Spectrum of injuries and outcome following blunt trauma to the abdomen at a tertiary care centre in North India

Objectives: Blunt trauma abdomen (BTA) is still a challenging case for a surgeon in an emergency setting. It is defined as ‘damage to the abdomen and/or abdominal organs secondary to impact with a blunt object or surface’. Methodology: The present prospective study was conducted in the emergency surgical ward of Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College Hospital, Aligarh. The data required for the study were collected by a detailed history, clinical, and radiological evaluation of the patient. The aim of the study is to comprehensively evaluate the demographic characteristics, clinical presentation, radiological findings, patterns of organ injury, management approaches, and outcomes of patients with blunt trauma to the abdomen. Results: Our study showed that men were more affected (80%) by BTA and road traffic injury as the most common cause. The most common age group associated was between 15 and 30 years. Contrast-enhanced computed tomography was done in all cases with positive solid organ injury findings and suspected hollow viscus injury. The spleen was the most commonly injured solid organ in our study, followed by the liver. Patients who were managed non-operatively had an average hospital stay of 6-8 days. Patients operated on without any postoperative complications had an average hospital stay of 10-12 days. Patients who had polytrauma and were operated on for blunt trauma to the abdomen needed postoperative intensive care unit care, and their hospital stay was prolonged. Conclusion: Blunt trauma to the abdomen is a difficult case for every surgeon because of the patient's rapidly deteriorating health, hazy presentation, and modest clinical signs in early instances. Abdominal trauma can be significantly decreased by preventing automobile accidents.