OUTCOME IN PATIENT OF BLUNT ABDOMINAL TRAUMA: RETROSPECTIVE STUDY

Injury in some form and shape is known to mankind since times immemorial. Trauma or injury has been defined as “damage to the body caused by exchange with environment energy that is beyond body’s resilience”. The increasing fascination of people with speed travel has made accidental death the leading cause of mortality among young people today. Abdominal trauma is one of the more common injuries caused mainly due to road traffic accidents. Motor vehicle accidents account for 75 to 80% of blunt abdominal trauma. Blunt injury of abdomen can also be a result of fall from a height, assault with blunt objects, sports injuries, industrial mishaps, bomb blasts and fall from height. Blunt abdominal trauma is usually not obvious, and hence often missed, unless actively and repeatedly looked for. The clinical presentation of these injuries also varies considerable. Blunt abdominal trauma can result in complications such as hemo-peritoneum due to injuries to solid organs such as spleen, liver, kidney and may even cause a retroperitoneal hematoma. It can also cause various modalities of injuries to hollow viscus like stomach, small and large intestines. Due to the inadequate treatment of the abdominal injuries, most of the cases are fatal. The knowledge in the management of blunt abdominal trauma is progressively increasing due to the in-patient data gathered from different parts of the world. In spite of the best techniques and advances in diagnostic and supportive care, the morbidity and mortality remains at large. In view of increasing number of vehicles and consequently road traffic accidents, the subject for this dissertation has chosen to study the cases of blunt abdominal trauma with reference to the patients presenting at tertiary care hospital, south Gujarat.