Turkish Journal of Vascular Surgery (Mar 2020)
Our experiences with the surgical repair of traumatic vascular injuries
Abstract
Objectives: The aim of this study is to report our experiences about the surgical repair of traumatic vascular injuries. Patients and methods: Between January 2011 and July 2019, 164 patients (151 males, 13 females; mean age 35.6±13.8 years; range, 6 to 77 years) who underwent emergency surgery due to vascular injuries were included in this retrospective study. Operative techniques, causes for injury, and patient outcomes were analyzed. Data were collected from the patient records. Results: Repair for major arterial injury was performed in 149 patients and 59 of them had a major venous injury. Of 149 patients, 18 had an only major arterial injury. Seven patients had an only major venous injury. Exploration and ligation of bleeding of the small arteries and veins were performed in eight patients. Primary repair with end-to-end anastomosis in 85 arterial and 20 venous injuries was performed. Autologous vein graft interpositioning was performed in 36 arterial and 16 venous injuries. Lateral wall repair was performed in nine arterial and eight venous injuries. Ligation was performed in 25 arterial and 20 venous injuries. An 8-mm biological graft interpositioning was performed to both popliteal artery and popliteal vein in one patient with a gunshot wound. Externally supported polytetrafluoroethylene synthetic graft interposition was performed in five arterial injuries. A 6-mm Dacron graft was placed in one patient. Thoracic endovascular aorta repair was performed in one patient with a descending thoracic aortic rupture. Conclusion: Peripheral vascular injuries should be kept in mind in trauma patients and detected vascular injuries should be repaired as soon as possible after a detailed vascular examination. [Turk J Vasc Surg 2020; 29(3.000): 145-51]
