Hemodynamic consequences of extremity injuries following a terrorist bombing attack: retrospective cohort study

• Published in: European journal of trauma and emergency surgery (Munich : 2007) Vol. 45; no. 5; pp. 865 - 870
• Main Authors: Ashkenazi, Itamar, Sevi, Roger, Turégano-Fuentes, Fernando, Walsh, Michael S., Olsha, Oded, Schecter, William P., Alfici, Ricardo
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Berlin/Heidelberg Springer Berlin Heidelberg 01-10-2019; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Amputation; Blast Injuries - complications; Blast Injuries - physiopathology; Blast Injuries - therapy; Bombs; Child; Cohort analysis; Critical Care Medicine; Emergency Medicine; Female; Hemodynamics; Hemorrhage - complications; Hemorrhage - physiopathology; Hemorrhage - surgery; Hemorrhagic shock; Humans; Injuries; Injury Severity Score; Intensive; Israel - epidemiology; Male; Mass Casualty Incidents - mortality; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Middle Aged; Original Article; Retrospective Studies; Shock, Hemorrhagic - mortality; Sports Medicine; Surgery; Surgical Orthopedics; Terrorism; Tourniquets; Trauma Centers; Traumatic Surgery; Young Adult; Israel; Multiple casualty incidents; Hemodynamic instability; Blast injuries
• ISSN: 1863-9933; 1863-9941
• DOI: 10.1007/s00068-018-1017-5

Background
Extremities are commonly injured following bomb explosions. The main objective of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of hemorrhagic shock (HS) in victims of explosion suffering from extremity injuries.
Methods
Retrospective study based on a cohort of patient records maintained in one hospital’s mass casualty registry.
Results
Sixty-six victims of explosion who were hospitalized with extremity injuries were identified and evaluated. Sixteen (24.2%) of these were hemodynamically unstable during the first 24 h of treatment. HS could be attributed to associated injuries in seven of the patients. In the other nine patients, extremity injury was the only injury that could explain HS in seven patients and the extremity injury was a major contributor to HS together with another associated injury in two patients. In those 9 patients, in whom the extremity injury was the sole or major contributor to HS, a median of 10 (range 2–22) pRBC was transfused during the first 24 h of treatment. Six of the nine patients were in need of massive transfusion. Fractures in both upper and lower extremities, Gustilo IIIb-c open fractures and AIS 3–4 were found to be risk factors for HS.
Conclusions
Ample consideration should be given to patients with extremity injuries due to explosions, as these may be immediately life threatening. Tourniquet use should be encouraged in the pre-hospital setting. Before undertaking surgery, emergent HS should be considered in these patients and prevented by appropriate resuscitation.