic packing continues to be a life-saving adjunct in a highly selected group of patients with the most severe hepatic injuries and nonmechanical bleeding at the completion of repairs or extensive subcapsular hematomas.

Bandages↗

Management of traumatic injuries to the extrahepatic biliary ducts.

From 1978 through 1984, 13 patients with traumatic injuries to the extrahepatic biliary ducts were treated. Twelve of the 13 patients had penetrating wounds, and associated intraabdominal injuries were uniformly present. Multiple types of operative repair were successfully utilized, with the choice dictated by the patient's condition and the location and extent of the ductal injury. In stable patients with partial tears or small through-and-through injuries, lateral repair with or without T-tube stenting was used successfully. With ductal transections, an end-to-end anastomosis or a bilioenteric anastomosis was used. The Whipple procedure was reserved for complex periampullary injuries. Morbidity was related to the complexity of the ductal repair, whereas mortality (4 of 13 patients, 31 percent) was related to associated injuries.

Adolescent↗

Combined tracheoesophageal injuries.

From 1974 through 1984, 23 patients with combined tracheoesophageal injuries from penetrating wounds were treated. Physical examination, endoscopy, a barium swallow, or a combination of these techniques confirmed the diagnosis preoperatively in 19 patients. A variety of operative techniques were used, with 20 of 23 repairs involving some type of primary repair of the trachea and esophagus, such as side repair or end-to-end anastomosis, with or without a tracheostomy. Major complications occurred in 74 percent of the patients and included eight cases of pneumonia, eight esophageal leaks, six tracheoesophageal fistulas, five mediastinal abscesses, four wound infections, and two carotid artery blowouts. To decrease the number of complications, several refinements in operative technique have been suggested.

Adolescent↗

A four-year experience with splenectomy versus splenorrhaphy.

From 1980 to 1984, 326 patients requiring splenectomy or splenorrhaphy were treated at one urban trauma center. Splenic injuries were graded in severity from one to five at the time of celiotomy. Splenorrhaphy was attempted in all patients, except when the spleen was shattered or avulsed or when multiple injuries were present. The mechanisms of injury were: penetrating wounds in 51.2%, blunt trauma in 46%, and iatrogenic mishaps in 2.8% of patients. Grade 1 or 2 injuries were present in 23.9%, Grade 3, 4, or 5 injuries were present in 59.8%. Spleens removed or repaired with unknown grading or removed as part of distal pancreatectomies accounted for 16.3% of patients. Excluding uninjured spleens removed with pancreatectomies, 55.4% (169) of injured spleens required splenectomy and 44.6% (136) had a splenorrhaphy performed. Splenorrhaphy was most commonly performed with chronic suture with or without the addition of topical agents. Grade 1 and 2 injuries were repaired in 88.5%; Grade 3 injuries were repaired in 61.5%; and Grade 4 and 5 injuries were repaired in 7.7% of patients. Splenectomy is generally performed in patients with multiple associated intraabdominal injuries and the more severe grades of splenic injury, and has a mortality rate 13.5 times as great as that for patients undergoing splenorrhaphy. Splenorrhaphy can be performed in approximately 50% of patients with injured spleens and has practically no risk of rebleeding.

Abscess↗

Emergency center arteriography in the evaluation of suspected peripheral vascular injuries.

From January 1982 through June 1983, 488 patients with suspected peripheral vascular injuries were examined with the use of 515 emergency center arteriograms performed by surgical residents via hand injection of contrast material using a single roentgenographic film. A total of 130 (25%) abnormal arteriograms resulted, including vascular spasm in nine instances and occlusion of noncritical arteries in 19 instances. One hundred two (20%) operations resulted from these abnormal emergency center arteriograms. A diminished pulse rate was the indication for performing 76 arteriograms, 52 (68%) of which were abnormal; however, only 43 patients from this group required surgery. Anatomic proximity to a major vessel was the sole indication for performing 352 arteriograms, 59 (17%) of which were abnormal. There was one false-normal arteriogram, one delayed development of an arteriovenous fistula, and four false-abnormal arteriograms. No complications of arteriography occurred during examination or at the time of clinic follow-up. Single-injection arteriography in the emergency center is a simple, sensitive, accurate, and cost-effective technique for the examination of patients with potential peripheral vascular injuries.

