A 48-year-old male with no significant past medical history who was a restrained driver in a motor vehicle accident sustained multiple injuries in the crash () and had a prolonged and difficult extrication from the crash site before being brought to Ryder Trauma Center with a Glasgow Coma Scale of 15 approximately 1-2 hours after his accident. While in the resuscitation bay, bilateral chest tubes were placed for bilateral pneumothoraces and he had a positive FAST exam with tachycardia and severe hypotension (HR 128, BP 69/50). He was immediately brought to the operating room (OR) for emergency exploratory laparotomy, and splenectomy was performed for Grade V splenic injury, followed by abdominal packing without complete abdominal closure. His condition stabilized intraoperatively; no active abdominal bleeding or hematoma could be identified at that moment.\nA full-body CT scan was then requested to investigate other injuries. A list of numerous bone fractures that demonstrate the serious extent of the traumatic injury is shown in . The patient had also a scalp injury and needed additional workup to rule out traumatic brain injury. Head CT was negative. Chest CT demonstrated no further injuries other than minor pulmonary contusions and pneumothoraxes already being treated by the previously placed chest tubes. Abdominal contrasted CT identified a left renal artery injury and a nonenhancing ischemic left kidney but no other abdominal organ injuries (). In an attempt to salvage left kidney function despite over 4 hours of warm ischemia at that point, the patient was taken back to the OR for emergent repair of his left renal artery/in situ autotransplantation.\nAn occlusive 2 cm intra-arterial thrombus was removed, and a corresponding 2 cm damaged segment of the renal artery was excised. The kidney was flushed through the renal vein with histidine-tryptophan-ketoglutarate perfusion solution during the anastomosis of the renal artery. The left kidney was adequately perfused postreconstruction of the left renal artery ().\nDuring the two operations, the patient received a total of 7 units of packed red blood cells, 6 units of fresh frozen plasma, 2 units of cryoprecipitate, and 2 platelet transfusions. The patient was subsequently admitted to the Trauma Intensive Care Unit (TICU) for postoperative care. His hospital course was significant for worsening azotemia in the setting of decreased kidney function and falling urine output with a peak creatinine above 8 mg/dL. Dialysis and pressors were started on postoperative day 4. Eventually, his renal function improved, and his creatinine fell, and urinary output increased. He exhibited hypertension 2-3 weeks postrenal artery repair, but his systolic blood pressures eventually stabilized between 110 and 130 mmHg. He recovered in our TICU after multiple episodes of fungemia and bacteremia, was transferred to the trauma floor, and was discharged two months after admission. He is currently being followed in an outpatient clinic. After 18 months of follow-up, his serum creatinine level is 1.3 mg/dL and vital signs were within normal limits, without hypertension.\nOutpatient nuclear medicine renal scan indicated partial preservation of left renal function with a shrunken left kidney, and 16.3% () of split renal function attributed to the left kidney. Renal biopsy of the revascularized kidney was not performed. Left renal artery stenosis was not noted after its reattachment.
A 9-year-old boy was brought in by ambulance to the Children's Hospital at Westmead following a motor vehicle accident. He was an improperly restrained, back seat passenger. He presented complaining of abdominal pain. On arrival, he was hemodynamically stable, with a Glasgow Coma Scale of 15. A seatbelt sign was identified across his lower abdomen. There was a tender fullness in the left flank, but it was difficult to decipher a clear mass or defect due to his high body mass index (>30). There was a laceration over his forehead extending to the hairline. The remainder of the examination was unremarkable.\nThe plain abdominal radiograph showed an unusual gas shadow in the left lower quadrant. A focused abdominal sonography for trauma was positive with free fluid in Morrison's pouch and the rectovesical pouch. The diagnosis of TAWH was made by abdominal computed tomography (CT), which revealed a large left lower lateral abdominal wall muscle defect, spanning 120 mm anteroposteriorly and 70 mm craniocaudally []. Small bowel, mesentery, and a small portion of the distal transverse colon were herniating through the defect, with associated fat stranding in the mesenteric root. Free fluid in the left subphrenic and hepatorenal space was identified.\nAn emergency trauma laparotomy was performed. He required resection of a segment of ischemic sigmoid bowel with primary anastomosis and repair of jejunal serosal tear and a large jejunal mesenteric defect. The large abdominal wall defect was closed in layers with PDS and a permacol patch secured to reinforce the defect.\nHis postoperative course was complicated by persistent fevers. An abdominal ultrasound revealed a 48 mL cutaneous collection in the left flank. Incision and drainage of the collection occurred on postoperative day 12. Intraoperatively, fecal material was identified in the left flank collection, and we proceeded to laparotomy. It was identified on laparotomy that necrosis of the psoas muscle had led to a posterior abdominal wall breakdown and herniation of the sigmoid colon anastomosis which subsequently leaked. The anastomosis was revised and the hernia repaired. He subsequently required incision, drainage, and washout of anterior and posterior wall collections 4 days later. His postoperative course was slow, and he was discharged home 33 days after the trauma. At a 4-month follow-up appointment, he was recovering well with no evidence of recurrence.