Abdominal trauma: Clinical monitoring, an overlooked yet essential ally

Abstract

Abdominal traumas are a frequent emergency and are associated with significant morbidity and mortality in spite of improved recongnition, diagnosis and management. Trauma is the second largest cause of disease accounting for 16% of global burden. Approach to trauma should be systemic and prioritized. The hemodynamically unstable patient should undergo expedient sonography to rule out abdominal haemorrhage. The use of computer tomography (CT) in this difficult patient group is also currently evaluated; however it takes specific amendments to the protocol and institution. In the hemodynamically stable patient however, computed tomography is the modality of choice to evaluate the injured abdomen. Non operative treatment can be successful in up to 80% of selected cases. This article objective the interest of close monitoring in the management of abdominal trauma, this monitoring reduces the rate of surgical intervention in clinically stable patients and also allows to propose a delayed surgery if the patient’s clinical or radiological status changes during monitoring.