The European experience with vascular injuries

Abstract

There is great variation in the epidemiology of vascular injuries in the 45 independent countries of Europe. In countries with a low incidence of penetrating trauma and increasing use of interventional vascular procedures, the proportion of iatrogenic vascular trauma exceeds 40% of all vascular injuries, whereas in other parts of the continent where armed conflicts are still a major cause of vascular trauma, the statistics are different. National vascular registries produce data about vascular trauma and its management and, despite a relatively low incidence of vascular trauma in most European countries, the results are satisfactory, probably in most cases because of active and early management by surgeons on call who may have vascular training or not, but who treat all kinds of vascular surgical emergencies.