Determinants of survival after vena caval injury. Analysis of a 14-year experience
K. A. Kudsk, F. Bongard and R. C. Lim Jr
The records of 70 patients with vena caval injuries who were treated from
1970 through 1983 were reviewed to define factors determining patient
survival. Fifty-two percent of patients survived, with the highest
mortality in patients with blunt or shotgun injuries. The primary
determinants of survival were the mechanism and type of injury, the initial
BP, the hemodynamic response to fluid resuscitation, the location of the
vena caval injury, the presence of multiple other vascular and solid organ
injuries.
