In:
Gefässchirurgie, Springer Science and Business Media LLC, Vol. 27, No. 3 ( 2022-05), p. 170-175
Abstract:
The University Hospital of Innsbruck is a level I trauma center located in the Alps with a large catchment area. We report on selected aspects of preclinical care (transportation modality, direct vs. indirect and by helicopter vs. rescue van) in patients with traumatic arterial injuries to upper or lower limbs and their influence on outcome parameters (survival, limb preservation, follow-up operations and length of hospital stay). Material and methods All patients treated at the Department of Vascular Surgery between 2004 and 2018 after a trauma-related injury to an extremity artery were retrospectively identified and included. Exclusion criteria were iatrogenic injuries, lesions treated conservatively, by ligation or embolization and lesions to side branches of main arteries. Results In total, 113 patients were included (upper extremity: n = 59, lower extremity: n = 56). Trauma mechanisms were 34.5% sports, 23% work-related and 20.4% traffic-related injuries. Patient transportation was more frequently direct than indirect (59.3% vs. 40.7%, p 〈 0.05) and differences were seen in upper vs. lower limbs related to injury mechanisms and transportation. Both direct and indirect transportation were significantly more frequent using air routes. The distance to the accident location and transportation modality were not correlated with poor outcome (survival, limb preservation, follow-up operations and length of hospital stay). Conclusion In our surroundings in an Alpine region, centralization of patient care in traumatic extremity artery injuries does not per se lead to worse results in patients with longer transportation distances, in patients transferred indirectly and in patients coming with rescue vans instead of helicopters. Whether our data are transferable to other regions should be the subject of future studies.
Type of Medium:
Online Resource
ISSN:
0948-7034
,
1434-3932
DOI:
10.1007/s00772-022-00873-6
Language:
German
Publisher:
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Publication Date:
2022
detail.hit.zdb_id:
1459143-1
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