Abdominal vascular injuries- what general/ trauma surgeons should know?

Abdominal vascular injuries are the common cause of death post-trauma. These are challenging injuries to manage due to severe haemodynamic instability, other associated injuries and difficulty in accessing and controlling these deep-seated vessels. Early control of bleeding can decrease mortality in these patients. Abdominal vasculature is divided into three zones, each requiring different operative strategy for exposure. Standard vascular surgery principles of achieving proximal and distal control before exploring any haematoma are followed when managing these injuries. Resuscitative endovascular balloon occlusion of aorta is a minimally invasive method of achieving proximal aortic occlusion. This also acts as bridge for definitive intervention or surgery. Endovascular interventions, including angioembolisation and stent-graft, have shown to improve outcomes, especially in patients with blunt abdominal trauma. Updated knowledge is necessary for all those directly involved in managing these patients. The current narrative review was planned to discusses relevant anatomy, principles, different surgical approaches and endovascular techniques to deal with these injuries.