13.24 Abdominal-Injury

Abdominal Trauma
.
Objectives
1.Evaluation of Abdominal Trauma
2.Mechanisms of Injury
3.Assessment of Unstable Patients
4.Assessment of Stable Patients

-Diagnostic tests
-Decision making
Epidemiology
• BLUNT AND PENETRATING ABDOMINAL TRAUMA ARE
MAJOR CAUSES OF MORBIDITY AND MORTALITY.
• Combination injuries from bombs and explosive devices are on
the increase
• Penetrating injury has a higher mortality of up to 12%and
accounts for 1/3rd of all abdominal trauma.
• Gunshot and stab wounds account for 90% of penetrating
trauma.
• Abdominal trauma more common in the urban set.
• Males > females
MECHANISMS OF INJURY
• Shearing of organs and blood vessels due to
acceleration/deceleration forces.
• Crush injury.
• Rapture of hollow viscus due to rise in intra
luminal pressure following compression.
• Penetrating injury occurs directly from the
object causing the injury or from kinetic
energy released by the object. This can
cause cavitation.
Mechanism of Injury: Penetrating
● Stab
● Low energy, lacerations
● Gunshot
● Kinetic energy transfer
● Cavitation, tumble
● Fragments
Pattern of Injury in Blunt Abdominal Trauma
Spleen 40.6% Colorectal 3.5%
Liver 18.9% Diaphragm 3.1%
Retroperitoneum 9.3% Pancreas 1.6%
Small Bowel 7.2% Duodenum 1.4%
Kidneys 6.3% Stomach 1.3%
Bladder 5.7% Biliary Tract 1.1%
* Rosen: Emergency Medicine (1998)

Management
• Initial assessment and resuscitation.
Establish that an abdominal injury exists
rather than emphasis on exact diagnosis.
• Initial examination and resuscitation should
be simultaneous.
• Principles of ABC should be applied ie
adequate airway,breathing and treating
hypovolumia.
• Rule out other injuries.
• Insert wide bore IV cannula.
• Continous monitoring of BP,pulse rate ,
oxygen saturation.
• Initial fluid resuscitation; rapid infusion
of 2 litres of crystalloid solution
followed by colloids if necessary.
• Transient responders and non
responders for immediate laparotomy.
Secondary survey
• History of incident.
• Physical examination of the exposed patient.
• Examination of anterior and posterior abdomen.
• Palapte for tenderness ,guarding and rebound
tenderness.
• Percussion and auscultation.
• Rectal examination.
• Perineal examination.
• Insert NG tube and urethral catheter.
Assessment: History
 AMPLE
 Mechanism
 Speed
 Type of collision (frontal, lateral,
sideswipe, rear, rollover)
 Vehicle intrusion into passenger
compartment
 Types of restraints
 Deployment of air bag
 Patient's position in vehicle
A.M.P.L.E. - a simple mnemonic for key
information
• A: allergies (e.g. penicillin or aspirin)

• M: medication (e.g. a beta-blocker or warfarin)
• P: previous medical history (e.g. previous
surgery or anaesthetic mishap)
• L: last mealtime (i.e. drink versus major meal)
• E: events surrounding the incident (e.g. fell 5
metres with immediate loss of consciousness)
• Examine each body region meticulously
Abdominal Injury
Factors that Compromise the Exam
● Alcohol and other drugs
● Injury to brain, spinal cord
● Injury to ribs, spine, pelvis
Caution
A missed abdominal
injury can cause a
preventable death.
Decision Making
• Airway
• Breathing
• Circulation
SHOCK
Hemodynamically
Transient Hemodynamically
Stable Responder Unstable
How are you going to assess?

