Articles

Spectrum of abdominal organ injury in a primary blast type

Abdominal organ injury in a primary blast type is always challenging for diagnosis. Air containing abdominal viscera is most vulnerable to effects of primary blast injury. In any patient exposed to a primary b...

Authors: Imtiaz Wani, Fazal Q Parray, Tariq Sheikh, Rauf A Wani, Abid Amin, Imran Gul and Mir Nazir

Clinical effects of laparotomy with perioperative continuous peritoneal lavage and postoperative hemofiltration in patients with severe acute pancreatitis

The elevated serum and peritoneal cytokine concentrations responsible for the systemic response syndrome (SIRS) and multiorgan failure in patients with severe acute pancreatitis lead to high morbidity and mort...

Authors: Roberto Caronna, Michele Benedetti, Andrea Morelli, Monica Rocco, Loretta Diana, Giampaolo Prezioso, Maurizio Cardi, Monica Schiratti, Gabriele Martino, Gianfranco Fanello, Federica Papini, Francesco Farelli, Roberto L Meniconi, Michele Marengo, Giuseppe Dinatale and Piero Chirletti

Open femoral hernia repair: one skin incision for all

Femoral hernias are relatively uncommon, however they are the most common incarcerated abdominal hernia, with strangulation of a viscus carrying significant mortality. Classically three approaches are describe...

Authors: Paolo G Sorelli, Nabil S El-Masry and William V Garrett

Emergent management of postpartum hemorrhage for the general and acute care surgeon

Postpartum hemorrhage is one of the rare occasions when a general or acute care surgeon may be emergently called to labor and delivery, a situation in which time is limited and the stakes high. Unfortunately, ...

Authors: Allison B Weisbrod, Forest R Sheppard, Mildred R Chernofsky, Charles L Blankenship, Frederick Gage, Gary Wind, Eric A Elster and William A Liston

The long term effects of early analysis of a trauma registry

We established a trauma registry in 2003 to collect data on trauma patients, which is a major cause of death in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The aim of this paper is to report on the long term effects of ou...

Authors: Sami Shaban, Mazen Ashour, Masoud Bashir, Yousef El-Ashaal, Frank Branicki and Fikri M Abu-Zidan

Abbreviated emergency laparotomy in the non-trauma setting

Although the application of damage control surgery for trauma has been widely reported and defined, similar approach in non-trauma patients has not been well detailed.

Authors: Benjamin Person, Tatiana Dorfman, Hany Bahouth, Amira Osman, Ahmad Assalia and Yoram Kluger

A diagnostic challenge: primary omental torsion and literature review - a case report

A case report of omental torsion, which is a rare differential diagnosis of the acute abdomen. Intraoperative diagnosis and treatment by resection are the current management of choice, however with increasing ...

Authors: Nina Breunung and Paul Strauss

Lateral abdominal wall hematoma as a rare complication after carotid artery stenting: a case report

Abdominal wall hematoma is a rare and life-threatening complication after carotid artery stenting (CAS), but it can occur when activated clotting time is prolonged. We report a right lateral abdominal wall hem...

Authors: Naoto Fukunaga, Shizuo Ikeyama, Jyunichiro Satomi and Koichi Satoh

Munchausen syndrome in the emergency department mostly difficult, sometimes easy to diagnose: a case report and review of the literature

Munchausen syndrome is a rare psychiatric disorder in which patients inflict on themselves an illness or injury for the primary purpose of assuming the sick role. Because these patients can present with many d...

Authors: Rinaldo Lauwers, Nele Van De Winkel, Nathalie Vanderbruggen and Ives Hubloue

A severe case of hemobilia and biliary fistula following an open urgent cholecystectomy

Cholecystectomy has been the treatment of choice for symptomatic gallstones, but remains the greatest source of post-operative biliary injuries. Laparoscopic approach has been recently preferred because of sho...

Authors: Vincenzo Napolitano, Roberto Cirocchi, Alessandro Spizzirri, Lorenzo Cattorini, Francesco La Mura, Eriberto Farinella, Umberto Morelli, Carla Migliaccio, Pamela Del monaco, Stefano Trastulli, Micol Sole Di Patrizi, Diego Milani and Francesco Sciannameo

C-Reactive protein is an independent surgical indication marker for appendicitis: a retrospective study

This study is an attempt to clarify the role of C-reactive protein (CRP) as a surgical indication marker for appendicitis.

