Presentation Description
Institution: Gold Coast university Hospital - Queensland , Australia
Background: Abdominal and pelvic vascular injuries are among the most lethal forms of trauma, associated with high morbidity and mortality. Despite advances in trauma care, data describing their epidemiology, management strategies, and outcomes remain limited, particularly within the Australian context. This study aims to characterise the epidemiological patterns of abdominal and pelvic vascular trauma presenting to Gold Coast University Hospital (GCUH) and compare these findings with national and international data. Methods: All patients presenting to GCUH between January 2014 and December 2019 with abdominal or pelvic vascular injuries were identified.A descriptive analysis of patient demographics, injury mechanisms, interventions, and outcomes was performed. Results: During the study period, 5,452 trauma admissions were recorded, of which 68 patients sustained abdominal or pelvic vascular injuries. Blunt trauma accounted for 53 cases (77.9%), while penetrating trauma accounted for 15 cases (22.1%). Most patients were male (n = 51, 75%). Interventions were required in 57 patients (83.8%), including open surgery in 28 cases (41.2%), endovascular intervention in 27 cases (39.7%), and combined approaches in 2 cases (2.9%). The most frequently injured vessels were the visceral arteries (51.9%) and iliac arteries (22.7%). Overall mortality was 8.8%, with all deaths occurring following blunt trauma. Conclusions: Abdominal and pelvic vascular injuries represent a small but highly severe subset of trauma, with mortality rates exceeding those of general trauma populations. Blunt mechanisms, particularly those related to road traffic accidents, predominate and account for all observed fatalities. These findings highlight the critical role of rapid diagnosis and access to both open and endovascular expertise in major trauma centres. Importantly, they also underscore the potential impact of motor vehicle safety initiatives and targeted injury prevention programmes in reducing their incidence in Australia.
Presenters
Authors
Authors
Dr Madison Bowles - , Dr Justin Weller -
