[Delayed surgery in blunt abdominal trauma].

Abdominal organ injuries caused by blunt trauma are notoriously difficult to diagnose, and for this reason an operation may be dangerously delayed. 426 abdominal organ injuries were registered in a series of 331 patients admitted after blunt abdominal trauma. 151 of these patients had 199 abdominal organ injuries which required surgical repair. In 31 patients (20%) with 44 organ injuries, operation was delayed for more than six hours after admission, in most cases because of missed diagnosis. One of these patients died as a result. Hollow viscus injuries were the most commonly missed. In addition to repeated clinical evaluation, peritoneal lavage, repeated if necessary, and diagnostic imaging must be used as valuable tools of diagnosis, especially in comatous patients, in patients with multiple injuries, and in intoxicated patients.