Traumatic injuries of the brachial artery

Abstract EN

Among the vascular injuries, the brachial artery injury is common one.

This is a retrospective study of 90 patients admitted at Al-Sader teaching hospital in Najaf from the 1st of January 2007 to the 1st of January 2008.

The most common mechanism of injury was bullet and shell injuries (57.8%) followed by stab (25.5%), and blunt injury (13.4%).

The least was iatrogenic in (3.3%) of cases.

The surgical technique used to repair the vessel was resection and end to end anastamosis in 47.8% of cases, in 27.8% of the patients venous graft was used.

Arteriorhaphy was done in 8.8% of the cases.

Associated venous injuries were dealt with by ligation of the veins.

No attempt to do venous repair and no fasciotomy was needed.

The outcome of the injury in this study was in general good.

The morbidity of the patients due to nerve injury ,wound infection and joint stiffness still a problem.

Mortality was 7.7% was due to associated injuries and delayed presentation of the patients.