Decision Making
• Stable patient
• CT Scan
• Operative
– Solid organ injury, hypotensive
– Hollow viscus organ injury
– Intraperitoneal bladder injury
– Diaphragmatic injury
• Non-operative management
– Observation
– Interventional Radiology
Options for Management
Diffuse Abdominal Tenderness
Yes No
Laparotomy Hemodynamic Stability?
Indications for Laparotomy – Penetrating Trauma
● Hemodynamically abnormal
● Peritonitis
● Evisceration
● Positive DPL, FAST, or CT
● Violation of peritoneum
Options for Management
• Hemodynamically stable penetrating injury
 Serial Observation
 Wound Exploration
 DPL
 CT scan +/- Contrast
 Laparoscopy
 Laparotomy
 Ultrasound/echo – cardiac box
 Pericardial window – cardiac box
Investigations
In haemodynamically stable patients.
• Full blood count and haematocrit.
• Urea and electrolytes.
• FAST; Focused Abdominal Sonography
for Trauma- detects free fluid in the
peritoneal cavity. Non invasive and
rapid. 88% sensitive,99% specific and
97% accurate.
Focused Abdominal Sonography for Trauma
(FAST)
Demonstrate presence of free intraperitoneal
fluid
Evaluate solid organ hematomas
Advantages
 No risk from contrast media or radiation
 Rapid results, portability, non-invasive, ability to repeat
exams.
Disadvantages
 Cannot assess hollow visceral perforation
 Operator dependent
 Retroperitoneal structures are not visualized
FAST
• Four View Technique:
– Morrison’s pouch (hepatorenal)
– Douglas pouch (retropelvic)
– Left upper quadrant (splenic view)
– Epigastric (View pericardium)
Diagnostic peritoneal lavage
• 98% sensitive in detecting intra
abdominal bleeding.
• Does not detect diaphragmatic injuries.
• Poor at detecting retroperitoneal bleed.
• Invasive procedure.
• Contraindicated in patients with
prevoius surgery,pregnancy.
Objective criteria for assessing
DPL
• Positive criteria; blood in chest tube or
urethral catheter. > 10 mls blood on
opening abdomen.RBC count
>100,000/ul. WBC count > 500/ul.
Amylase > 175U/ml.presence of fecal
matter or bile.
• Equivocal criteria; RBC count 50,000 -
100,000( in penetrating trauma 25,000 –
50,000). WBC count 100 -500/ul.
Amylase 75 – 175 U/ml.
• Negative criteria; RBC count < 50,000/ul
( in penetrating trauma <25,000). WBC
count < 100/ul.Amylase < 75U/ml.
• Interpretation.;laparotomy if there is a
positive criteria. Reassess or consult if
the results are equivocal or repeat
lavage in 2 hours. Or do US/CT Scan.
Contraindications of DPL
• Absolute :
– Peritonitis
– Injured diaphragm
– Extraluminal air by x-ray
– Significant intraabdominal injury by CT scan
– Intraperitoneal perforation of the bladder by cystography
• Relative :
– Previous abdominal operations (because of adhesions)
– Morbid obesity
– Gravid Uterus
– Advanced cirrhosis (because of portal hypertension and the risk
of bleeding)
– Preexisting coagulopathy
CT Scan
• Replacing DPL.
• 98% sensitive in detecting intraperitoneal
bleeding.
• Contrast enhanced CT Scan gives useful
anatomical and fuctional information on
organs.
• Can identify organ injuries and be used to
determine which injuries can be managed
conservatively in stable patients.
• Useful in grading solid organ injuries(liver
and spleen)..
Laparoscopy
• Increasingly used in assessing trauma.
• Useful in determining peritoneal
penetration and identifying
diaphragmatic injuries.
• Also can be used for treating certain
injuries.
Mangement
Principles of management are;
• Stop haemorrhage.
• Debride devitalised tissues.
• Repair injured bowel by suturing or
resection.
• Eliminate foreign
bodies/contamination and intestinal
contents.
Preoperative preparation
• Immediate surgery once significant
injury is confirmed or in
haemodynamically unstable patients.
• Broad spectrum antibiotics to cover
both aerobic and anerobic organisms.
• Investigations and clinical findings
should guide management in stable
blunt injury patients.
Management cont`d
• Blunt abdominal trauma.
• Initial assessment and resuscitation;
Haemodynamically stable or unstable.
• Haemodynamically stable and no
peritonitis, negative DPL, negative
FAST, Negative CTScan – observation
and serial examinations.
• Haemodynamically unstable;
Laparotomy.
• Positive DPL – Laparotomy
• Intra-peritoneal fIuid seen on FAST –
Laparotomy.
• CT Scan findings of solid viscus ( liver
/spleen) injury - grade of injury
Indications for Laparotomy – Blunt Trauma
● Hemodynamically abnormal with suspected

abdominal injury (DPL / FAST)
● Free air
● Diaphragmatic rupture
● Peritonitis
● Positive CT
aAbdominal traumabaaado
Gun shotGun Blunt

shot abdominal
Stab wound
trauma
Mandatory Evisceration
,positive DPL, Unstable
laparotomy haemodynamically
Haemodynamic
instabilty,peritonitis
LAPAROTOMY Stable ;
FAST,CTScan,DPL
• THANK YOU
Liver
• The liver, is the most vulnerable abdominal organ to

blunt injury because of its size and location.
• Injured in about 5% patients admitted for trauma.
• Also vulnerable to penetrating trauma.
• Liver injuries present a serious risk for shock
because the liver tissue is delicate and has a large
blood supply and capacity. Injuries include
laceration or contusion, a hematoma may develop.
Injury may be associated with bile leak and biliary
peritonitis.
Spleen
• Spleen is the commonest injured organ in blunt

abdominal trauma.
• Fractures of the left lower ribs are associated with
spleen lacerations in 20 % of cases.
• Most splenic injuries can be managed conservatively
after grading with CT Scan.
Grade 1 SPLENIC INJURY
Grade 3 injury
Splenic injury
Bowel
• The small intestines takes up a large part of the

abdomen and is likely to be damaged in penetrating
injury.
• The bowel may be perforated.Gas within the
abdominal cavity seen on plain abdominal X-Ray or
CT is diagnostic.
• Bowel injury may be associated with complications
such as infection, abscess, bowel obstruction, and
the formation of a fistula.
• Bowel perforation requires surgery.
Perforated viscus
Stab wound with evisceration
Management
• Splenic and liver injuries grade 1,2 and
3 may be treated conservatively.
• Grade IV and V – Laparotomy.
Evisceration -laparotomy
Thank you

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Abdominal Trauma

3.Assessment of Unstable Patients

4.Assessment of Stable Patients

Spleen 40.6% Colorectal 3.5%

Liver 18.9% Diaphragm 3.1%

Retroperitoneum 9.3% Pancreas 1.6%

Small Bowel 7.2% Duodenum 1.4%

Kidneys 6.3% Stomach 1.3%

Bladder 5.7% Biliary Tract 1.1%

* Rosen: Emergency Medicine (1998)

• A: allergies (e.g. penicillin or aspirin)

How are you going to assess?

Laparotomy Hemodynamic Stability?

Indications for Laparotomy – Penetrating Trauma

● Hemodynamically abnormal with suspected

Gun shotGun Blunt

• The liver, is the most vulnerable abdominal organ to

• Spleen is the commonest injured organ in blunt

• The small intestines takes up a large part of the

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