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Life and Death Decisions in a Resource-Constrained Environment Blood Shortage < Back Life and Death Decisions in a Resource-Constrained Environment When resources aren't in short supply, patient care isn’t limited by access to resources. As we quickly noticed at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, nationwide supply shortages can develop quickly. In addition to the continuously growing staff and supply shortage the nation is currently enduring, we now have a critical shortage of blood products. The categories of patients who receive blood transfusions are diverse, and my colleagues and I use this resource daily. So I'm going to ask the uncomfortable question. Have you ever been in a resource-limited environment where you were unable to provide every patient with the same level of care? Have you ever been in a difficult position to allocate supplies and medical care based on triage? And most recently, have you been forced to re-evaluate your transfusion practice in light of this severe blood shortage? Several months ago I had a tragic case of a young male who suffered penetrating abdominal and pelvic trauma. He had multiple injuries to his IVC, his right iliac as well as hollow viscus injuries. I had another trauma attending, a trauma fellow, and a chief resident in the operating room. We were simultaneously working in multiple body cavities. Initially, I was holding manual proximal aortic control at the diaphragmatic hiatus. This was modified to transthoracic aortic cross-clamp, which also permitted open cardiac massage. Unfortunately, despite 4 educated pairs of hands, the patient remained hemodynamically tenuous. We cross-clamped the aorta and continued aggressive blood product resuscitation. I lost track of how many products he received, but it was likely one of the highest volumes I've ever given a patient. I'm a young staff surgeon, and this was the first case where I was faced with the ethical dilemma of withholding further transfusion in the setting of surgical futility. He had injuries that we were working to control, and in isolation, each injury was easily survivable. However, he sustained a constellation of symptoms too severe to tolerate. Whenever the thoracic aortic cross-clamp was released, he became profoundly unstable. Inability to tolerate the removal of cross-clamp is incompatible with life. No one wants to be seen as giving up, admitting failure, or abandoning a patient. As I gain more experience, I become increasingly comfortable with uncomfortable situations. In the back of my mind, as each minute passed, I became progressively more cognizant of the fact that the patient's mortality was inevitable. I didn't verbalize this until much later in the case. But at one point in the case, when I heard the number of units of blood transfused, my sense that the patient was unlikely to survive became overwhelming. I was grateful to have a colleague with me to openly discuss the conflict of continuing to administer blood products in a patient with essentially 100% mortality. We are charged with caring for patients with the same level of care, indiscriminately- not withholding interventions based on our judgments of a patient's worthiness. Blood products are an extremely precious and limited resource, and shouldn't be used without thoughtful consideration. Verbalizing that continuing resuscitative efforts while a patient is still alive is not without consequence. There are people in the room who don’t have the same experience, who don’t understand that even though we can continue to fix injuries, further use of blood products would not help the patient. By extension, there could be a patient who needed blood to save their love who could be deprived access to that resource. It takes experience to make these difficult calls. So how do you gain this wisdom and how do you handle these situations? - You only gain this wisdom through experience. It can’t be taught, it can only be learned by facing similar situations. - Remember you're not working in isolation. You don’t have to make the decision alone. Enlist the support of colleagues and senior partners. - Verbalize your thoughts- this makes others in the room aware of the current clinical situation. This also can empower team members to offer suggestions. In challenging clinical situations, I commonly say "does anyone else have any ideas". Some teammates do not feel comfortable speaking up in a room of physicians/ surgeons, so this can open the floor for a frank discussion. Previous Next

