title: Vascular injuries after bear attacks: Incidence, surgical challenges and outcome.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Bear mauling is rarely reported in medical literature due to its rare occurrence. Present study was undertaken to describe the pattern and management of bear maul vascular injuries in Kashmir.
  
  
  METHODS
  Study of patients with bear maul vascular injury from 1(st) Jan 2004 to 31(st) Dec. 2008. Fifteen patients with bear maul vascular injury were studied. All patients of bear maul without vascular injury were excluded from the study.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Most of the patients were treated by reverse saphenous vein graft or end to end anastomosis. Most common complication was wound infection (20%) followed by graft occlusion (13.33%). There was no operative death.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Bear attacks are very common in Kashmir. Vascular injury due to bear maul needs prompt resuscitation and revascularization. Results are very good provided timely intervention for revascularization is done.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery, SKIMS, Soura, Kashmir - 190 011, India.
authors.forename: Mohd Lateef
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Wani
authors.forename: Abdul Gani
authors.initials: AG
authors.lastname: Ahangar
authors.forename: Gh Nabi
authors.initials: GN
authors.lastname: Lone
authors.forename: Reyaz Ahmad
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Lone
authors.forename: Hakeem Zubair
authors.initials: HZ
authors.lastname: Ashraf
authors.forename: Abdul Majeed
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Dar
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Bhat
authors.forename: Shyam
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Singh
authors.forename: Akram Hussain
authors.initials: AH
authors.lastname: Bijli
authors.forename: Ifat
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Irshad