Blunt Abdominal Trauma among Patients Admitted to the Department of Surgery at a Tertiary Care Centre: A Descriptive Cross-sectional Study

TL;DR

This study describes the prevalence and characteristics of blunt abdominal trauma among surgery patients at a tertiary care center.

Contribution

The study provides updated prevalence data and management trends for blunt abdominal trauma in a resource-limited setting.

Findings

Blunt abdominal trauma prevalence was 9.65% among 1450 admitted patients.

Road traffic accidents were the leading cause of blunt abdominal trauma.

Non-operative management is increasingly preferred over operative procedures.

Abstract

Blunt abdominal trauma bears significant morbidity and mortality worldwide and needs careful evaluation and management for a better outcome, where the resources are limited and the impact of the financial burden is very important. Previously, many cases used to be managed with operative procedures, and now the trend has been shifting to non-operative management. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of blunt abdominal trauma among patients admitted to the Department of Surgery of a tertiary care centre.

This was descriptive cross-sectional study done between 1 February 2022 to 31 January 2023 after taking ethical approval from the Institutional Review Committee (Reference number: 2312202103). The decision of non-operative versus operative treatment was decided with dynamic clinical evaluation and severity of intraabdominal injuries. Demographic data, the mechanism of injury, and both conservative and operative management were studied. All the patients who were more than 18 years of age, and admitted to the Department of Surgery were included in the study. Convenience sampling method was used. Point estimate and 95% Confidence Interval were calculated.

Among a total of 1450 patients, the prevalence of blunt abdominal trauma was 140 (9.65%) (8.13-11.17, 95% Confidence Interval). A total of 61 (43.57%) were young within the age group of 18-30 with a male-female ratio of 4:1. Road traffic accidents 79 (56.43%) were the most common mechanism followed by falls from heights 51 (36.43%).

The prevalence of blunt abdominal trauma among patients admitted to the Department of Surgery was found to be higher than in other studies done in similar settings.

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