CorSalud (Mar 2010)
LESIONES VASCULARES TRAUMÁTICAS DE CUELLO, TÓRAX Y ABDOMEN / Traumatic vascular injuries of the neck, thorax and abdomen
Abstract
Introduction and Objectives: Vascular injuries have been described since the ancient times. They represent 3 percent of traumatisms; and the most worrisome aspect is their dangerousness, because more than half of the patients die within the first 24 hours due to the hemorrhages they cause. This investigation was carried out with the objective of determining the incidence of the different types of vascular injuries at the Arnaldo Milian Castro Hospital. Method: A retrospective study in 21 patients who were hospitalized with diagnoses of vascular injuries in the neck, thorax and abdomen was carried out. The medical histories of the patients were analyzed, as well as the surgery reports and the necropsy protocols in the case of the deceased. Results: There was a predominance of penetrating wounds in the abdomen (38.9 %) and in the thorax (19.05 %), as well as thoracic and abdominal closed traumas. The accidental cause was present in 57.2 percent of the patients. The most affected anatomical region was the abdomen (42.86 %), and the most used surgical procedure was the exploratory laparotomy (76.2 %). An average of 1.21 procedures per patient was carried out. The hypovolemic shock was the complication with the highest incidence, because it appeared in 11 patients (52.38 %), this represents 68.75 percent of all complications. Eleven patients (52.38 %) stayed less than 3 days in hospital. The lesions of the spleen and its vascular pedicle appeared in 23.81 percent of the patients. Conclusions: Penetrating wounds in the abdomen, accidents as a cause of them, and the exploratory laparotomy were predominant. The most affected anatomical area was the abdomen and the hypovolemic shock was the most common complication.