< Back Appendicitis What is appendicitis? The appendix is a small worm-like structure that hangs from where the small and large bowel connect in your right lower abdomen. It can become inflamed and cause pain. What does surgery entail? What are the risks of the procedure? The surgery to remove your appendix involves using a camera and thin instruments. We typically make 3 incisions- one at your belly button, one right above your pubic bone and one in the left lower abdomen. We divide the appendix with a stapler and remove it. You’ll have a foley in your bladder to help get your bladder out of the way because one of the ports is placed right over the bladder. The folly goes in after you go to sleep and is removed before you wake up. It might burn the first time you pee after surgery. There is a risk of infection following an appendectomy. Bacteria live in the appendix and when we divide it, the bacteria can fall out and form an abscess. This risk is higher if your appendix is ruptured at the time of surgery. This typically presents very similar to appendicitis, because it’s an infection in the same part of your abdomen. Most of the time that can be managed without surgery. We can have our radiology colleagues place a drain into the abscess cavity. What can I expect post-operatively? You will have several small incisions from the laparoscopic port sites. They will have absorbable sutures, nothing that needs to be removed. You will have glue or gauze and paper tape on the incisions. The glue will peel off on its own in 10-14 days. If you have gauze, you can remove this in two days and shower like normal. You will have paper tape strips on the incision, and these will peel off on their own. You are at risk for a hernia through the small incisions, so avoid heavy lifting for 4 weeks after surgery. You may take acetaminophen (Tylenol) and ibuprofen (Motrin) as needed for pain. These can be taken at the same time. Take the narcotic pain medication if your pain is severe despite the acetaminophen and ibuprofen. After the few first days, you should work on decreasing the number of narcotics that you are taking. What can I eat after surgery? There are no specific dietary restrictions. However, if you eat a fatty meal, it may cause loose stool (diarrhea) until your body adjusts to not having your gallbladder, which previously stored the chemicals used to digest fatty food. This is seen in about 10% of patients and usually resolves. If it lasts more than a few weeks, there are medication options to treat this. What should I be worried about after surgery? If you have fever >101 F, severe nausea/ vomiting, inability to tolerate liquids, severe abdominal pain, increasing redness, or drainage from your incisions. Patient Information from Society of American Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgeons (SAGES) Appendix Removal (Appendectomy) Surgery American College of Surgeons Appendectomy: Surgical Removal of the Appendix Previous Next

< Back C dificle Colitis...pending Management of Clostridium Difficle Colitis Previous Next

< Back The Trauma Bag Why was there a need for a trauma bag in the hospital? As an acute care surgeon responding to trauma activations, airway emergencies, and a variety of other hospital surgical emergencies, there are a handful of supplies that I always have with me. The two basics are a scalpel for surgical airways and trauma shears (classically used to remove clothes in the trauma bay, but I seem to find more uses all the time). Eventually, I added a Kelly clamp to my armamentarium- handy for disconnecting or unscrewing a wide variety of impossibly tight connections or securing something in place. During the COVID Pandemic, numerous changes were made in our hospital to minimize infection transmission. Unfortunately, several of the modifications had unintended negative consequences. When we stopped wearing white coats, we lost our pocket space for stashing scalpels and shears. We also carried more gear, including eye protection and N-95 masks (carried in a brown bag when not worn). Many surgeons adapted by using an assortment of bags, such as sling backpacks or CamelBak cases. My own choice is this fanny pack , which draws many compliments! The next challenge was the relocation of supplies from the wall of our trauma bay onto shelves in the hallway. Team members had to leave the trauma bay, locate which cart the item was on, and then scan for the item, which created delays. This disrupted communication as well because team members missed changes when they were outside the room. Another hurdle that existed even before the pandemic was the array of different names for the same item. Most people who place cotton-tipped applicators in their ears after their shower call them by the brand name “Q-tip”…they are actually called “cotton tip applicators” or “CTA”. **Note- don’t use Q-tips in your ears!** Drop the Q-tip! Why ENTs are begging you to leave your ears alone. The surgeon might ask for 4x4s, which is what we call gauze in the operating room. Some say "Quik-Clot” while others know the product by the name “Combat Gauze”. Sutures are a whole other bag of worms…do you use silk or Ethibond to secure your chest tube? Curved or straight needle? Countless times, the trauma chief is managing the trauma and when someone calls for a suture, their attention is often diverted to advising the person reaching into the suture box on the wall.…"no, the one to the left, top row." It’s not always easy to tell from the box what the suture and needle look like. In addition to the elimination of white coats, relocation of commonly used supplies outside the trauma bay, and different names for supplies, I noticed that several key items were frequently used and they seemed to be unreasonably challenging to locate in a timely fashion. Combat Gauze, Coban, specific suture on a specific needle, etc. Therefore, I created a backpack of supplies that I carry when on call. What does this bag do? This bag was created from my perception of a necessity to ensure specific supplies are readily available when responding to surgical emergencies. A Level 1 trauma center is equipped with the highest level of resources and personnel to manage the most complex patients, and our resources and patient population dictate what supplies are needed on a routine basis. My focus was on supplies that are (1) frequently used, (2) unique and not readily available in all locations where they are used, and when they are required, (3) delays in employment are remarkably morbid, and (4) portable. Why didn’t I include tourniquets? They’re frequently used and delays in employment are morbid, but patients typically have them in place on arrival and if not, they are readily available in the trauma bay. Why didn’t I include chest tubes? They are frequently used and delays in employment are morbid, but they are relatively widely available. In addition, the life-threatening physiology of hemothorax or pneumothorax can be resolved with a finger thoracostomy using a scalpel and Kelly (essentially the same process as placing a chest tube, but stopping at the step of a finger sweep in the thoracic cavity, releasing massive hemothorax or tension pneumothorax). Why didn’t I include a REBOA kit? This is a controversial topic. However, in the situation where resuscitative thoracotomy is deferred in favor of REBOA, rapid employment is ideal. However, this device is not frequently used at our facility. Paper clips? In a trauma bag? Yes, paper clips. They are used to mark wounds for creating a road map of the trajectory. What DOESN’T this bag do? This is NOT an all-inclusive bag for responding to all emergencies. It should not be considered a guide for pre-hospital emergency response, non-surgical emergencies, or any situations outside of the specifications reviewed above. There are other response teams in the hospital that have different supplies. For example, we have ICU nurses that respond to rapid response or code blue situations, and they carry critical care transfer bags. I don’t know the list of supplies that they carry, but here is a sample of potential contents of a “transfer bag”. In summary, my trauma bag is focused on specific needs that I perceived based on my daily work at my facility. If you perceive a need for a similar tool at your facility, I would encourage you to develop a supply list tailored to your needs. Trauma Bag- Supply List Personal Protective Equipment Blue gown, non-sterile (2) Medium gloves Mask with eye shield (1) Sterile Supplies for Procedures Pack of blue towels (1) Stapler (1) Sterile gown (1) Small Chloraprep (2) Laceration tray (1) Dressings and Hemostatic Agents Gauze, 4x4 (2) Surgicel, 2 in x 3 in (4) Quik-Clot, 3 in x 4 yds (3) Kerlix, 3.4 in x 3.6 yds (3) Kerlix, 4.5 in x 4.1 yds (1) Coban, 4 in x 5 yds (1) Large Tegaderm (4) Sutures and Instruments #1 Ethibond, curved needle (8) #0 Silk, straight needle (4) #0 Silk, curved needle (1) #2-0 Silk, curved needle (2) #2-0 Vicryl, curved needle (5) Skin stapler (1) Adsons (1) Kelly clamp (2) Needle driver (1) Laceration tray (1) Scalpel #10 (1) Scalpel #11 (1) Miscellaneous Cotton tip applicators (3) Tongue Depressors (2) Paper clips Disclaimer: This was created early in the pandemic, while I was a fellow at a different institution. Previous Next

