Drivers Beware: Internal wounds fatal

Hyderabad: While there was not a scratch on Gopinath Munde’s body, his liver was split into three parts and more than two litres of blood had collected in his abdomen due to internal bleeding. Internal injuries are a major part of accident injuries and often the victims, as well as those helping them, give little thought to them.

People react quickly when they see external injuries but are ignorant about internal injuries as they can’t be seen.

Read: Poor safety features, light car design cause for concern

Dr Vijay Anand, critical care expert at Yashoda Hospitals said, “In case of an accident, a victim must reach the critical care unit in less than 15 minutes. But patients are hardly able to make it within that time. Internal injuries are a part of accident cases and most victims often do not realise it. In a recent accident case in the city, a husband brought his wife to the hospital for multiple fractures and while she was being operated, he suffered from stinging pains. When the nature of accident was verified, it was found that his spleen had ruptured. He had been running around for two hours. He was then immediately rushed into emergency and his spleen had to be removed.”

While this patient was lucky to have time in hand due to the nature of the injury, others often come with fatal conditions but with too little time.

To identify internal injuries, the critical care doctor has to check for shooting pains. Once the patient confirms that the pain is recurring, they are immediately rushed for scanning and the treatment begins from there.

Dr Raja Prasad, surgical gastroenterologist and critical care expert explained, “In accidents, injuries to the stomach and abdomen areas are often life-threatening. This is because the internal organs in this region are often crushed due to the impact. With the liver being the store house of blood, any injury to it leads to overflowing of blood into other parts, leading to cardiac arrest.”

The magnitude of internal injuries depends on the impact of the accident. In case of bikers and pedestrians, the injuries are mostly on the head and face while for those travelling in cars, the injuries are on the back and abdominal area.

Doctors attending to trauma care feel that timely action to reach the nearest, well-equipped hospital is of utmost importance for the victim but at the same time it is very important not to speed as that is the reason for these fatal accidents.