Citation

Khan JS, Iqbal N, Gardezi JR. J. Coll. Physicians Surg. Pak. 2006; 16(10): 645-647.

Affiliation

Department of General Surgery, The Royal London Hospital, Whitechapel, London, E1 1BB.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2006, College of Physicians and Surgeons Pakistan)

DOI

10.2006/JCPSP.645647

PMID

17007752

Abstract

Objective: To determine the frequency of various visceral injuries following, high-speed motor vehicle crashes with special reference to frequency of liver injuries, severity and complications. Design: A descriptive study. Place and Duration of Study: Surgical Unit III, Jinnah Hospital, Lahore, from August 1999 to February 2002. Patients and Methods: The study included 100 consecutive patients of blunt abdominal trauma. Patients of either gender and age above 12 and below 70 were included in this study. Purposive non-probability sampling was done. Injuries were identified, graded and managed accordingly. The data was then entered into SPSS and descriptive statistical tests were applied. Results: Liver was the most common organ injured (35%), followed by spleen (32 %) and small gut (30 %). In 23 patients, liver was the only organ injured. Most of the liver injuries fell under grade I (42.8%) followed by grade II (28.35%) and grade III (22.85%) and were treated by suture hepatorrhaphy alone in 71.42% cases. The operated cases were mostly complicated by wound infection (33.76%). Overall mortality remained high (12%) and was related to a combination of delays in arriving at a diagnosis due to non-availability of CT scan and routine use of peritoneal lavage. Conclusion: Liver is the most commonly affected organ in high speed motor vehicle crashes that is reliably treated by suture hepatorrhaphy. The rate of postoperative infection and morbidity is high.

Language: en