Emergent interventional therapy for the massive abdominal and pelvic arterial hemorrhage

Objective: To evaluate the clinical application of interventional therapy in treating massive abdominal and pelvic arterial hemorrhage. Methods: Sixty-seven patients with massive abdominal or pelvic arterial hemorrhage were collected for this study. The bleeding sites included gastroduodenal artery (n=11), superior mesenteric artery (n=15), inferior mesenteric artery (n=6), renal artery (n=12) and internal iliac artery branches (n=23). With Seldinger's technique the femoral artery was punctured, which was followed by angiography in order to visualize and to confirm the bleeding arteries, and then by using the gelatin sponge particles, coils or micro-coil, PVA particles or granules of sodium alginate the bleeding arteries were occluded. All the patients were observed closely after the operation, focusing on the vital signs. And follow-up observation and examine were conducted regularly. Results: Of the 67 patients,successful embolization with single procedure was obtained in 65, with twice procedures in one. The remaining one patient had to receive surgery as there was still small amounts of bleeding after embolization. The total success rate was 98.5%. Fifty patients were followed up for 3 months to 2 years after the arterial embolization (mean 12 months), and no severe complications or recurrence occurred. Conclusion: Interventional embolization is a safe and effective treatment for massive abdominal and pelvic arterial bleeding. It can precisely and instantly occlude the bleeding arteries. The key point of technical success is the proficient super-selective catheterization skill. (authors)