Angiography↗

Emergency management of perforated peptic ulcers in the elderly patient.

The results of selective operative treatment for perforated peptic ulcers in 93 elderly patients 60 years of age or older have been found to be similar to those in a large group of patients of all ages with selective operative treatment for perforated peptic ulcers (1,127 patients). Elderly patients with previous symptoms of acid-peptic disease who do not have serious associated diseases that increase the risk of operation or generalized peritonitis or localized abscesses in the peritoneal cavity can undergo definitive ulcer procedures for perforated peptic ulcers with satisfactory morbidity and low mortality rates. Simple closure or omental patch closure is performed when such contraindications to a definitive operation are present and can be expected to have a greater mortality for this reason. Gastrectomy for a perforated gastric ulcer and truncal vagotomy and hemigastrectomy for a perforated duodenal ulcer offer the best long-term results for elderly patients who are fit to undergo definitive operation.

Aged↗

Five hundred open taps or lavages in patients with abdominal stab wounds.

From 1980 to 1984, 500 asymptomatic patients with anterior abdominal stab wounds found to have penetrated the anterior peritoneal cavity on local wound exploration in the emergency center were evaluated by the technique of open peritoneal tap, quantitative diagnostic peritoneal lavage, or both. The technique was found to have several advantages, including earlier diagnosis of intraperitoneal visceral injuries in asymptomatic patients and a significant lowering of the incidence of unnecessary celiotomies in a busy county hospital. Also, it was extremely cost-effective. The major disadvantages were the number of false-positive results of taps and lavages based on red blood cell counts of more than 100,000/mm3, all of which resulted from bleeding from abdominal wall stab wound sites. An accuracy rate of approximately 91 percent was maintained throughout the period of the study, whereas there were only 1.8 false-negative results of lavage per year. Local wound exploration coupled with open peritoneal tap and diagnostic peritoneal lavage is recommended as a rapid, safe, and cost-effective technique for the evaluation of large numbers of asymptomatic patients who present with anterior abdominal stab wounds.

Abdominal Injuries↗

Civilian trauma in the 1980s. A 1-year experience with 456 vascular and cardiac injuries.

During 1982, 312 patients with 408 vascular injuries and 48 cardiac injuries were seen. Two or more vascular or cardiac injuries were present in 34% of patients. Over 87% of injuries were secondary to gunshot wounds, stab wounds, or shotgun wounds. Vascular injuries were most commonly seen in the extremities (39.9%) or abdomen (31.9%). The most common arterial injuries occurred in the brachial artery (39 patients), while the most common venous injuries occurred in the internal jugular vein (26 patients). Arterial injuries were treated by the insertion of substitute vascular conduits (33.9%), ligation (22.6%), lateral arteriorrhaphy (18.6%), or end-to-end anastomosis (15.4%). Venous injuries were treated by lateral venorrhaphy (63.7%) or ligation (25.1%). In the 272 patients admitted with only vascular injuries, survival was 84.2%. Cardiac injuries in 38 patients most commonly occurred in the right ventricle (50%) and right atrium (25%). In the 34 patients who had only cardiac injuries and less than 4 minutes of prehospital cardiopulmonary arrest prior to arrival in the emergency center, survival was 64.7%.

Adult↗

Advances in treatment of vascular injuries from blunt and penetrating limb trauma.

Military and civilian experience has contributed to the current state of the art in management of extremity vascular injuries. Thorough physical examination and judicious use of emergency center arteriography and formal arteriography provide means for prompt diagnosis and treatment which is critical is limb loss and disability are to be avoided. Prosthetic graft material has provided an alternative to vein grafting in many circumstances for arterial and venous injuries. Compartment syndrome should be anticipated when an ischemic extremity is revascularized and fasciotomy should be used liberally. Vascular repairs are the first priority in extremity wounds, but associated injuries to bones, joints, soft tissues, and nerves are often critical determinants of rehabilitation once blood supply has been re-established. The best results are obtained when a multidisciplinary approach is used combining expertise in orthopedic surgery, neurosurgery, and plastic surgery.

Extremities↗