Outcome of splenic injuries in adult trauma population

Aim: to highlight the mode of injury and various factors affecting the outcome of splenic injuries in adult trauma population in developing countries. study design: a prospective study comprised of 40 patients. setting: west surgical ward,mayo hospital,lahore. duration: october 2011 to september 2013. methods: all the patients above 12 years of age either referred from the periphery or directly admitted in the emergency department with the diagnosis of splenic injury alone or associated with other organ injuries were included in the study. results: male to female ratio was 7:1 with the mean age of 28 years in the study. mode of injury in 22(55%) patients was blunt trauma abdomen. most patients sustained grade iii (32.5%) and grade iv (25%) splenic injuries. majority of the patients (60%) underwent splenectomy,being the most frequently performed procedure for splenic pathologies including trauma. postoperative complications observed in the study were respiratory tract infection in 5(12.5%) and wound infection in 4(10%) patients. mortality rate was 10%. conclusion: in developing countries,although the blunt abdominal trauma is the leading cause of splenic injuries but the incidence of penetrating injuries to the spleen is also on rise day by day in the civil society. increasing awareness about the risk of overwhelming postsplenectomy sepsis and postoperative complications are major incentives for splenic salvage and nonoperative management.