Should Trauma Surgeons Render Definitive Vascular Repair in Peripheral Vascular Injuries?

Our hypothesis is that in an established Level I trauma center general trauma surgeons should repair peripheral vascular injuries even in stable patients when there is time for a vascular consult. We reviewed all penetrating peripheral vascular injuries in stable patients operated on by nine experienced general trauma surgeons (1993-1996). Outcome measures were amputation, nerve damage, and vascular complications. There were 43 patients with 44...