Authors: Shozo Yokoyama, Katsunari Takifuji, Tsukasa Hotta, Kenji Matsuda, Toru Nasu, Mikihito Nakamori, Naoki Hirabayashi, Hiroyuki Kinoshita and Hiroki Yamaue

Management of undiagnosed pheochromocytoma with acute appendicitis

The authors reported and discussed management a case of undiagnosed pheochromocytoma suspected because the catastrophic hemodynamic changes in a patient with an acute appendicitis.

Authors: Mustapha Bensghir, Abderhmane Elwali, Salim Jaafar Lalaoui, Noureddine Drissi kamili, Hassan Alaoui, Jawad Laoutid, Hicham Azendour, Hicham Balkhi, Charqui Haimeur and Mohamed Atmani

Appendicitis as a cause of intestinal strangulation: a case report and review

Intestinal obstruction is a common surgical emergency caused by varied conditions. Appendicitis as a cause is both uncommon and unsuspected. Strangulation of intestine caused by appendicitis is extremely rare ...

Authors: Laxminarayan Bhandari and PG Mohandas

Damage control surgery by keeping the abdomen open during pregnancy: favorable outcome, a case report

Acute abdomen in advanced pregnancy is one of the most challenging surgical situations. In life-threatening situations, despite optimal management, foetus distress and preterm delivery may occur. Although lapa...

Authors: Wojciech Staszewicz, Michel Christodoulou, François Marty and Vincent Bettschart

A review on delayed presentation of diaphragmatic rupture

Diaphragmatic rupture is a life-threatening condition. Diaphragmatic injuries are quite uncommon and often result from either blunt or penetrating trauma. Diaphragmatic ruptures are usually associated with abd...

Authors: Farhan Rashid, Mallicka M Chakrabarty, Rajeev Singh and Syed Y Iftikhar

Spinal Subdural Staphylococcus Aureus Abscess: case report and review of the literature

Only 65 cases (including our case) of spinal subdural abscesses have been reported to the literature, mostly to the lumbar spine. Staphylococcus aureus is the most common bacterial. The symptoms are not caract...

Authors: Dimitris Velissaris, Diamanto Aretha, Fotini Fligou and Kriton S Filos

A simple and rapid vascular anastomosis for emergency surgery: a technical case report

A 22-year old male presented with a transected femoral artery following a gunshot wound. He underwent a successful primary repair following limited segmental resection of the injured segment. End-to-end anasto...

Authors: Chad G Ball and David V Feliciano

Caecal diverticulitis presenting as acute appendicitis: a case report

Solitary caecal diverticulum is an uncommon entity and therefore difficult to diagnose except at surgery. Caecal diverticulitis is an infrequent cause of acute abdomen and usually presents in a manner similar ...

Authors: Michelle Cole, Abraham A Ayantunde and John Payne

Laparoscopic repair for perforated peptic ulcers with U-CLIP^®

The literature established that, in patients without Boey's risk factors, laparoscopic repair of perforated peptic ulcers, compared to open repair, is associated to lower wound infection rate, less analgesic u...

Authors: Piero Guglielminotti, Roberto Bini, Diego Fontana and Renzo Leli

Isn't it time to start speaking about "European surgeons"?

Emergency surgery has become a neglected specialization in Europe and in many other parts of the world. In certain medical fields, emergency surgery isn't even considered an autonomous specialization. However ...

Authors: Federico Coccolini and Daniel Lazzareschi

Penetrating injury to the chest by an attenuated energy projectile: a case report and literature review of thoracic injuries caused by "less-lethal" munitions

We present the case of a patient who sustained a penetrating injury to the chest caused by an attenuated energy rubber bullet and review the literature on thoracic injuries caused by plastic and rubber "less-l...

Authors: Joao Rezende-Neto, Fabriccio DF Silva, Leonardo BO Porto, Luiz C Teixeira, Homer Tien and Sandro B Rizoli

Near-infrared spectroscopy-derived tissue oxygen saturation in battlefield injuries: a case series report

Near-infrared spectroscopy technology has been utilized to monitor perfusion status in animal models of hemorrhagic shock and in human traumatic injury. To observe the effectiveness of such a device in a comba...

Authors: Greg J Beilman and Juan J Blondet

Spontaneous rupture of the right gastroepiploic artery: unusual cause of acute abdomen and shock

Spontaneous rupture of the right gastroepiploic artery is an extremely rare case which can be a cause of abdominal apoplexy.

Authors: Karim Ibn Majdoub Hassani, Ali Bounekar and Jean-Manuel Gruss

Second trimester hepatic rupture in a 35 year old nulliparous woman with HELLP syndrome: a case report

The HELLP syndrome (haemolysis, elevated liver blood tests and low platelets) is a serious complication in pregnancy characterized by haemolysis, elevated liver enzymes and low platelet count occurring in 0.5 ...

