Pattern and Severity of Traumatic Renal Injury: A Three-Year Study at Single Level One Trauma Center in Southern Iran

Background: Renal trauma is among the most important trauma challenges. Better management of traumatic renal patients is necessary to improve the patients’ clinical outcome. Objectives: This study aimed to analyze the pattern, severity, mechanism of injury, and outcome in renal trauma. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted in the largest trauma center in southern Iran from March 2018 to June 2022. Adult patients with diagnosed renal trauma based on abbreviated injury scale guideline were included. Variables of age, gender, anatomy of injury, mechanism of injury, lenghth of hospitalization, level of blood pressure, severity of injury, and the outcome of patients have been collected. Results: In total, 4,416 traumatic patients were admitted to the Emergency Department of the Hospital during the study time, of which 46 cases had traumatic renal injury. The rate of renal injury in the level one trauma center in southern Iran was 0.96%, and the death rate in renal injury victims was 12(26.1%). Most of the injured with renal injury were men 39(84.8%). Blunt trauma was the dominant type of trauma in most victims with renal injury 34(73.9%). Thirty-seven percent (n=17) of traumatic renal injury victim was in mild level (grade 1 and 2), and 16(34.8%) in severe level (grade 4 and 5). Renal injury was mostly associated with thorax injury (n=46) as extra-abdominal organ injury, and liver injury (n=16) and spleen (n=15) as intra-abdominal organ injury. Conclusion: The results of the present study showed that the severity of injury in patients with renal injury is high, and it is usually associated by injury to other body organs. It is suggested that the traumatic patients should be immediately examined for renal injury in the resuscitation department due to the high mortality rate and severity of these patients.