Laparotomy for abdominal injury in road traffic accidents

ABSTRACT

This study presents an analysis of 178 road traffic accident victims on whom laparotomy was indicated in AL-Gubail new hospital Eastern Area Saudi Arabia from march 1989 to February 1992. they accounted for 3.8% of total road traffic accident patients admitted to that hospital during the previous three years [1989-1992]. One hundred seventy two cases under went surgery, the remaining six died in the admission area before surgery. The incidence of male patients to female patients was 8 1. saudies comprised 56% of the victims. Diagnostic peritoneal lavage yielded an accuracy of 98% with no complications. Rupture Spleen [70 patients] and rupture liver [69 patients] were the two most common injured organs. Overall mortality among the operated cases was 20.9%. Mortality appeared to be directly related to the extent of injury to other systems involved