Acute pancreatitis is one of the most common diseases of the gastrointestinal tract and is usually caused by gallstones; its occurrence in pregnancy is rare. Cholecystectomy for biliary pancreatitis during pregnancy is unavoidable, but its timing is controversial. We herein present the case of a patient who underwent termination of pregnancy due to deteriorated acute severe pancreatitis during the 27th week of gestation. Cholecystectomy was performed because of the relapse of acute biliary pancreatitis 10 days after being discharged. The interval from pancreatitis to cholecystectomy varies with its severity; in mild pancreatitis the interval may be one week, but in severe cases it maybe up to three weeks. Because pancreatitis may relapse during this interval, as occurred in the present case, a better solution for the timing of cholecystectomy must be sought.

OBJECTIVETo analyze the data of trauma patients with thoracic injury in the earthquake of Bam admitted to hospitals of Tehran University of Medical Science (TUMS) for better understanding the type and consequence of thoracic injuries in a major earthquake.

METHODSAfter Bam earthquake registering 6.5 on the Richter scale, 526 trauma patients were admitted to hospitals of TUMS. Among them, 53 patients sustained thoracic injury.

RESULTSThis group was composed of 21 females (39.6%) and 32 males (60.4%). Fifteen patients (28.3%) had isolated chest injuries. Rib fracture (36.4%) was the most common injury in our patients and haemo/pneumothorax (25.5%) followed. Superficial injury was the most common accompanying injury. Multiple-trauma patients with chest injury had higher injury severity score (ISS) versus patients with isolated chest injury (P=0.003).

CONCLUSIONSChest wall injuries and haemo/pneumothorax comprise a considerable number of injuries in survival victims of earthquakes. Consequently, the majority of these patients can be treated with observation or tube thoracostomy. We should train and equip the health workers and members of rescue teams to treat and manage these patients in the field.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Child ; Disasters ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Thoracic Injuries ; classification ; epidemiology

OBJECTIVETo evaluate the sensitivity and specificity of CT scan findings in patients with blunt abdominal trauma admitted to the university hospital.

METHODSAll the patients with blunt abdominal trauma admitted at a tertiary teaching trauma center in Iran between 2005 and 2007 were enrolled in this study. In the absence of any clinical manifestations, the patients underwent a diagnostic CT scan. Laparatomy was performed in those with positive CT results. Others were observed for 48 hours and discharged in case no problem was reported; otherwise they underwent laparatomy. Information on patients?demographic data, mechanism of trauma, indication for CT scan, CT scan findings, results of laparotomy were gathered. The sensitivity, specificity and accuracy of the CT-scan images in regard with the organ injured were calculated. The sensitivity, specificity and accuracy of the CT scan were calculated in each case.

RESULTSCT scan had the highest sensitivity for detecting the injuries to liver (100%) and spleen (86.6%). The specificity of the method for detecting retroperitoneal hematoma (100%) and injuries to kidney (93.5%) was higher than other organs. The accuracy of CT images to detect the injuries to spleen, liver, kidney and retroperitoneal hematoma was reported to be 96.1%, 94.4%, 91.6% and 91.6% respectively.

CONCLUSIONThe findings of the present study reveal that CT scan could be considered as a good choice, especially for patients with blunt abdominal trauma in teaching hospitals where the radiologic academic staff is not present in the hospital in the night shifts.

Abdominal Injuries ; diagnostic imaging ; Adolescent ; Adult ; Child ; Female ; Humans ; Liver ; injuries ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Spleen ; injuries ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed ; Wounds, Nonpenetrating ; diagnostic imaging ; Young Adult

OBJECTIVEThe extremity injury pattern after a major earthquake is not well understood because data on this type of injury and management are limited. The aim of this study was to analyze the data of trauma patients with extremity injury in the earthquake of Bam Iran, registering 6.6 on the Richter scale.

METHODSWe reviewed medical records of 486 patients admitted to hospitals of Tehran University of Medical Sciences. Among them, 274 patients sustained extremity injuries. This group was composed of 138 females (50.4%) and 136 males (49.6%) and 213 cases (77.7%) were under 40 years of age.

RESULTSFracture was the major type of injury (58.4% of extremity injuries). The most common sites of injury were lower extremities (185 patients, 67.5% of all victims). Pelvic and rib fractures and abdominal injuries were the most frequently associated injuries. The mean ISS was 6.2+/-4.0, and 61% of the patients had ISS less than 7. Amputation and death occurred in 2.9% and 2.5% of cases, respectively.

CONCLUSIONSSpecial attention should be given to dealing with orthopedic injuries in similar disasters in the future.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Disasters ; Earthquakes ; Extremities ; injuries ; Female ; Humans ; Infant ; Male ; Middle Aged

OBJECTIVEChest injury, one of the most important aspects of trauma, directly accounts for 25% of all trauma-related deaths and plays a major contributing role in another 25% of trauma deaths. This paper aimed to explore the spectrum and outcome of thoracic injuries seen in a multi centric study of trauma patients.

METHODSA total of 276 consecutive trauma patients in 6 general hospitals were analyzed. The feature of injury, injury severity score (ISS), clinical treatment and mortality were recorded in a prospective manner and analyzed retrospectively. Multiple logistic regression analysis was used to determine the independent predictors of mortality following the chest trauma.

