The results of treatment of different abdominal organs in the New Zealand series of 364 cases in Italy have been analysed. page 271 The multiplicity of the lesions in the abdomen and also the association of wounds elsewhere in the body make it very difficult to classify the cases and evaluate the results. It is impossible to do more than give the main features of the lesions. These are shown in the accompanying tables:

Table I: Frequency of Injury to Separate Organs, Either Single or Combined with other Injuries

Organ	Number of Cases	Number of Deaths	Percentage Mortality
Small intestine	106	50	47.1
Large intestine	98	48	48.9
Liver	65	30	46.1
Kidney	26	16	611.4
Stomach	24	12	50
Spleen	23	10	43.5
Rectum	13	6	46.1
Bladder	12	6	50
Gall-bladder	3	1	33.3
Pancreas	4	4	100
Duodenum	5	3	60
Mesentery	17	10	58.8

The following results recorded by Major Douglas, NZMC, in his series of 125 abdominal cases are very similar except for the lower mortality in the colon cases:

Organ Involved	Cases	Died	Mortality Percentage
Spleen	18	8	44
Liver	26	10	38
Kidney	13	8	61
Stomach	15	9	60
Small intestine	49	23	47
Large intestine	51	21	41
Bladder	4	1	25

Table II: Injuries of Single Organs With or Without Extra-abdominal Injuries

Organ	Number of Cases	Number of Deaths	Percentage Mortality
Small intestine	36	10	28
Large intestine	27	8	29.6
Liver	23	11	48
Spleen	8	2	25
Kidney	7	2	28.5
Rectum	4	1	25
Stomach	4	0	0

page 272

Table III: Injuries of More than One Abdominal Organ

Organ	Number of Cases	Number of Deaths	Percentage Mortality
Small intestine and colon	34	15	44.1
Small intestine and rectum	3	1	33.3
Small intestine and bladder	3	2	66.6
Small intestine and liver	3	1	33.3
Small intestine, liver and kidney	1	1	100
Colon and kidney	2	2	100
Colon and liver	3	3	100
Colon and spleen	1	0	0
Stomach and liver	2	0	0
Stomach and colon	2	0	0
Stomach and spleen	1	1	100
Liver and kidney	4	3	75
Rectum and bladder	1	1	100
Duodenum and pancreas	1	1	100
Duodenum and small intestine	1	1	100
Rectum and prostate	1	1	100
More than two organs	11	5	45.4

Table IV: Injuries not Involving a Viscus1¹

Type of Injury	Number of Cases	Number of Deaths	Percentage Mortality
No viscus injury but some pathology	12	0	0
Liver injury with retained foreign body but no laparotomy	7	0	0
No intra-abdominal injury	8	1	11
	——	——	——
Total	27	1	3.7

In the one case death was due to severe multiple injuries, including a compound fracture of the tibia and fibula, for which an amputation at the thigh was performed, and compound fracture of the radius and ulna, penetrating wounds of leg, arms, neck, and penis were also present. The patient was badly shocked and died of uraemia and anuria on the sixth day.

It is satisfactory that none other of the 27 patients died, especially as figures quoted at the Rome conference gave a much more gloomy picture (28·8 per cent mortality). It is also satisfactory to note that in only 9 cases was no intra-peritoneal lesion of any kind found, in spite of the fact that only 3 per cent of patients with abdominal injuries were not operated on at the Casualty Clearing Station level, and all but 3 patients in our New Zealand units were operated on.

page 273

Foreign Bodies in the Peritoneal Cavity: In 42 of the cases the foreign body was removed at the primary operation, and of these cases 10 died. Foreign bodies were removed in 2 subsequent operations.