[Colon occlusion due to safety belt (authors transl)]

The author describes a delayed occlusion of the colon, consecutive to an ischemic constriction, occurring after a car accident in a patient wearing his safety belt. The patient, 49 years old, had undergone urgent laparotomy just after the accident: intraabdominal hemorrhage from hepatic and mesocolic lacerations were discovered and treated. Six weeks after that operation the patient developed an occlusion of the transverse colon necessitating segmental resection and end-to-end anastomosis. Pathology disclosed typical signs of ischemia with constriction. This was considered due to the horizontal part of the safety belt. This should be placed low and tight enough so that the pelvis, rather than the abdominal viscera, receives the shock. After accidents with safety belts the possibility of such complications should be present at mind.