Diagnostics and treatment of liver injuries in polytrauma

Trauma is one of the most serious and most expensive health problems and most common cause of death in youth. In last decade, non operative treatment is the standard treatment strategy in blunt liver injuries in haemodynamic stable patients. Methods: restrospective study included patients with liver injury admitted between May 2005 and May 2012. in the Center for Emergency Surgery of the Clinical Center of Serbia. Total number of patients was 224. Results: Out of 224 patients with liver injuries, 183 had blunt injury, and only 41 had penetrant injury. Isolated injury was found in 25.9% of patients, and 74.1% had multiple injuries. Average Injury Severity Score (ISS) was 22.48 (SD=12.16). Patients underwent intraoperative classification according to Moore. In 2% of patients who were haemodynimically instable we used "damage control surgery". Out of 224 patients, 89,7% were successfully treated, 2,7% died as ,,mors in tabula", or within first 24 hours, and 7.6% died during hospitalization. Conclusion: Modern diagnostic procedures provided a much more precise verification of liver injuries associated with polytrauma and reduced mortality. Higher percentage of patients with nonoperative treatment was among patients with ISS lower than 10, and among those with injuries grades I and II.