Management of adult blunt hepatic trauma.
OBJECTIVE
To review the nonoperative and operative management of blunt hepatic injury in the adult trauma population.


RESULTS
Although liver injury scale does not predict need for surgical intervention, a high-grade complex liver injury should alert the physician to a patient at increased risk of hepatic complications following nonoperative management.


CONCLUSIONS
Blunt hepatic injury remains a frequent intraabdominal injury in the adult trauma population. The management of blunt hepatic injury has undergone a major paradigm shift from mandatory operative exploration to nonoperative management. Hemodynamic instability with a positive focused abdominal sonography for trauma and peritonitis are indications for emergent operative intervention. Although surgical intervention for blunt hepatic trauma is not as common as in years past, it is imperative that the current trauma surgeon be familiar with the surgical skill set to manage complex hepatic injuries. This study represents a review of both nonoperative and operative management of blunt hepatic injury.
Kozar
Rosemary A
RA
Department of Surgery, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, Texas 77030, USA. rosemary.a.kozar@uth.tmc.edu
McNutt
Michelle K
MK
D002985:Clinical Protocols; D006801:Humans; D015601:Injury Severity Score; D008099:Liver / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000293:injuries*; D008107:Liver Diseases / Q000209:etiology; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D014949:Wounds, Nonpenetrating / Q000150:complications / Q000601:surgery / Q000628:therapy*