Traumatic abdominal catastrophe

1. A quick differentiation between an abdominal-wall injury and a visceral injury is very important for proper management2. Difficulty in the differentiation can be overcome by an early, close, and constant observation of the patient, the temperature, pulse, and respiration, with frequent red-blood and white-cell and differential counts, hemoglobin percentage, and by aid of the x-ray3. The high mortality rate is due to the fact that these cases were brought to the hospital long after the accident, or, if brought immediately, the injuries were too extensive4. The high mortality demonstrates clearly the challenge to the profession of the serious difficulty in the diagnosis and management of traumatic abdominal catastrophes.(Conclusions)