1st day in radiology: your right is your left, your left is your right Radiologic Dyslexia < Back 1st day in radiology: your right is your left, your left is your right I have recently coined a new phrase. While showing my mom a picture, pointing out someone she had never met before, I commented, "he's the one on the right." Funny story, though- he was actually on the left side of the picture. I had to pause while I talked to my mom and reassure her that I know the difference between my right and my left. While scrolling through Twitter the other day, I was reviewing a question posed about an abdominal x-ray. Another Twitter user added a helpful hint by indicating "the right side of the circle" when pointing out an abnormality. I predicted he meant anatomical right (meaning the image's left side) based on my interpretation. We chuckled about the discrepancy between radiographic laterality and left-right differentiation in real life. I decided to designate this mix-up "radiologic dyslexia." Feel free to use this in the appropriate context! Previous Next

< Back Vent Mgmt #4: All Together Choosing a mode Controlled- patients who aren't generating breaths. PC, VC. Most common mode at initiation of MV. SIMV- patient generating some breaths, but still needs significant mechanical support. Spontaneous- not frequently used at initiation, but can be used for patients with airway obstruction and preserved lung function. How to set initial parameters TV (6-8 mL/ kg predicted body weight) [lung protective ventilation] RR 10-14 FiO2 often start at 100%, but quickly weaned unless severely hypoxic Inspiratory:expiratory ratio typically 1:2 Flow- typically set @ 60L/min, can increase if the patient is in distress or has a high minute ventilation How to adjust parameters based on arterial blood gas results Low PaO2 (low arterial oxygen content)- increase FiO2, increase mean airway pressure Markedly elevated PaO2 (hyperoxia)- decrease FiO2 Low PaCO2 (low arterial carbon dioxide concentration)- decrease TV or RR High PaCO2 (high arterial carbon dioxide concentration)- increase TV or RR *For more details, check out these resources: Lectures: Critical Care: Respiratory Failure Lectures: Critical Care: Vents Other principles of mechanical ventilation VAP bundle- elevated head of bed, oral care Daily awakening and spontaneous breathing trials Previous Next

