Current diagnostic approaches lack sensitivity in the diagnosis of perforated blunt small bowel injury: analysis from 275,557 trauma admissions from the EAST multi-institutional HVI trial.

Objectives: Blunt SBI is infrequent and its diagnosis may be difficult, especially in the face of confounding variables. The purpose of this study was to evaluate methods for making the diagnosis of blunt SBI.

Methods: Patients with blunt small bowel injury (SBI) were identified from the registries of 95 trauma centers for a 2-year period (1998-1999). Patients with SBI (cases) were matched by age and Injury Severity Score with a blunt trauma patient receiving an abdominal workup who did not have SBI (controls).

Results: Logistic regression models were unable to differentiate SBI with perforation from SBI without perforation. Thirteen percent of patients with documented perforating SBI had normal abdominal computed tomographic scans preoperatively.

Conclusion: Alone or in combination, current diagnostic approaches lack sensitivity in the diagnosis of perforated SBI. Improvements in diagnostic methods and approaches are needed to ensure the prompt diagnosis of this uncommon but potentially devastating injury.