Authors: J Kelly, DJ Ryan, N O'Brien and WO Kirwan

Alteration in emergency theatre prioritisation does not alter outcome for acute appendicitis: comparative cohort study

Despite dedicated emergency theatre, emergency surgery can be often delayed due to competing urgencies, suggesting a need for innovative theatre time management.

Authors: Stefano Partelli, Sabina Beg, Juliette Brown, Soumil Vyas and Hemant M Kocher

Maxillofacial trauma patient: coping with the difficult airway

Establishing a secure airway in a trauma patient is one of the primary essentials of treatment. Any flaw in airway management may lead to grave morbidity and mortality. Maxillofacial trauma presents a complex ...

Authors: Amir A Krausz, Imad Abu el-Naaj and Michal Barak

Accurate localization of life threatening colonic hemorrhage during nuclear medicine bleeding scan as an aid to selective angiography

To describe a new technique to help localize life threatening colorectal bleeding during nuclear medicine bleeding scan to aid in selective angiography.

Authors: Mubin I Syed and Azim Shaikh

Pancreas sparing duodenectomy as an emergency procedure

The operative techniques to close extensive wounds to the duodenum are well described. However, postoperative morbidity is common and includes suture line leak and the formation of fistulae. The aim of this ca...

Authors: Piotr Paluszkiewicz, Wojciech Dudek, Kathryn Lowery and Colin A Hart

Small bowel intussusception with the Meckel's diverticulum after blunt abdominal trauma: a case report

Intussusception with the Meckel's diverticulum is a rare but well-known cause of small bowel obstruction in the adult. After blunt abdominal trauma, intussusception is exceedingly rare and has been reported pr...

Authors: El Bachir Benjelloun, Abdelmalek Ousadden, Karim Ibnmajdoub, Khalid Mazaz and Khalid Ait Taleb

Sub capsular splenectomy for delayed spontaneous splenic rupture in a case of sickle cell anemia

Splenic ruptures are mostly due to trauma and manifest at the moment of injury with symptoms of acute intraperitoneal hemorrhage and shock. Spontaneous/pathological and delayed rupture of the spleen is not unk...

Authors: Dhananjaya Sharma

Caecal perforation with faecal peritonitis – unusual presentation of Bochdalek hernia in an adult: a case report and review of literature

The improper fusion of the postero-lateral foramen of the diaphragm was first described by Bochdalek in 1848. The incidence of congenital diaphragmatic hernia varies from1:2000 to 1:5000 live births and Bochda...

Authors: Ameet Kumar, Vikas Maheshwari, TS Ramakrishnan and Samaresh Sahu

Exsanguinating upper GI bleeds due to Unusual Arteriovenous Malformation (AVM) of stomach and spleen: a case report

In this paper we are reporting one case of exsanguinating upper gastrointestinal tract (GIT) bleed requiring massive blood transfusion and immediate life saving surgery.

Authors: Mohammad Iqbal Khan, Muhammad Tariq Baqai, Mohammad Fahd Baqai and Naveed Mufti

Coronary artery dissection and acute myocardial infarction following blunt chest trauma

Blunt chest trauma might lead to cardiac injury ranging from simple arrhythmias to lethal conditions such as cardiac rupture. We experienced a case of initially overlooked traumatic coronary artery dissection ...

Authors: Johannes L Bjørnstad, Johan Pillgram-Larsen and Theis Tønnessen

Primary abdominal hydatid cyst presenting in emergency as appendicular mass: a case report

Hydatid disease, caused by Echinococcus granulosus, is a common parasitic infection of the liver. Disseminated intra-abdominal hydatid disease may occur following rupture of the hydatid cyst into the peritonea...

Authors: Utpal De

Wound dehiscence: is still a problem in the 21th century: a retrospective study

The aim of this study was to evaluate the risk factors of wound dehiscence and determine which of them can be reverted.

Authors: John Spiliotis, Konstantinos Tsiveriotis, Anastasios D Datsis, Archodoula Vaxevanidou, Georgios Zacharis, Konstantinos Giafis, Spyros Kekelos and Athanasios Rogdakis

WSES SM (World Society of Emergency Surgery Summer Meeting) highlights: emergency surgery around the world (Brazil, Finland, USA)

Emergency surgery is performed in every hospital with a A and E unit all around the world. However it is organized in different ways with different results.

Authors: Renato Poggetti, Ari Leppanemi, Paula Ferrada, Juan Carlos Puyana, Andrew B Peitzman, Luca Ansaloni, Fausto Catena, Antonio D Pinna and Ernest E Moore

Molecular mechanisms and management of traumatic brain injury – missing the link?

