Abdominal trauma.

Abdominal trauma continues to be the major cause of morbidity and mortality in this country. Unnecessary deaths and complications can be minimized by improved resuscitation, evaluation, and treatment. Rapid resuscitation is necessary to save the unstable but salvageable patient with abdominal trauma. Accurate diagnosis and avoidance of unneeded surgery is an important goal of evaluation. However, most avoidable deaths result from failure to resuscitate and operate on surgically correctable injuries. When the diagnosis is in doubt and clinical judgment suggests surgery, exploration provides definitive treatment as well as diagnosis; moreover, the risks of negative exploration have become acceptable. The new techniques and diagnostic tools available are important in the management of abdominal trauma. These improved methods, however, still depend on experience and clinical judgment for application and determination of the best care for the injured patient.