| Abstract: | Background: Vascular injuries are seen in blunt and penetrating trauma. They have been well documented during wartime, but there have been few reviews of vascular trauma in civilian practice. In Yemen, gunshot injuries seen frequently where civilian violence is common. The present study aimed to describe our experience in the management of vascular injuries in civilian practice. Methods: A prospective study included 132 patients with 163 vascular injuries who were admitted to the surgical department at Al‐Thawra Teaching Hospital between December 1997 and March 2002. Results: Eighty‐seven per cent of the patients were males and the median age was 28.5 years. The most common cause of vascular injury was gunshot injury (59.8%), followed by stab wounds and car accidents. The commonest vessels injured were the common femoral arteries, followed by the brachial and popliteal arteries (19, 18 and 18 injuries, respectively). Associated injuries were recorded in 72 patients and included 47 fractures. Treatment included vein graft interposition in 67, ligation in 52 and end to end anastomosis or lateral primary repair in 34 injuries. Fasciotomy was performed for 39 patients and amputation performed in 11 cases. The mortality reached 9.8% and the commonest cause (nine out of 13 deaths) was due to gunshot wounds. The median hospital stay was 13.5 days. Conclusion: Gunshot wounds represent the majority of vascular injuries in Yemen. Shortage of vascular surgery services in most of the Yemeni Hospitals represents a major problem. Legislation and regulation to take up arms is of paramount importance for injury prevention in Yemen. |
