Aim: Vascular injuries can result from various causes, including trauma, surgery, or medical procedures, and can present immediate life-threatening risks. While some injuries are readily apparent and require urgent intervention, others may not display obvious signs of vascular compromise during the initial evaluation, potentially leading to delayed major complications. Analyse errors in the primary treatment of vascular injuries and delayed presentation of overlooked vascular injuries as surrogate indicators of the need for improved vascular surgical training for future surgeons.
Material and Methods: At the İnönü University Cardiovascular Surgery Clinic between June 2011 and June 2019, a All instances of unidentified vascular injuries that present post-trauma in the form of pseudoaneurysm, arteriovenous fistula, and post-traumatic arterial occlusion were reported within the hospitals during the study duration.
Results: This study included 28 patients undergoing multiple vascular repair interventions at our institution, including 14 penetrating, 10 blunt and 4 iatrogenic. Vessels of the lower limbs were involved in 18 cases (64.2%), vessels of the upper limbs in 7 cases (25%) and vessels of the neck in 2 cases (7.14%). All patients underwent surgical procedures without any fatalities or loss of limb function. There were no fatalities or unanticipated amputations.
Conclusion: Vascular injuries may lead to noteworthy delayed complications occurring months or even years subsequent to the initial injury, including false aneurysms, dissections, occlusions, and fistulas, which may cause considerable disability, albeit, fortunately, they are typically not fatal. Patients with suspected injury, even in the absence of clear clinical signs of vascular injury, should be carefully monitored and a detailed examination is recommended to assess individuals with potential vascular injury.
Key words: Vascular system injuries, vascular surgical procedures, delayed diagnosis, surgical outcomes
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