Case Reports

Introduction
The COVID‐19 pandemic, caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronarvirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), has presented the medical community with new challenges. One relevant topic of discussion and research is anticoagulation therapy in patients with COVID-19. COVID-19 is associated with a hypercoagulable state leading to arterial and venous thrombotic complications.1 2 The required anticoagulation therapy, however, increases the risk of bleeding.3 We describe a case of spontaneous…

Intraabdominal hypertension in a patient with neutropenic enterocolitis – an absolute contraindication for surgery?

Joël Lavanchy MD, Tobias Haltmeier MD, Beat Schnüriger MD

Department of Visceral Surgery and Medicine, Division of Acute Care Surgery, Inselspital, Bern University Hospital, Bern, Switzerland

Case

A 63-years old male patient has been referred to our hospital with fatigue since 3 months, shivering without fever for 6 days and dry cough that started 3 days ago. Suspecting…

Small bowel perforation due to a blunt abdominal trauma with inguinal herniation accompanied by an acute sigma diverticulitis: a case report

Lukas W. Widmer MD, Michael Müller MD

Department of General Surgery and Orthopedics, Hospital Davos, Switzerland

Introduction

Although small bowel injuries are the most frequent hollow viscus injuries in blunt abdominal trauma they occur with a low incidence of 1.2% [1,2]. Inguinal hernias are frequent and a watchful waiting approach in asymptomatic male…

Andreas Kohler MD, Vladimir Makaloski MD, Beat Schnüriger MD
Department of Visceral and Transplant Surgery, Bern University Hospital, Switzerland
Department of Vascular Surgery, Bern University Hospital, Switzerland

Introduction

We report a case of a covered aortic rupture at the classic location distal to the left subclavian artery. Since this injury is rare and the clinical picture very variable, a high index of suspicion is required. On the basis of this case, we discuss clinical aspects of a…

Tobias Haltmeier, MD, Guido Beldi, MD, Beat Schnüriger, MD
All at the Department of Visceral and Transplant Surgery, Bern University Hospital, Bern, Switzerlan

Background

Abdominal gunshot wounds (GSW) may lead to massive intra-abdominal bleeding and require prompt diagnostic workup and surgical treatment. However, the initial clinical evaluation of abdominal GSW can be challenging.[1-4]
Trauma in patients with impaired liver function, such as liver cirrhosis or hepatitis, is associated with…

Florian Oberndoerfer, MS, Ann-Kathrin Schmidt, MS, Christian A. Seiler, MD, Beat Schnüriger, MD
Department of Visceral Surgery and Medicine. Bern University Hospital, CH-3010

Introduction

Here we present a patient who suffered laceration of the thyroid gland after accidental, work-related strangulation. The available literature on blunt injuries to the thyroid gland is limited. Most of the articles describe contusions or partial lacerations. Here, we present a patient with complete transection…

Laue J, MD; Kernig K, MS; Banz V, MD; Keel M, MD; Schnüriger B, MD
All Bern University Hospital

Introduction

Blunt rectal injury is a rare entity. The vast majority of published cases involve patients suffering from penetrating mechanisms of trauma, making any conclusions or recommendations for the treatment of such blunt injuries difficult. Here, we present a patient, who sustained a blunt extraperitoneal rectal injury in combination with a pelvic fracture arising from a fall off a horse.

Case…