The need for early angiography in patients with penetrating renal injuries

Background: Renal injuries occur in as many as 10% of penetrating abdominal wounds. Today, these wounds are often managed selectively, but there is little contemporary information on the natural history of kidney injuries after penetrating trauma. The purpose of this study was to examine the clinical outcomes of penetrating injuries to the kidney, and to determine if these patients may benefit from routine early angiography. Methods: All trauma patients admitted to three Level I Trauma Centers with penetrating renal injuries over a 10 year study period were retrospectively reviewed. Results: We identified 237 patients with a penetrating renal injury, of whom 39 died within the first 24 h and were excluded from analysis. Among the remaining 198 individuals, 130 (66%) underwent immediate exploratory laparotomy. Of the 68 subjects not undergoing immediate surgery, seven had early angiography. The remaining 61 patients (31%) were observed, with 12 (20%) ultimately requiring an intervention to treat the renal injury. Those subjects who failed nonoperative management had significantly fewer hospital-free days compared to those who did not need a procedure (19.2 ± 8.1 vs. 25.7 ± 4.5, p = 0.002). Conclusions: Nearly one in three patients with penetrating renal injuries are currently managed with serial observation, although one in five of these subjects ultimately require either angiographic or surgical treatment. We feel that routine use of early angiography may reduce the failure rate and improve outcomes for patients whose penetrating renal injuries are managed nonoperatively.