OBJECTIVEToday, trauma is a major public health problem in some countries. Abdominal trauma is the source of significant mortality and morbidity with both blunt and penetrating injuries. We performed an epidemiological study of abdominal trauma (AT) in Tehran, Iran. We used all our sources to describe the epidemiology and outcome of patients with AT.

METHODSThis study was done in Tehran. The study population included trauma patients admitted to the emergency department of six general hospitals in Tehran during one year. The data were collected through a questionnaire that was completed by a trained physician at the trauma center. The statistical analysis was performed using the SPSS software (version 11.5 for Windows). The statistical analysis was conducted using the chi-square and P < 0.05 was accepted as being statistically significant.

RESULTSTwo hundred and twenty-eight (2.8%) out of 8,000 patients were referred to the above mentioned centers with abdominal trauma. One hundred and twenty-five (54.9%) of the patients were in their 2nd and 3rd decades of life and 189 (83%) of our patients were male. Road traffic accidents (RTA) were the leading cause of AT with 119 (52.2%) patients. Spleen was the commonly injured organ with 51 cases. Following the analysis of injury severity, 159 (69.7%) patients had mild injuries (ISS < 16) and 69 (30.3%) patients had severe injuries (ISS equal to 16). The overall mortality rate was 46 (20.2%).

CONCLUSIONSBlunt abdominal trauma is more common than penetrating abdominal trauma. Road traffic accidents and stab wound are the most common causes of blunt and penetrating trauma, respectively. Spleen is the most commonly injured organ in these patients. The mortality rate is higher in blunt trauma than penetrating one.

Abdominal Injuries ; epidemiology ; mortality ; therapy ; Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Female ; Hospitals ; Humans ; Iran ; epidemiology ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Trauma Severity Indices ; Wounds, Nonpenetrating ; epidemiology ; therapy

OBJECTIVETo evaluate the sensitivity and specificity of CT scan findings in patients with blunt abdominal trauma admitted to the university hospital.

METHODSAll the patients with blunt abdominal trauma admitted at a tertiary teaching trauma center in Iran between 2005 and 2007 were enrolled in this study. In the absence of any clinical manifestations, the patients underwent a diagnostic CT scan. Laparatomy was performed in those with positive CT results. Others were observed for 48 hours and discharged in case no problem was reported; otherwise they underwent laparatomy. Information on patients?demographic data, mechanism of trauma, indication for CT scan, CT scan findings, results of laparotomy were gathered. The sensitivity, specificity and accuracy of the CT-scan images in regard with the organ injured were calculated. The sensitivity, specificity and accuracy of the CT scan were calculated in each case.

RESULTSCT scan had the highest sensitivity for detecting the injuries to liver (100%) and spleen (86.6%). The specificity of the method for detecting retroperitoneal hematoma (100%) and injuries to kidney (93.5%) was higher than other organs. The accuracy of CT images to detect the injuries to spleen, liver, kidney and retroperitoneal hematoma was reported to be 96.1%, 94.4%, 91.6% and 91.6% respectively.

CONCLUSIONThe findings of the present study reveal that CT scan could be considered as a good choice, especially for patients with blunt abdominal trauma in teaching hospitals where the radiologic academic staff is not present in the hospital in the night shifts.

Abdominal Injuries ; diagnostic imaging ; Adolescent ; Adult ; Child ; Female ; Humans ; Liver ; injuries ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Spleen ; injuries ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed ; Wounds, Nonpenetrating ; diagnostic imaging ; Young Adult

OBJECTIVEThe extremity injury pattern after a major earthquake is not well understood because data on this type of injury and management are limited. The aim of this study was to analyze the data of trauma patients with extremity injury in the earthquake of Bam Iran, registering 6.6 on the Richter scale.

METHODSWe reviewed medical records of 486 patients admitted to hospitals of Tehran University of Medical Sciences. Among them, 274 patients sustained extremity injuries. This group was composed of 138 females (50.4%) and 136 males (49.6%) and 213 cases (77.7%) were under 40 years of age.

RESULTSFracture was the major type of injury (58.4% of extremity injuries). The most common sites of injury were lower extremities (185 patients, 67.5% of all victims). Pelvic and rib fractures and abdominal injuries were the most frequently associated injuries. The mean ISS was 6.2+/-4.0, and 61% of the patients had ISS less than 7. Amputation and death occurred in 2.9% and 2.5% of cases, respectively.

CONCLUSIONSSpecial attention should be given to dealing with orthopedic injuries in similar disasters in the future.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Disasters ; Earthquakes ; Extremities ; injuries ; Female ; Humans ; Infant ; Male ; Middle Aged