Blunt Renal Trauma: A 6-Year Retrospective Review in a Single Institution

Background and Objectives: Renal trauma is a significant consequence of both blunt and penetrating injuries, with management strategies having continuously evolved over recent years. This management requires careful clinical evaluation to balance the need for operative or non-operative treatment. This is especially critical in the context of the increasing trend of non-operative management for stable renal injuries, largely due to advances in imaging, improved hemodynamic stabilization, and better outcomes with conservative approaches. The main objectives of this study were to evaluate the epidemiology of renal trauma, the mechanism of injury, and the outcomes of management strategies in blunt renal trauma and determine their influence on morbidity and mortality rates. Materials and Methods: A retrospective review was conducted with patients diagnosed with renal trauma in the Emergency Clinical County Hospital in Brasov, Romania from 1.01.2018 to 31.12.2023. Data were collected from medical records. Results: A total of 89 patients with blunt renal trauma were identified. The most frequent renal injuries, according to AAST classification, were grade 2 in 34.83% of the patients and grade 1 in 26.97% of the patients. Most of them, 84.27%, were managed conservatively. The overall mortality rate was 12.36%. Conclusions: This review highlights the importance of personalized management strategies for renal trauma, especially emphasizing conservative treatment for hemodynamically stable patients. Our findings contribute to understanding renal trauma outcomes and should improve future clinical practices and guidelines in renal trauma management. Further studies should explore long-term outcomes and optimize treatment protocols.