Conservative management of abdominal injuries: audit of criteria for discharge.

This prospective study was conducted to audit the discharge criteria of patients admitted for the conservative management of abdominal trauma. A total of 184 patients who were admitted to Groote Schuur Hospital (GSH) with penetrating or blunt abdominal injuries and who were conservatively managed according to the GSH protocol were assessed. The study concluded that patients with abdominal trauma who do not require emergency laparotomy can be safely discharged after a period of conservative management provided they are pain-free, hungry and passing flatus.