Nonoperative management of blunt splenic trauma in the adult: a community hospital's experience.

Nonoperative management of blunt splenic injury has been infrequently selected for adults. Nonoperative management was initially utilized in seven adult patients (23%) with blunt splenic injury during a 6-year period. Two patients eventually failed nonoperative management and required surgical intervention. No morbidity or mortality has been recorded in the remaining five patients (16%) successfully followed after 32.6 months. No added morbidity was sustained by the two patients who failed nonoperative management during the delay of surgical intervention. Hospitalization was briefer in the nonoperative group. Our experience indicates that blunt splenic injury can be successfully nonoperatively managed in an adult population seen at a community hospital.