Venous injuries: military versus civilian experience.
The acute management of venous injuries remains a controversial topic among practicing surgeons. A literature review encompassing the last half century was performed to clarify the different philosophies proposed in the operative treatment of venous injuries. From a military perspective, the Vietnam Vascular Registry provided the largest single military experience and follow-up of venous injuries to date. The data presented support the concept of the importance of venous repair in attempts at limb salvage when faced with a high-velocity missile wound. The civilian experience (1960-1992) supports the notion that venous ligation in particular circumstances results in little, if any, added morbidity to the patient and may be life-saving in certain instances. The two basic viewpoints are reviewed with regard to pertinent literature and conclusions drawn from these data.
Hahnemann University School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA 19102, USA.
R P
RP
Ierardi
M D
MD
Kerstein
D005389:Firearms; D006769:Hospitals, General; D006772:Hospitals, Military; D006801:Humans; D008889:Military Personnel; D014481:United States; D014680:Veins / Q000293:injuries* / Q000601:surgery; D014744:Vietnam; D014857:Warfare; D014948:Wounds, Gunshot / Q000209:etiology / Q000601:surgery*