RESULTSThere were 246 males (89.1%) and 30 females (10.9%) ranging from 3 to 80 years with a mean age of (34+/-17) years. Road traffic accident was the main cause of injury, especially for pedestrians, followed by stab wound (89 cases, 32.1%) and falling injuries (32 cases, 11.6%), respectively. Haemothorax or pneumothorax (50.4%) and rib fracture (38.6%) were the most common types of chest injury. Extremity fracture was the most common associated injury with the rate of 37% ( 85/230), followed by head injury (25.2%) and abdominal trauma (19.6%). These injuries contributed significantly to the morbidity and mortality of trauma patients.

CONCLUSIONSAccording to the results, most patients with chest injury can be treated conservatively with close observation and tube thoracostomy. The presence of blunt trauma, head injury and abdominal injury independently adversely affect mortality after chest trauma. It is necessary to investigate the causes and patterns of injuries resulting from stab wound for effective prevention.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Female ; Humans ; Logistic Models ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Thoracic Injuries ; etiology ; mortality ; therapy

OBJECTIVEAlthough long bone fracture in children is not life-threatening, it may cause major disability, loss of working days and severe psychological distress. We conducted this study to determine the pattern of extremity fracture due to trauma in children.

METHODSDuring one year in six general hospitals in Tehran, trauma patients who were hospitalized for more than 24 hours and sustained injuries within seven days before admission were included in the study. The records of children (< or = 16 years old) hospitalized in six general hospitals in Tehran due to trauma were reviewed prospectively.

RESULTSDuring the study period, 1 274 children had sustained extremity fractures. Male to female ratio was 3.6/1, with the mean age of (10.3+/-4.2) years. Falls and traffic crashes were the main causes of injuries, with the percentages of 57.3% and 37.1%, respectively. Simple fall (falling on the ground) consisted 60% of patients that sustained fall-related injuries. Pedestrians and bicycle riders comprised most of the cases that were injured due to traffic crashes. Of our cases, 56.8% sustained fractures in the upper extremities and 43.2% in the lower extremities. Forearm was the most common fracture site (34.1%). Comparing our results in preschool and school-age children, falls were the main cause of injuries in both groups, but fractures of lower extremities were significantly more common in preschool children.

CONCLUSIONSImprovement of physical condition of sidewalks and crossings in roads will be necessary for prevention of injuries. More attention to safety of home environment should be paid for control of preschools'injury at home. Education of children and adults is necessary to reduce injuries resulting from road traffic crashes.

Adolescent ; Arm Bones ; injuries ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Female ; Fractures, Bone ; etiology ; therapy ; Humans ; Infant ; Leg Bones ; injuries ; Male ; Multiple Trauma ; complications

Background/Aims: This study aimed to study the endoscopic yield, appropriateness, and complications of pediatric endoscopy performed by adult gastroenterologists in an adult endoscopic suite. Methods: This a retrospective study in which records of all the patients less than 18 years of age who underwent endoscopy in the last 5 years were studied. The indications of endoscopy in children were categorized as appropriate or inappropriate per the latest guidelines by American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy and North American Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition. Positive endoscopic yield was defined as the presence of any abnormality on endoscopy. Results: Among the total of 822 children (age <18 years), the most common indications were variceal surveillance/eradication in 157 (19.1%), followed by dyspepsia in 143 (17.4%), upper gastrointestinal (UGI) bleeding in 136 (16.5%), recurrent abdominal pain in 94 (11.4%), unexplained anemia in 74 (9%), recurrent vomiting in 50 (6.08%), chronic refractory gastroesophageal reflux disease in 34 (4.1%) and others; 780 out of 822 endoscopic procedures (94.9%) done in children were appropriate as per the guidelines. The endoscopic yield was 45.8%, highest in patients with UGI bleeding (71.3%), followed by variceal surveillance (54.8%), recurrent vomiting (38%), dyspepsia (37.8%), and recurrent abdominal pain (36%). Minor adverse events occurred in 7.3% of children. Conclusions Pediatric endoscopy performed by an experienced adult gastroenterologist may be acceptable if done in cooperation with a pediatrician.

OBJECTIVEThe high burden of injuries in Iran necessitates the establishment of a comprehensive trauma care system. The purpose of this paper is to describe the current status of trauma system regarding the components and function.

METHODSThe current status of trauma system in all components of a trauma system was described through expert panels and semi-structured interviews with trauma specialists and policy makers.

RESULTSCurrently, various organizations are involved in prevention, management and rehabilitation of injuries, but an integrative system approach to trauma is rather deficient. There has been ongoing progress in areas of public education through media, traffic regulation reinforcement, hospital care and prehospital services. Meanwhile, there are gaps regarding financing, legislations and education of high risk groups. The issues on education and training standards of the front line medical team and continuing education and evaluation are yet to be addressed. Trauma registry has been piloted in some provinces, but as it needs the well-developed infrastructure (regarding staff, maintenance, financial resources), it is not yet established in our system of trauma care.

CONCLUSIONSIt seems that one of the problems with trauma care in Iran is lack of coordination among trauma system organizations. Although the clinical management of trauma patients has improved in our country in the recent decade, decreasing the burden of injuries necessitates an organized approach to prevention and management of trauma in the context of a trauma system.

Accidents, Traffic ; prevention & control ; Emergency Medical Services ; Humans ; Iran ; Leadership ; Wounds and Injuries ; prevention & control ; therapy