Abdominal Vascular Trauma

Abstract

Injuries to the major vessels in the abdomen are associated with a high mortality. Following penetrating abdominal trauma, vascular injuries are the most common causes of death. The vast majority of abdominal vascular injuries are a result of penetrating trauma. In the context of non iatrogenic injuries, penetrating injuries usually occur either from stab wounds or firearms. Injuries resulting from explosions (e.g.,bomb blast) are complex, resulting in mixed patterns of penetrating and blunt trauma.Stab wounds (e.g., knife wounds) result in localized injuries whereby the path of injury follows the track of the weapon. Intra abdominal hemorrhage can be catastrophic due to the difficulty of rapidly accessing the retroperitoneal vessels. It is for this reason that early recognition of a possible vascular injury is essential and transfer to a center capable of early surgical intervention is vital.