Abstract

Objectives: 1) To know the etiology and incidence. 2) To study the nature and incidence of injury to different intra abdominal organs. 3) To assess the importance of the various investigations. 4) To study the post operative complications.

Method: Out of all the patients with blunt injury abdomen admitted to surgical block 50 cases of blunt injury abdomen were selected by randomisation (closed envelope method). A detailed history as to the mode of injury, thorough clinical examination and necessary investigations like routine investigation, special investigation, ultrasound/ diagnostic paracentesis were performed.

Results: Male predominance is seen and age group most commonly involved is 20 to 29 years. The main etiology was road traffic accidents. Pain abdomen (90%) is the most common symptom and generalised tenderness (65%) is the most common sign elicited in the current study. Absent bowel sounds (30%) were also observed. Ultrasound abdomen showed the highest accuracy of 95.7% and the most common investigation patients underwent. Spleen was involved in 40% of cases and involvement of diaphragm was least. Multiple organ involvement was also noticed in 9 patients. Management by surgical method was done in 86%. Wound infections followed by respiratory infection were the complications most commonly encountered in this study. Death is also seen in 25% of patients.

Conclusion: The delay in patients of trauma reaching the hospital may be because of lack of an efficient emergency trauma service. With advances in diagnosis and intensive care technologies, most patients of solid visceral injuries with hemodynamic stability can be managed conservatively. All our patients came for followup and were healthy without complications.