Peripheral arterial injuries

Forty-two patients with traumatic lesions of peripheral arteries were treated during a period of 11 years. Two thirds of all injuries were seen in patients less than 30 years old. Traffic accidents were responsible for half of the lesions; 36 per cent of the lesions were seen in the upper extremity, 4 per cent in the pelvis, and 60 per cent in the lower extremity. The most frequent accompanying lesion was fracture which occurred in half of the patients. In seven patients, an extremity was amputated. Accompanying fractures were present in six of the seven patients. The location of the lesion and the time interval from injury to revascularization are crucial.