Traumatic injuries: radiological hemostatic intervention at admission

Abstract.

Blunt trauma victims and selected patients with penetrating trauma are systematically investigated after resuscitation and hemodynamic stabilization with cross-sectional imaging. Computed tomography is a good predictor of the need for hemostatic arteriographic embolization, based on contrast medium extravasation observed on CT. In centers admitting polytrauma patients, the CT and angiography units should be installed together within the emergency environment. Trauma-dedicated interventional radiologists should be on call for optimal patient management. Posttraumatic retroperitoneal and pelvic bleeding is a primary indication for angiographic hemostasis, together with orthopedic fixation of pelvic bone fractures. Angiography should be carried out rapidly, before the patient decompensates for considerable blood loss. In patients with visceral bleeding, arterial embolization can obviate primary surgery or potentializes surgical intervention and contributes to changing hierarchy of injuries to be treated surgically. Failure to achieve primary hemostasis may occur according to the type of specific organ injury and coagulation and metabolic parameters of the patient. Postembolization complications are few and are usually non-life-threatening and rarely carry definitive sequelae.