Citations
Traumatic diaphragmatic injury (TDI) is no longer considered to be a rare condition in Korea. This study investigated differences in the prevalence of accompanying injuries and the prognosis in patients with traumatic diaphragmatic damage according to the mechanism of injury.
We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of patients with TDI who were seen at a regional emergency medical center from January 2000 to December 2018. Among severe trauma patients with traumatic diaphragmatic damage, adults older than 18 years of age with a known mechanism of injury were included in this study. Surgery performed within 6 hours after the injury was sustained was defined as emergency surgery. We assessed the survival rate and likelihood of respiratory compromise according to the mechanism of injury.
In total, 103 patients were analyzed. The patients were categorized according to whether they had experienced a penetrating injury or a blunt injury. Thirty-five patients had sustained a penetrating injury, and traffic accidents were the most common cause of blunt injuries. The location of the injury did not show a statistically significant difference between these groups. Severity of TDI was more common in the blunt injury group than in the penetrating injury group, and was also more likely in patients with respiratory compromise. However, sex, the extent of damage, and the initial Glasgow coma scale score had no significant relationship with severity.
Based on the findings of this study, TDI should be recognized and managed proactively in patients with blunt injury and/or respiratory compromise. Early recognition and implementation of an appropriate management strategy would improve patients’ prognosis. Multi-center, prospective studies are needed in the future.
Citations
Traumatic diaphragmatic injuries (TDIs) are a rare complication in thoraco-abdominal trauma. The diagnosis is difficult and if left untreated, TDI can cause traumatic diaphragmatic hernia (TDH). Through an injured diaphragm, the liver, spleen, stomach, small intestine, and large intestine can be herniated to the thoracic cavity, but pancreatic herniation and pancreatitis are quite rare in TDH. This paper reports a case of pancreatitis developed by additional trauma in a patient with asymptomatic chronic TDH. A 58-year-old male visited the emergency department with a left abdominal injury after a fall 6 hours earlier. The vital signs were stable, but the amylase and lipase levels were elevated to 558 U/L and 1,664 U/L, respectively. Abdominal computed tomography (CT) revealed a left diaphragmatic hernia and an incarceration of the stomach, pancreatic ductal dilatation, and peripancreatic fatty infiltration. Additional history taking showed that he had suffered a fall approximately 20 years ago and had an accidentally diaphragmatic hernia through a chest CT 6 months earlier. A comparison with the previous CT revealed the pancreatitis to be caused by secondary pancreatic ductal obstruction due to the incarcerated stomach. For pancreatitis, gastrointestinal decompression was performed, and after 3 days, the pancreatic enzyme was normalized; hence, a thoracotomy was performed. A small ruptured diaphragm was found and reposition of the organs was performed. This paper reports the experience of successfully treating pancreatitis and pancreatic hernia developed after trauma without complications through a thoracotomy following gastrointestinal decompression.