European Journal of Molecular & Clinical Medicine

Abstract

Background: Blunt abdominal trauma has become common recently due to the increased number of vehicles plying on roads. It is the third most common form of injury in road traffic accidents after orthopedic injuries and head injuries. Since most of the victims are young aged early diagnosis and management are crucial for the patients. We in the current study tried to evaluate the clinical presentation and management of the blunt abdominal trauma cases arriving at our tertiary care hospital.
Methods: All the cases of blunt abdominal trauma admitted and managed at our tertiary care institute were included. A detailed physical examination was done along with clinical history. Investigations included X-rays, ultrasonography, and CT if required. Laboratory tests were conducted to arrive at a diagnosis. The available data were analyzed using statistical software.
Results: The commonest cause of blunt abdominal injury was road traffic accidents n=38 cases. Among these cases n=13 cases were injured in car accidents, n=18 in a motorcycle accidents and n=7 were pedestrians hit by vehicles. This study found the most common organ involved in injury was the liver in 28.33% of cases, followed by the spleen in 20% of cases. Small bowel injuries occurred in 15% of cases and mesentery was injured in 11.67% of cases. The urinary bladder was the least commonly involved organ in 1.67% of cases. N=40(66.67%) cases were managed surgically and n=20(33.33%) cases were managed conservatively.
Conclusion: Blunt abdominal trauma is very common, especially among young males. Two important organs injured frequently in blunt abdominal trauma included the liver and spleen. Because the clinical presentation is variable trauma surgeons should depend on physical findings along with diagnostic investigations. The need for early detection of the amount of damage by suitable imaging (X-ray, ultrasound, or CT abdomen) is critical