Experience with managing liver trauma in southeastern Nigeria

All over the world, liver trauma occurs as a result of blunt or penetrating abdominal injury.

To review the management, morbidity and mortality of liver trauma in our resource-deprived centre, and to see how we can improve these outcomes, our poor facilities notwithstanding.

This is a descriptive epidemiology.

Nnamdi Azikiwe University Teaching Hospital, Nnewi, Nigeria.

Patients who were treated for liver trauma in our centre between 2004 and 2010 were reviewed for aetiology of injury, management, morbidity and mortality.

Of the 162 patients who were treated for liver trauma during the period, only 156 patients were recruited into the study. One hundred and nineteen (119) were males and 37 were females. Majority were blunt injuries while others were penetrating injuries. The blunt injuries were usually solitary, affecting only the liver whereas the penetrating injuries occasionally involved both the liver and some other organ(s). The commonest cause of blunt injuries was road traffic accident followed by fall from height. The commonest cause of penetrating injury was gunshot wound, followed by stab wound.

Morbidity and mortality following liver trauma can be reduced by applying prompt and appropriate management modalities within the ambit of available resources. However, outcome will improve if adequate facilities are available.