< Back Free Fluid in the Abdomen A 62-year-old male presents following a motor vehicle collision in which he was an unrestrained driver. He was intubated in the trauma bay for decreased mental status. A focused assessment with sonography for trauma (FAST) was performed, which did not reveal intra-abdominal fluid. Computed tomography (CT) of the head demonstrated minimal intra-cranial injury. CT of the abdomen and pelvis (see below) revealed decreased blood supply to the left kidney, small irregularity of the splenic contour, and a moderate amount of free fluid in the abdomen and pelvis. Hounsfield units are consistent with simple fluid. CT of the abdomen and pelvis https://video.wixstatic.com/video/3b6ff6_b03419943e9941d281c3d8f0b800e37f/480p/mp4/file.mp4 What is the differential diagnosis for the free fluid in the abdomen? Free fluid due to trauma can be urine, enteric contents (bowel injury with spillage of succus) or blood. It is possible to have fluid present prior to the trauma, such as ascites from chronic liver disease. In this case, the free fluid in the abdomen had characteristics of “simple fluid,” based on Hounsfield units, suggesting that the fluid was not blood. In females, free fluid in the pelvis can be normal (physiologic fluid). However, free fluid is NOT normal in a male, and it's concerning for hollow viscus injury. What are the possible causes of decreased blood flow to the kidney? The renal artery can be injured in blunt trauma. Blunt injury can disrupt the layers of the artery wall, leading to thrombosis and decreased blood flow beyond the injury. He was admitted to the intensive care unit. A foley catheter was placed and demonstrated pink-tinged urine [NOT frank gross blood/ clots]. What are the possible causes of blood-tinged urine? Bloody urine indicates a traumatic injury to the genitourinary tract, anywhere from the kidneys down to the urethra. A CT cystogram was performed, which did not reveal any extravasation of contrast from the bladder. CT Cystogram https://video.wixstatic.com/video/3b6ff6_119074429b224cc98677d4f101fef666/480p/mp4/file.mp4 Next steps? Based on an unreliable physical exam and a normal CT cystogram, it is necessary to rule out bowel injury. The patient was hemodynamically stable and had normal laboratory values. He remained with a decreased mental status, and therefore serial abdominal exams were not a viable management plan. The patient was taken to the operating room and underwent diagnostic laparoscopy. His small bowel, colon, and mesentery were examined in there entirety and found to be completely normal. There was a small amount of clear thin fluid in the pelvis, but there was no evidence of bile staining or bleeding. After completing the evaluation of the gastrointestinal tract, we repositioned the patient in Trendelenburg. The pelvis was inspected, and it was quickly apparent that the patient in fact had a large defect in the dome of the bladder. We elected to proceed with a low midline laparotomy. The bladder was easily mobilized, and the extent of the defect was defined. The edges were grasped, and the defect was closed in two layers with absorbable suture. Postoperatively, we reviewed the preoperative CT cystogram. In retrospect, there was a suggestion of bladder irregularity. We reviewed the CT cystogram with the radiologist and there was no evidence of contrast extravasation. However, the bladder does not appear to have been completely distended with contrast. It is very atypical that a large bladder wall defect was not associated with contrast extravasation, and this highlights the importance and ensuring complete filling of the bladder with contrast. Evaluation and Management of Bladder Injuries Bladder injuries can occur from blunt or penetrating trauma. For example, bladder injuries can occur when blunt force is exerted on a full bladder or in the setting of a pelvis fracture. Diagnosis Gross hematuria is seen in most patients with bladder injuries. Cystography, either using plain x-ray or CT, is the diagnostic test of choice. Management The management of bladder injuries is based on location. Intra-peritoneal injuries require operative management. This is done in two or three layers with absorbable suture. A decompressive foley catheter is left following repair. Extra-peritoneal injuries can typically be managed non-operatively with a foley catheter for 10-14 days. Exceptions include large bony segments protruding into the bladder wall, associated rectal or vaginal injuries, bladder neck injuries, or an associated pelvic fracture undergoing operative intervention to prevent hardware contamination. Current guidelines recommend a cystogram before foley removal, except for the most uncomplicated injuries. Yeung LL et al. Management of blunt force bladder injuries: A practice management guideline from the Eastern Association for the Surgery of Trauma. J Trauma Acute Care Surg. 2019;86(2):326-336. Previous Next

< Back Fever...pending Evaluation of Fever Previous Next

< Back AKI...pending ​ ​ ​ ​ Previous Next

< Back Pneumonia...pending ​ ​ ​ ​ Previous Next

< Back GI Dysmotility...pending ​ ​ ​ ​ Previous Next

< Back Gunshot Wound to the Leg ​ ​ ​ ​ Previous Next