Traumatic vascular injuries of the lower extremity: report of the Iranian National Trauma Project.

BACKGROUND This study aimed to determine the pattern of traumatic lower extremity vascular injuries in Iran. METHODS Patients with vascular injury of the lower extremity were selected from the Iranian National Trauma Project. This project was conducted in eight major cities during 2000-2004 and consisted of more than 17000 patients. RESULTS Sixty-three subjects (54 men) with a total of 92 vascular injuries of the lower extremity were identified. Mean age of the patients was 25.87 +/- 13.37 years. Blunt trauma was more frequent than penetrating (62% vs. 38%). In 36 cases (57%), road traffic crash (RTC) was the cause of injury. In 21% of the patients (n=24), vascular injury resulted from occupational trauma. Workers (n=23, 20%) were the most frequently affected group. Three patients (5%) died due to severity of the associated injuries. CONCLUSION Our results revealed that RTC is the most frequent cause of lower extremity vascular injuries in Iran. Our findings also showed that occupational injuries have considerable prevalence. Establishment of preventive strategies to reduce the frequency of these injuries is recommended.