[The importance of vascular injuries in sport accidents--a rare but serious complication].

There are about 1.5 million sports injuries in Germany every year, but concomitant vascular injuries are rarely encountered. Only single cases have been reported in the literature. The records of 216 patients with vascular injuries who were admitted to the university hospital in Jena between 1987 and 1996 were retrospectively reviewed. Six patients sustained a vascular injury during the accident in different kinds of sport. Vascular repair was successfully performed in three cases. Organ resection was necessary in two cases and one patient was treated conservatively. Most vascular lesions are related to blunt trauma which might create delayed symptoms of ischemia. Therefore measurement of limb pressures, Doppler scan, duplex ultrasonography and angiography are adjuncts in patients evaluation. In case of bleeding or complete ischemia the prompt arterial reconstruction is indicated and subsequently minimizes the risk of reperfusion injury.