Non-invasive conservative treatment of splenic trauma

Abstract

Background: Non-invasive conservative treatment of splenic trauma reduces the rate of unnecessary surgical interventions and depends on the type of healthcare center involved.
Objective: The aim of this study is to describe the outcomes of non-invasive conservative treatment in patients with blunt abdominal trauma and splenic injury and their correlation with the preoperative variables.
Material and methods: We conducted a retrospective and observational study of patients admitted with blunt abdominal trauma and splenic injury between 2012 and 2022. The variables analyzed were kinematics of trauma, lesion severity on computed tomography images, amount of hemoperitoneum, type of unit of hospitalization and results of non-invasive conservative treatment.
Results: Among 102 patients, the most common kinematics of trauma was motorcycle-to-car collisions (47.1%); the success rate of non-invasive conservative treatment was 66.6%, and was associated with lesion severity on computed tomography images (p < 0.001), amount of hemoperitoneum (p < 0.001), presence of other injuries (p < 0.001), severe trauma brain injury (p < 0.009), and type of unit of hospitalization (p < 0.002).
Conclusion: Despite the absence of recommended human and technological resources, the results of non-invasive conservative treatment in this series were comparable to those obtained in high complexity centers.