Clinical decision making for abdominal stab wounds in high resourced but low volume centres require structured guidelines to be effective

Aim: The management of abdominal stab wounds (SW) has continued to evolve. The use of CT and laparoscopy has been advocated to reduce the rate of laparotomy. This study reviews our experience with SW in a high income, low volume setting. Methods: A retrospective study was undertaken from 2006 to 2020 at Waikato Hospital, New Zealand. All adult patients age > 16 years that were admitted following trauma were included. Results: Seventy three cases of SW were included. Thirty two cases had indications for immediate laparotomy (peritonitis in 15, hemodynamic instability in 13, evisceration in 4). Twenty two underwent immediate laparotomy. Overall, 43 had a positive laparotomy. One had a negative laparotomy. Thirty seven cases had a CT. Laparoscopy was performed in 24 cases, with 23 demonstrating peritoneal breach. Subsequently 9 were converted to laparotomy whilst 15 had full laparoscopic exploration. Conclusion: The relative rarity of abdominal SW in our environment has resulted in a considerable degree of heterogeneity in our approach to this clinical dilemma. The simplified algorithm we have developed will hopefully facilitate clinical decision making in our institution.