Symptoms, Signs, and Diagnostic Means of Renal Trauma

Abstract

Generally, the patient is brought to the hospital by relatives or by an ambulance from the accident (RTA, sports trauma, and fall) or the aggression scene, and history is readily provided by the patient himself if fully conscious, the rescuers, the relatives, or the bystanders. Usually, the mechanism of the injury is obvious. The first step is to assess his consciousness and hemodynamic status. Vital signs must be taken immediately, and the patient kept under monitoring (BP, pulse, RR, and O₂ saturation) and instructed on strict bed rest until definitely labeled as stable with minor trauma. Patients might present with anemia and hemodynamic instability (i.e., systolic blood pressure <90 mmHg). Patients who sustained penetrating renal injury are more likely to present with hemodynamic instability than those with blunt trauma in a proportion of 14.2% vs. 8.36%, respectively [1].