Optimizing the management of blunt splenic injury in adults and children

Background. The treatment for splenic injury is evolving to an increased us e of nonoperative management. We studied patients with blunt injury to the spleen to determine the overall success with splenic salvage and the reason that adults and children have different outcomes. Methods, Patient records were reviewed retrospectively for information and parameters that may influence outcome. Patients were categorized by age and type of management. Results. Two hundred sixty-seven patients (222 adults; 45 children < 16 yea rs old) with blunt splenic trauma were treated over a 7.5 year period. Adul ts had a significantly higher injury severity score (ISS; 27.2 +/- 0.9 vs 1 9.9 +/- 2.0; P < .05), splenic injury score (SIS; 2.8 +/- 0.1 vs 2.3 +/- 0. 1; P < .01), and mortality rate (11.7% vs 2.2%; P < .05) compared with chil dren. Eighty-six adults and 3 children had emergent operation; 23 patients had splenorrhaphy. Nonoperative management was selected initially in 178 pa tients; 83% (105 adults and 42 children) were treated successfully. The ISS and SIS of patients in whom nonoperative management failed were different from those patients in whom treatment was successful (ISS, 27.5 +/- 21 vs 2 0.4 +/- 1.0; SIS, 3.6 +/- 0.2 vs 2.1 +/- 0.1; P < .05) but were similar to those patients who needed initial emergent operation. Adults and children w ho had successful nonoperative management had similar ISSs (21.4 +/- 1.1 vs 18.4 +/- 2.0) and SISs (2.0 +/- 0.1 vs 2.3 +/- 0.1). Overall splenic salva ge was achieved in 64% of patients (57% of adults and 96% of children), Sal vage increased from 50% to 85% during the study period. Conclusions. Splenic preservation is possible in most adults and children w ith blunt injury with the appropriate use of both operative salvage and non operative treatment. The higher salvage rate and decreased need for operati on in children is due to their lower severity of overall injury and splenic injury. Operative salvage has become less common in adults because more pa tients are selected for nonoperative management.