Traumatic Haemoperitoneum at Butare University Teaching Hospital

Background: An epidemiological study on the traumatic haemoperitoneum cases that underwent surgery over a 7 years period from January 1999 to December 2005 was carried out in the Surgical Department of Butare University Hospital, Rwanda. The main aim of our study was to determine the epidemiological character, development and management of posttraumatic haemoperitoneum.
Patients and Methods: This was retrospective descriptive study, including 102 patients operated for posttraumatic haemoperitoneum. Data was collected from patients’ clinical files and operation register. Information obtained was recorded on a pre-established questionnaire. Data obtained was analyzed using Epi Data and SPSS computer programs.
Results: Over a 7 years period, January 1999 to December 2005, a total of 2114 patients were operated for abdominal pathology. Of these, 102 had a posttraumatic haemoperitoneum. The commonest cause of traumatic haemoperitoneum was road traffic crushes (40.2%) followed by assault which accounted for 31.5% of cases. The youth and young adults were the most affected. The male to female sex ratio was 5: 1. The time interval between the trauma and the patient arrival at the hospital and management varied between 30 minutes and 24 hours with the medium of 12.7 hours. The majority (71.6%) of the patients were received in hospital within the first 6 hours after the trauma. Abdominal paracentesis or diagnostic peritoneal lavage were performed in 46 patients and were all positive. At laparotomy, one organ was found injured in 73.5% of cases. The Spleen was the most frequently injured organ. The mortality rate was 7.8%.