This document discusses blunt abdominal trauma (BAT). BAT is commonly caused by vehicle accidents, assaults, falls, or sports injuries. Clinical diagnosis involves a high suspicion of intra-abdominal injury based on abdominal pain, bruising, guarding, or tenderness. Assessment of hemodynamic stability is important. Investigations like FAST ultrasound or CT scan can detect free fluid or bleeding. Unstable patients may require emergent laparotomy while stable patients can be managed non-operatively with angioembolization. Treatment involves resuscitation, bleeding control through laparotomy or damage control surgery, and repair of hollow viscus injuries.

1. BLUNT TRAUMA ABDOMEN
ASHISH TRIPATHI
PGY 3, General Surgery

2. Introduction:
• Blunt abdominal trauma (BAT) is an increasingly
common problem encountered in the emergency
department. The usual causes of BAT include
vehicular accident, assault, falls, sports injuries
and natural disasters.
• Case definition: BAT is suspected in any patient
involved in above situations and presents with
abdominal pain, distention or shock. It should be
looked for in patients of polytrauma.

3. Incidence in our country
• No single reliable source.
• One study has reported 2.1% incidence of BAT
amongst all surgical patients admitted to a
tertiary hospital during 1 year.

4. Blunt trauma
• Solid organs often sustain contusion or
laceration, causing bleeding that may require
surgical management.
• Furthermore, blunt forces can cause rupture
of hollow viscera due to rapid compression of
a segment of intestine containing fluid and air.

5. Clinical diagnosis:
a. High level of suspicion of intra-abdominal injury
b. Presence of wounds/ bruising on the abdomen
c. Abdominal guarding/ tenderness
d. Presence of free gas/ fluid in the peritoneal cavity
e. Presence of fracture of lower ribs and/ or pelvis
increases the likelihood of intraabdominal injury
f. Note should be made of altered mental state, drug or
alcohol intoxication and distracting injuries which may
mask the features of BAT
g. Repeated examination increases the accuracy of
diagnosis

6. • Assessment of hemodynamic stability is the
most important initial concern in the
evaluation of a patient with blunt abdominal
trauma.

7. Investigations
a. All hemodynamically stable patients with
suspected BAT should undergo Focused
Abdominal Sonography in Trauma (FAST) or
Diagnostic Peritoneal Lavage (DPL)
b. CECT abdomen is preferred investigation in all
hemodynamically stable patients with BAT.
c. Diagnostic laparoscopy.

8. Focused assessment with sonography
for trauma (FAST)
• Is an important and valuable diagnostic
alternative to DPL and CT that can often
facilitate a timely diagnosis for patients with
BAT.
• Pericardiac, perihepatic, perisplenic, pelvic.
• Detects free fluid in abdomen or pericardium.
• Reliably detect more than 100 ml of free
blood.
• Hollow viscus injury difficult to diagnose.

11. • Angiography and angioembolization may be
considered in hemodynamically stable
patients with solid organ injury who are
suitable for non-operative management.
• Urgent laparotomy is indicated in patients
with evidence of BAT who remain
hemodynamically unstable despite initial
resuscitation

12. Immediate management
• Initiation of resuscitation and a rapid
assessment for sources of bleeding.
• Patients in shock require the administration of
crystalloid solutions and blood products to
support cardiovascular function as bleeding is
controlled.
• Ix side by side
• Prompt transfer to the operating room when
needed.

13. Treatment (Standard operating procedure)
• i. All patients should have initial cervical stabilization and resuscitation, if
required
• ii. Initial fluid resuscitation should be done with 2L warmed Ringer Lactate
solution infusedrapidly through 2 peripheral lines
• iii. A nasogastric tube and a Foley catheter should be put
• iv. Laparotomy should be done, if indicated on the basis of clinical features,
FAST or DPL
• v. Laparotomy should be done through a long midline incision
• vi. Bleeding should be controlled by clamping/ packing till definitive control is
possible
• vii. Hollow viscus should be repaired
• viii. In case the intra-abdominal injuries are extensive, patient is very sick and
OT facilities/ surgeon’s experience is suboptimal, Damage Control Surgery
may be done. Definitive surgery should be done subsequently under improved
circumstances or at a higher center.

14. • ATLS conveys three important concepts that
greatly enhance the ability to manage injured
patients, regardless of where care is provided:
1. Treat the greatest threat to life first.
2. The lack of a definitive diagnosis should not delay
the application of an indicated urgent treatment.
3. An initial, detailed history is not essential to
begin the evaluation of a patient with acute
injuries.

16. Emergent exploratory laparotomy
• Blunt trauma patients who are unstable and
have intra-abdominal fluid identified on FAST.
• Diagnostic peritoneal lavage revealing 10 mL
or more of gross blood suggests an
intraabdominal source of shock requiring
emergent operation.
• The presence of peritonitis.

17. Damage control surgery
• Concept of abbreviated laparotomy, designed
to prioritize short-term physiological recovery
over anatomical reconstruction in the
seriously injured and compromised patient.
• DCR focuses on initial hypotensive
resuscitation and early use of blood products
to prevent the lethal triad of acidosis,
coagulopathy, and hypothermia.

18. • the majority of trauma patients can be
stabilized sufficiently in the emergency
department to survive their trip through the
CT scanner and timely contrast enhanced CT is
without doubt an extremely useful diagnostic
adjunct to the primary and secondary surveys,
particularly in multiple injuries. In the
unstable patient, however, any delay to the
operating theatre may be detrimental and CT
may have to be bypassed.

22. • Thanks