Non-operative management of blunt splenic injuries beyond safety conditions A short narrative review

Abstract

Abstract Although the introduction of specific guidelines regarding the acute management of trauma patients have resolved many inconsistencies in the acute treatment pathways, grey areas are still preventing consensus and unitary standards of care. The treatment of splenic injuries has seen a notable shift from splenectomy only in the early 20th century to mainly non-operative contemporary approaches. However, there is no current agreement on the optimum timing of switching from conservative to operative decisions, raising the legitimate question of whether some patients are put at risk by waiting too much or other patients are deprived of a necessary organ by not waiting enough. This paper focuses on the non-operative paradigms of blunt splenic injuries and their immediate and long-term clinical implications presented as a short narrative review. It presents the historical perspective on the treatment of splenic injuries, the role of surgery and selective angioembolisation and their repercussions on the immunological functions of the spleen.