BY DR. MICHAEL ROHRER
The term “vascular trauma” refers to injury to a blood vessel—an artery, which carries blood to an extremity or an organ, or a vein, which returns blood to the heart. Vascular Surgeons categorize these injuries by the type of trauma that caused them: blunt or penetrating injury.
- A blunt injury can occur when a blood vessel is crushed or stretched.
- A penetrating injury can occur when a blood vessel is punctured, torn or severed.
- Either type of vascular trauma can cause the blood vessel to clot (thrombosis) and interrupt blood flow to an organ or extremity, or cause bleeding which can lead to life-threatening hemorrhage.