Patient factors associated with embolization or splenectomy within 30 days of initiating surveillance for splenic trauma.

Background: Non-operative management of hemodynamically stable patients with splenic trauma has been recommended for more than 25 years, but in practice embolization and/or splenectomy (intervention) is often needed within the first 30 days. Identifying the risk factors associated with the need for intervention could support more individualized decision-making.

Methods: We used data from the SPLASH randomized clinical trial, a comparison of outcomes of surveillance or embolization.