Experience of non-operative management of blunt liver trauma at Hospital das Clínicas de Uberlândia: 114 cases

INTRODUCTION: trauma is the leading cause of death for the age group from 1 to 49 years in Brazil. Non-Operative Management (NOM) is the gold standard in trauma centers and does not affect mortality in comparison to operative treatment. METHODS: medical records were reviewed for 114 patients with blunt liver trauma treated at Hospital das Clínicas of the Federal University of Uberlândia (HC-UFU) from November 2015 to November 2020. RESULTS: the most prevalent gender was masculine (74.5%). The most prevalent age group was 20 to 49 years (65.7%). The majority of admitted patients (60.5%) had an Injury Severity Score (ISS) of more than 15. On hospital admission, 30.7% had HR above 100 bpm and 30.70% had SBP below 100mmHg. NOM was implemented in 77.2% of patients, the failure rate was 11.36% and the specific failure rate, excluding complications of associated injuries that resulted in surgery, was 1.75%. One third of deaths were due to severe traumatic brain injury. CONCLUSION: the failure rate of NOM in this study is similar to the literature reports for liver trauma. The failure rate, excluding complications of associated injuries, is considered low. The recognition of the epidemiological profile of patients admitted at HC-UFU allows multidisciplinary and integrated care with specialized training, as well as the development of institutional protocols, aiming to reduce morbidity and mortality related to hepatic trauma.