Arterial injuries of the upper extremities

Twenty-five consecutive treated patients with traumatic lesions of upper extremity arteries are presented. All were males, and most were young and able-bodied. Simultaneous fracture and/or dislocation of bone was present in 17 of the 25 patients, nerve lesions in 14 and venous trauma in 7 patients. Serious injuries to other organs had occurred in 8 patients, 3 of whom had multi-trauma. Three patients died, 2 of them from injuries to other organs. Seven others underwent amputation of the limb. No amputation was necessitated by the arterial lesion only. The major causes of injury were traffic accidents (mostly involving motor-cycles) and industrial accidents. The rate of limb salvage in this patient series was 60%. All patients with traumatic arterial lesions should be seen as soon as possible by a vascular surgeon, even if there are serious injuries to other organs, so as to avoid unnecessary diagnostic procedures and optimize the prospects for arterial reconstruction.