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Vascular Trauma

Vascular trauma is an injury to your blood vessels (arteries and veins). There are two types:

  • Blunt trauma is when a blood vessel is crushed or stretched
  • Penetrating trauma is when a blood vessel is torn or punctured

Symptoms

Because vascular trauma is caused by an injury, the main symptom is the injury itself. You may also have:

  • Bleeding from the wound
  • Swelling
  • Lightheadedness
  • Numbness in the affected limb
  • Inability to move the affected limb

Treatment

If left untreated, vascular trauma can cause blood clots, life-threatening bleeding, damage to a limb, or a stroke.

Surgery is the main treatment for vascular trauma. During surgery, your injured blood vessel will be grafted, put back together, or patched.

For some vascular trauma, you may be able to have endovascular treatment, which is less invasive than surgery, and may include angioplasty, embolization, or a stent.

Departments and Programs Who Treat This Condition

department

Vascular Medicine Center

BMC’s multidisciplinary Vascular Medicine Center offers comprehensive care—including minimally invasive techniques—from one of the most advanced multidisciplinary teams of special…
department

Vascular and Endovascular Surgery

The Division of Vascular and Endovascular Surgery provides state-of-the-art care for patients with vascular disease, offering medical therapies, minimally invasive techniques, and…