Table 1 Hard signs and soft signs of arterial injury [17–19]
Hard signs of arterial injury | Soft signs of arterial injury |
|---|---|
(Requires immediate surgery) | (Consider further examination) |
External arterial bleeding | History of arterial bleeding at the scene |
Rapidly expanding hematoma | Proximity of penetrating/blunt trauma to major artery |
Palpable thrill | Diminished unilateral distal pulse |
Audible bruit | Small nonpulsatile hematoma |
Obvious arterial occlusion (6 p ‘s: pulseless, pallor, paresthesia, paralysis, poikilothermia) | Neurologic deficit |
Abnormal Ankle-Brachial pressure index (<0.9) | |
Abnormal flow-velocity waveform on Doppler ultrasound |