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Chapter 17 - Peripheral Vascular Injury

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  23 August 2019

By
Richard Slama  and
Mike Jackson
Edited by
Alex Koyfman  and
Brit Long
Alex Koyfman
Affiliation:
University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center
Brit Long
Affiliation:
San Antonio Military Medical Center
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Summary

Peripheral vascular injury (PVI) is a major concern in the Emergency Department (ED). According to the CDC, there were 33,594 mortalities related to firearms in 2014.1 There were 803,007 cases of aggravated assault that occurred in 2016. Nearly 24% of these (190,000) were performed with firearms and 16% (120,000) with cutting instruments.2 Inevitably, many of these result in damage to the vasculature, leading to blood loss and presentation to the ED. While some forms of injury are immediately life threatening and require emergent intervention, some present asymptomatically, which can lead to delayed or missed diagnoses. Emergency physicians should be well versed in the diagnosis, management, and disposition of these patients. This chapter will focus on the management of penetrating extremity trauma with vascular injury.

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The Emergency Medicine Trauma Handbook , pp. 249 - 259
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2019

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