Predictors of Limb Loss in Peripheral Arterial Trauma Patients

Trauma to the vascular system can be devastating. Peripheral arterial traumatic injuries rarely occur in isolation, often complicated by bone fractures and nerve injuries. As a result of these complex injury patterns, vascular extremity trauma presents unique challenges to injury management and is associated with significant morbidity.

In all trauma- related injuries , trauma is now the third leading cause of death and number one cause of death in people between the ages of 1 and 44 years . Vascular injuries comprise 3% of all civilian trauma and have significant potential morbidity. Leg trauma is common. However, it is associated with a significant vascular injury.The high energy of crushing trauma can cause extensive tissue damage with detrimental outcome such as high morbidity and mortality.[3] Management of associated life-threatening injuries takes priority which might lead to delay in definitive vascular repairs with subsequent limb loss.The most important risk factor for early limb loss is failed revascularization which is time dependent