penetrating abdominal traumaWhen I did my residency training in Emergency Medicine and in the first few years as an attending, we regularly performed diagnostic peritoneal lavages in patients with stab wounds injuries to the abdomen. Patients also routinely went to the operating room for exploration.

Now with the evolution of CT imaging technology and more clinical studies, there is now a role for a less invasive management approach. These are the Eastern Association for the Surgery of Trauma (EAST) guidelines.

PV Card: Penetrating Abdominal Trauma


Adapted from [1] Go to ALiEM (PV) Cards for more resources.

Reference

  1. Como JJ, Bokhari F, Chiu WC, et al. Practice Management Guidelines for Selective Nonoperative Management of Penetrating Abdominal Trauma. The Journal of Trauma: Injury, Infection, and Critical Care. 2010;68(3):721-733. doi: 10.1097/ta.0b013e3181cf7d07
Michelle Lin, MD

Michelle Lin, MD

ALiEM Founder and CEO
Professor and Digital Innovation Lab Director
Department of Emergency Medicine
University of California, San Francisco
Michelle Lin, MD

@M_Lin

Professor of Emerg Med at UCSF-Zuckerberg SF General. ALiEM Founder @aliemteam #PostitPearls at https://t.co/50EapJORCa Bio: https://t.co/7v7cgJqNEn
Michelle Lin, MD