Contusions et plaies de l'abdomen

Abdominal blunt traumas and wounds are usually considered within a single entity since the major principles of their treatment are similar. The aims of these basic principles are the restoration of a satisfactory haemodynamic status, the realization of a rapid and precise lesion assessment, and finally the implementation of the most optimal therapy for each lesion. The treatment begins with the patient transfer to an emergency care unit. Here, a close collaboration between different specialists (anaesthesiologist, surgeon, and radiologist) is necessary to diagnose and treat the injuries. The management of these patients is in constant evolution, taking into account the more recent improvements of the techniques: diagnostic and interventional ultrasonography, CT scanning and angiography in the best-equipped centres; diagnostic and therapeutic laparoscopy for the most trained practitioners. New concepts have modified the surgical approach of severely injured patients, such as shortened surgery in which the immediate prognosis is more important than the definitive treatment of the injuries, as well as minimally invasive approaches in case of multiple haemorrhagic traumas. These modifications have improved the patient survival and diminished the complications and consequences related to the treatment of lesions.