FATAL FAT EMBOLISM FOLLOWING MINIMAL SOFT TISSUE INJURY
Authors: E I WINKELMAN
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (1959)

Case Reports1 June 1959FATAL FAT EMBOLISM FOLLOWING MINIMAL SOFT TISSUE INJURYEUGENE I. WINKELMAN, M.D.EUGENE I. WINKELMAN, M.D.Search for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-50-6-1508 SectionsAboutPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail ExcerptAlthough the problem of fat embolism most often falls within the realm of the surgeon, the internist may also encounter it, either directly or in the role of consultant. Though it classically appears after fractures of the femur and tibia,2, 25it is also commonly seen with burns involving 10% or more of the skin surface,14, 17, 20, 24, 25and massive soft tissue injury following accidents, blast injuries or severe beatings.17, 21, 23, 25However, there are reports throughout the literature indicting it as a complication, rare in most instances, of a multitude of pathologic conditions, nontraumatic as well...Bibliography1. Bissell WW: Pulmonary fat embolism, a frequent cause of postoperative surgical shock, Surg., Gynec. and Obst. 25: 8-22, 1917. Google Scholar2. BryansEiseman WAB: Incidence of fat globulinemia following soft tissue and orthopedic operations, Surgical Forum 6: 28-32, 1955. Google Scholar3. DenmanGragg FRL: Fat embolism, Arch. Surg. 57: 325-332, 1948. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar4. DunphyIlfield JEFW: Fat embolism, Am. J. Surg. 77: 737-743, 1949. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar5. GlasGreskinMusselman WWTDMM: Fat embolism, Am. J. Surg. 85: 363-369, 1953. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar6. GlasMusselmanDavis WWMMJL: Source of fat in fat embolism, Arch. Surg. 71: 600-604, 1955. CrossrefGoogle Scholar7. Groskloss HD: Fat embolism, Yale J. Biol. and Med. 8: 59-91, 175-197, 297-310, 1935-36. MedlineGoogle Scholar8. Gauss H: Pathology of fat embolism, Arch. Surg. 9: 592-605, 1924. CrossrefGoogle Scholar9. HarmanRagoz JWFJ: Pathogenesis of experimental fat embolism, Am. J. Path. 26: 551-559, 1950. MedlineGoogle Scholar10. HarrisPerrettMacLachlin RIRSA: Fat embolism, Ann. Surg. 110: 1095, 1939. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar11. JohnsonRiegerSvanberg SRAA: Fat embolism, Acta chir. Scandinav. 110: 389-393, 1955-56. Google Scholar12. Kent S: Fat embolism in diabetic patients without physical trauma, Am. J. Path. 31: 399-402, 1955. MedlineGoogle Scholar13. LehmanMoore EPRM: Fat embolism, Arch. Surg. 14: 621-662, 1927. CrossrefGoogle Scholar14. LehmanMcNattin EPRF: Fat embolism, incidence at post mortem, Arch. Surg. 17: 179-189, 1928. CrossrefGoogle Scholar15. LoveStryker JWS: Fat embolism, Ann. Int. Med. 46: 342-351, 1957. LinkGoogle Scholar16. Miloslavich EL: Fat embolism, medico-legal aspects, Wisconsin M. J. 29: 139, 1930. Google Scholar17. MusselmanGlasGreskin MMWWTD: Fat embolism, Arch. Surg. 65: 551-556, 1952. CrossrefGoogle Scholar18. NelsonBowers TGWF: Fat embolism, Arch. Surg. 72: 649-658, 1956. CrossrefGoogle Scholar19. Newman PH: Clinical diagnosis of fat embolism, J. Bone and Joint Surg. 30B: 290-297, 1948. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar20. Robb-Smith AH: Pulmonary fat embolism, Lancet 1: 135, 1941. CrossrefGoogle Scholar21. Scully RE: Fat embolism in Korean War casualties, Am. J. Path. 32: 375-403, 1956. Google Scholar22. Sutton GE: Pulmonary fat embolism and its relation to traumatic shock, Brit. M. J. 2: 368, 1918. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar23. Vance BM: Significance of fat embolism, Arch. Surg. 23: 426-465, 1931. CrossrefGoogle Scholar24. Wakely CP: Treatment of war burns, Surgery 10: 207-232, 1941. Google Scholar25. Warren S: Fat embolism, Am. J. Path. 22: 69-79, 1946. Google Scholar26. Weber LW: Fat embolism, Minnesota Med. 39: 775-779, 1956. MedlineGoogle Scholar27. WilkinsonKielmanMacFarlane JERLR: Two cases of fat embolism, J. Roy. Army M. Corps 48: 230-236, 1952. Google Scholar28. WilsonSalisbury JWCV: Fat embolism in war surgery, Brit. J. Surg. 31: 384-392, 1944. CrossrefGoogle Scholar29. Wright RB: Fat embolism, Ann. Surg. 96: 75, 1932. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar30. WyattKhoo JPP: Fat embolism in trauma, Am. J. Clin. Path. 20: 637, 1950. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar This content is PDF only. To continue reading please click on the PDF icon. Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAffiliations: Ann Arbor, Michigan*Received for publication January 13, 1958.From the Department of Internal Medicine, St. Joseph Mercy Hospital, Ann Arbor, Michigan.Requests for reprints should be addressed to Eugene I. Winkelman, M. D., Veterans Administration Hospital, Fuller Road, Ann Arbor, Michigan. PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetails Metrics Cited byThe Fat Embolism Syndrome: A ReviewFAT EMBOLISM 1 June 1959Volume 50, Issue 6Page: 1508-1512KeywordsComaDyspneaEdemaFallsFatsFemurHospital medicinePathogenesisSoft tissuesSurgeons ePublished: 1 December 2008 Issue Published: 1 June 1959 PDF downloadLoading ...