Authors: Michael A Flierl, Wade R Smith, Steven J Morgan and Philip F Stahel

ATLS^® and damage control in spine trauma

Substantial inflammatory disturbances following major trauma have been found throughout the posttraumatic course of polytraumatized patients, which was confirmed in experimental models of trauma and in vitro s...

Authors: Oliver I Schmidt, Ralf H Gahr, Andreas Gosse and Christoph E Heyde

WJES: how to review a clinical paper

Authors: Kaoru Koike, Luca Ansaloni, Fausto Catena and Ernest E Moore

Molecular mechanisms of traumatic brain injury: the missing link in management

Head injury is common, sometimes requires intensive care unit admission, and is associated with significant mortality and morbidity. A gap still remains in the understanding of the molecular mechanism of this ...

Authors: Tonny Veenith, Serena SH Goon and Rowan M Burnstein

Percutaneous retrieval of a biliary stent after migration and ileal perforation

We present a case of a migrated biliary stent that resulted in a distal small bowel perforation, abscess formation and high grade partial small bowel obstruction in a medically stable patient without signs of ...

Authors: Derek M Culnan, Bryan J Cicuto, Harjit Singh and Robert A Cherry

A rare cause of recurrent gastrointestinal bleeding: mesenteric hemangioma

Lower gastrointestinal hemorrhage accounts for approximately 20% of gastrointestinal hemorrhage. The most common causes of lower gastrointestinal hemorrhage in adults are diverticular disease, inflammatory bow...

Authors: Mircelal Kazimi, Murat Ulas, Cem Ibis, Mutlu Unver, Nazan Ozsan, Funda Yilmaz, Galip Ersoz, Murat Zeytunlu, Murat Kilic and Ahmet Coker

Emergency surgery, acute care surgery and the boulevard of broken dreams

Authors: Fausto Catena and Ernest E Moore

Feasibility of laparoscopy for small bowel obstruction

Adherential pathology is the most common cause of small bowel obstruction. Laparoscopy in small bowel obstruction does not have a clear role yet; surely it doesn't always represent only a therapeutic act, but ...

Authors: Eriberto Farinella, Roberto Cirocchi, Francesco La Mura, Umberto Morelli, Lorenzo Cattorini, Pamela Delmonaco, Carla Migliaccio, Angelo A De Sol, Luca Cozzaglio and Francesco Sciannameo

Evaluation of trauma care using TRISS method: the role of adjusted misclassification rate and adjusted w-statistic

Major trauma is a leading cause of death worldwide. Evaluation of trauma care using Trauma Injury and Injury Severity Score (TRISS) method is focused in trauma outcome (deaths and survivors). For testing TRISS...

Authors: Sadik S Llullaku, Nexhmi Sh Hyseni, Cen I Bytyçi and Sylejman K Rexhepi

Small bowel haemorrhage associated with partial midgut malrotation in a middle-aged man

We describe a case of life-threatening small bowel haemorrhage in a 56 year old man, who was found to have partial midgut malrotation at laparotomy. An association between congenital malrotation and gastrointe...

Authors: Ajay Belgaumkar, Dheeraj Karamchandani, Praveen Peddu and Klaus-Martin Schulte

Erratum to: An unusual and difficult diagnosis of intestinal obstruction: The abdominal cocoon. Case report and review of the literature

Since publication of our article, "An unusual and difficult diagnosis of intestinal obstruction: The abdominal cocoon. Case report and review of the literature." World J Emerg Surg. 2006, 1: 8 we believe that ...

Authors: Ali O Devay, Ismail Gomceli, Birol Korukluoglu and Ahmet Kusdemir

WSES SM (World Society of Emergency Surgery Summer Meeting) highlights, education in emergency surgery

Authors: Michael D Kelly

Intrathoracic drainage of a perforated prepyloric gastric ulcer with a type II paraoesophageal hernia

With an incidence of less than 5%, type II paraesophageal hernias are one of the less common types of hiatal hernias. We report a case of a perforated prepyloric gastric ulcer which, due to a type II hiatus he...

Authors: Robert A Pol, Hiske W Wiersma, Bas JGL Zonneveld and Marinus Eeftinck Schattenkerk

Prosthetic abdominal wall hernia repair in emergency surgery: from polypropylene to biological meshes

The use of nonabsorbable prosthetic materials such as polypropylene, polyester, and ePTFE, have expanded and are now widely used in reparative surgery for abdominal wall hernias.

Authors: G Campanelli, F Catena and L Ansaloni