Background:
Following injury to the extremities and head, abdomen is the third most commonly injured part of the body. Blunt abdominal trauma (BAT) is particularly deceptive because of the delay in clinical manifestations for hours or even days, even though the damage to the internal organs might be serious and lethal. Road traffic accident (RTA) is the most common mode of injury to cause BAT. Diagnostic modalities like FAST and CT scans have caused a significant change in the trends regarding management from surgical to a more conservative approach. Current research aimed to study the blunt trauma abdomen with respect to management and outcome in GMC, Bettiah, W. Champaran, Bihar.
Material and methods:
This observational study is based on 50 cases of BAT who presented in Department of Surgery, Govt. Medical College & Hospital, Bettiah, Bihar with respect to clinical presentation, investigations, management and outcome. Results and outcomes will be depicted in various tables.
Results:
In the present study, demographic data like age and sex, the mode of injury, presenting Hb (in gm%), commonly injured organs, the management done and the associated mortality was observed and compared. It was found that BAT commonly involves young males in the age group of 30-40 years. RTA is found to be the most common mode of injury. Spleen was the most commonly injured solid organ followed by liver. Hollow viscus injury was seen in 10 out of 50 patients in our study. Conservative management was done in 37 out of 50 patients. Mortality was observed in 3 out of 50 cases.
Conclusion:
The study was conclusive of the fact that young males who sustained BAT due to RTA were the most commonly affected group. It also was conclusive that spleen and liver are the most commonly injured organs in BAT and conservative management should be followed wherever possible. Mortality was significantly higher in patient presenting with decreased hemoglobin.
