Mesh-Wrapping of a Traumatised Liver with Active Bleeding: A Subsequent Complication - Obstruction of the Inferior Vena Cava

In multiply traumatised patients injuries of the -liver are frequently seen. Depending on location and extent of the trauma, different techniques can be applied. In the presented case of a central liver trauma in a 21-year-old man with active bleeding, mesh-wrapping of both liver lobes was applied to achieve control of the bleeding. Postoperatively the patient developed constant hypertension, oliguria and severe anasarka of the lower half of the body caused by a near total obstruction of the inferior vena cava. After removal of the wrappings, all symptoms slowly disappeared. This case and the findings in similar cases in the literature suggest that there is an indication for wrapping a traumatised liver rather with diffuse and peripheral bleeding than with a central liver trauma.