Arterial injuries. Review of 12 years experience with 32 patients.

Thirty-two patients with 41 injured arteries were operated upon during a period of 12 years. Three quarters were men, and the median age was 33 years. Accompanying lesions were seen in 87.5% of the patients. Nearly half the lesions were related to blunt trauma. Occupational accidents constituted the largest group. The diagnosis was made on clinical grounds in most cases. The median time lapse from trauma to operation was 5 hours. The principles of treatment were those that are generally accepted. No patients died, the amputation rate was 12.5%. Median follow-up was 8 months. A successful arterial reconstruction contributed to a good functional result. Postreconstruction thrombosis of arteries were found to occur within the first hours or days after reconstruction. Late thrombosis was rare and the overall long-time patency was 61.4%. Patency of repair of upper limb small vessels was 54.5%.