Is tracheostomy suitable for securing airway after facial firearm injuries?
Journal Title: World Journal of Emergency Medicine - Year 2011, Vol 2, Issue 4
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Head and neck region have many vital structures, and facial firearm injuries (FFIs) more likely lead to life-threatening situations than other body injuies. These injuries have high potential of airway compromise associated with significant morbidity and mortality. METHODS: We describe an 11-year-old boy who had received tracheostomy after a FFI complicated with pneumothorax and subcutaneous emphysema 8 hours after the procedure. The patient was treated at the Department of Emergency and Critical Care, Gazi University School of Medicine, Turkey. RESULTS: The patient was discharged without any complications from the Critical Care Unit after treatment for five days. CONCLUSIONS: Airway management is of utmost importance in resuscitation of FFI, but it is always difficult to secure via the orotracheal route due to the deformed facial structures. Tracheostomy is an option for airway management in FFI affecting head and neck region. However, tracheostomy may be associated with life-threatening complications, which should be closely monitored with early intervention.
Authors and Affiliations
Keywords
Related Articles
- EP ID EP473701
- DOI -
- Views 35
- Downloads 0
Error reporting in the emergency department: do we do what we say we do?
BACKGROUND: The Joint Commission accreditation manual contains standards in improving organization performance related to report and review of patient care issues causing unexpected harm. In spite of regulations mandatin...
Emergency department diagnosis of a concealed pleurocutaneous fistula in a 78-year-old man using point-of-care ultrasound
Although the differential diagnosis for chest wall masses is broad, the vast majority are abscesses, lipomas, or sebaceous cysts. Post-operative chest wall masses can also include infection, hematoma, seroma, cancer recu...
Ascending aortic dilatation rate after transcatheter aortic valve replacement in patients with bicuspid and tricuspid aortic stenosis: A multidetector computed tomography follow-up study
BACKGROUND: Current data is lacking about the progression of ascending aortic dilatation after transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) in aortic stenosis (AS) patients with bicuspid aortic valve (BAV) and tricuspid...
Wooden stick penetration from the perineal region up to the thorax
BACKGROUND: Penetrating injuries of the perineum are rare but very dangerous. Since the genitourinary and colorectal organs may be injured, how to evaluate surgical management of the injury is very important. METHODS: Th...
Acute abdomen caused by nontraumatic hemoperitoneum is the first manifestation of gastric low grade stromal tumor
BACKGROUND: Gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs) are the most common mesenchymal tumors of the gastrointestinal tract in adults. We treated surgically a man with acute abdomen caused by non-traumatic hemoperitoneum an...