ABSTRACT
Introduction Statistically, abdominal trauma is the most prevalent compelling source of bleeding in the haemodynamically unstable, severely injured patient and management often includes performing a ‘blind’ (in the absence of advanced diagnostic studies) trauma laparotomy, for both diagnosis and/or treatment. Even patients who present relatively well after trauma, the abdomen can still provide unique diagnostic challenges including ‘missed injuries’ and/or delayed interventions for subtle intra-abdominal trauma, which are associated with a higher morbidity and mortality, from a combination of blood loss and GI spillage. Mechanism of abdominal injury includes blunt and penetrating, which follow the same initial assessment and management as other injuries, excepting immediate transfer to theatre for emergency laparotomy in the exsanguinating patient.
