title: Penetrating injuries of the axillary artery.
abstract: This is a retrospective study of 32 patients with penetrating injury of the axillary artery. There was an overall mortality of 6% entirely accounted for by associated injuries. Pre-operative angiography was used in 12 of these patients either to confirm the presence of an injury or to define its location. Twelve patients underwent lateral arteriorrhaphy or an end-to-end anastomosis and 19 patients had an interposition graft. No immediate problems were experienced with polytetrafluoroethylene grafts compared with autogenous vein grafts. There were 14 patients with a concomitant venous injury; 13 were repaired and only transient arm oedema was experienced. Eleven patients had a brachial plexus injury and, of these, nine underwent a secondary nerve repair with a poor outcome. Axillary artery injury has a good prognosis with a morbidity related mainly to associated nerve injury and a mortality accounted for by injuries to other body systems.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Baragwanath Hospital, University of Witwatersrand Medical School, Johannesburg, Republic of South Africa.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Degiannis
authors.forename: R D
authors.initials: RD
authors.lastname: Levy
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Potokar
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Saadia
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000714:Anastomosis, Surgical; D001366:Axillary Artery / Q000293:injuries* / Q000601:surgery; D001807:Blood Vessel Prosthesis / Q000401:mortality; D001917:Brachial Plexus / Q000293:injuries; D005260:Female; D005263:Femoral Artery / Q000293:injuries; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009017:Morbidity; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013348:Subclavian Artery / Q000293:injuries; D014950:Wounds, Penetrating / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000401:mortality / Q000601:surgery*