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FAT EMBOLISM SYNDROME: INCIDENCE, SIGNIFICANCE AND EARLY FEATURES
Author(s) -
MOORE PETER,
JAMES OWEN,
SALTOS NICHOLAS
Publication year - 1981
Publication title -
australian and new zealand journal of surgery
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.111
H-Index - 51
eISSN - 1445-2197
pISSN - 0004-8682
DOI - 10.1111/j.1445-2197.1981.tb05252.x
Subject(s) - medicine , incidence (geometry) , fat embolism syndrome , fat embolism , respiratory system , respiratory failure , pulmonary embolism , surgery , physics , optics
During the period 1968 to 1978 a total of 447 patients were treated In the Royal Newcastle Hospital for acute respiratory failure after Injury. In 321 patients respiratory failure occurred after thoracic and/or long bone Injury. In only 17 of these could a diagnosis of fat embolism syndrome (FES) as a sole cause of respiratory failure be substantiated when strict diagnostic criteria were applied. In a further 15 patients FES may have coexisted with other causes of respiratory failure. The outstanding features of patients with FES were: (I) all were In the younger age groups; (II) all developed respiratory symptoms within 48 hours of admission to hospital; (III) most had multiple limb fractures; (lv) more than half had been transferred from other hospitals; and (v) three were pregnant and had sustained in comparison with the others, less severe long bone Injuries.