In severe traumatic injuries to the lower extremity, it is often a difficult decision to attempt heroic efforts aimed at limb salvage or to amputate primarily. To answer this question, the authors performed a 5-year review of 70 limbs in 67 patients. Patients were identified as presenting with major lower extremity trauma and an associated arterial injury. Nineteen (27%) of the 70 limbs were amputated. Limb salvage was not related to the presence or absence of shock and order of repair (orthopedic or vascular). No statistical difference was noted between the time of injury to operative repair in either the amputated or limb salvage group. Limb salvage was related to warm ischemia time and the quantitative degree of arterial, nerve, bone, muscle, skin, and venous injury. A limb salvage index (LSI) was formulated based on the degree of injury to these systems. All 51 patients with an LSI score of less than 6 had successful limb salvage (p less than 0.001). All 19 patients with an LSI score of 6 or greater had amputations (p less than 0.001). Although statistics cannot replace clinical judgment, this index can be a valuable objective tool in the evaluation of the patient with a severely traumatized extremity.

Aim: Intravenous iron is increasingly used prior to surgery for colorectal cancer (CRC) to correct iron deficiency anaemia and reduce blood transfusion. Its utility in functional iron deficiency (FID) or anaemia of inflammation is less clear. This observational study examined post-iron infusion changes in haemoglobin (Hb) based on grouping by C-reactive protein (CRP) and ferritin. Methods: Anaemic (M:Hb < 130 mg/L, F:Hb < 120 mg/L) patients with CRC receiving iron infusion, within a preoperative anaemia detection and correction protocol, at a single centre between 2016 and 2019 were included. Patients were grouped by iron deficiency (ferritin < 30 μg/L and CRP ≤ 5 mg/L, n = 18), FID (ferritin < 30 μg/L and CRP > 5 mg/L, n = 17), anaemia of inflammation (ferritin ≥ 30 μg/L and CRP > 5 mg/L, n = 6), and anaemia of other causes (ferritin ≥ 30 μg/L and CRP ≤ 5 mg/L, n = 6). Median change in Hb and postoperative day (POD) 1 Hb was compared by Kruskal-Wallis test. Results: Iron-deficient patients had the greatest increase in Hb after infusion (24 mg/L), highest POD 1 Hb (108 mg/ L), and required no blood transfusions. Patients with FID had the second greatest increase in Hb (15 mg/L) and second highest POD 1 Hb (103 mg/L). Those with anaemia of inflammation had little increase in Hb after infusion (3 mg/L) and lower POD 1 Hb (102 mg/L) than either iron-deficient group. Those without iron deficiency showed a decrease in haemoglobin after infusion (− 5 mg/L) and lowest POD 1 Hb (95 mg/L). Conclusions: Preoperative intravenous iron is less efficacious in patients with anaemia of inflammation and FID undergoing surgery for CRC, compared with true iron deficiency. Further understanding of the role of perioperative iron infusions is required for maximum gain from therapy.

Metastatic colorectal cancer (CRC) is a topic of intense research. KRAS mutations have emerged as aggressive drivers of disease. Here we discuss the role of KRAS mutations in metastatic progression of CRC. We describe how KRAS has become a useful biomarker in metastatic CRC and examine where future trials may look to target KRAS mutant tumors for therapeutic benefit.

A 16-year-old boy presented to hospital with a 6-day history of diarrhoea, vomiting and abdominal pain. During his admission he was found to be hypotensive, tachycardic and persistently feverish. Blood cultures taken on admission isolated CT scanning of his neck showed a non-occlusive thrombus of the right internal jugular vein and a small right parapharyngeal abscess. CT scans of the chest and abdomen revealed multiple pulmonary abscesses, bilateral pleural effusions and splenomegaly. Treatment consisted of an unfractionated heparin infusion and intravenous antibiotics. A right-sided intercostal drain was inserted for a complex right-sided empyema. He subsequently developed a left-sided pleural effusion which was treated with a video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) pleurodesis procedure. His fever resolved after his VATS pleurodesis procedure 3 weeks after initial presentation. Clinically he made a slow recovery but now is improved after 6 weeks of intravenous antibiotics and was discharged home.