Endovascular Embolization in Trauma and Bleeding

Interventional radiology (IR) has become an integral part in the management of traumatic and nontraumatic injuries. Traditionally, these endovascular treatments have been offered to single-vessel bleeding, hemodynamically stable (HS) patients. Recently, however, shifting trends toward nonoperative management have seen the endovascular approach become a helpful adjunct to surgery, even in hemodynamically unstable (HU) and multiple-vessel bleeding patients with surgically difficult-to-access injury sites. Yet, the current state-of-the-art equipment, hardware, and technical IR expertise alone are not enough to fully address the HU coagulopathic poly-bleeding trauma patient. Therefore, a time-conscious and trauma-specific set of IR guidelines is warranted.