Background: We presented peripheral arterial injury cases, which have higher morbidity and mortality, and require emergency surgical intervention in the patients. In these cases, the life of the patient and his/her life and related extremities are at risk. The factors affecting success of the treatment and our surgical interventions were reviewed. Method: Two hundred and seventy-eight patients suffered from peripheral arterial injuries had surgical interventions in Atatürk University Medical Faculty Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery Department between January 1983- October 1999. 40 cases were female (14.4%) and 238 cases were male (85.6%). The ages of patients ranged from 04 to 73 (mean:38.7). The distribution of the cases were as follows: penetrating injuries in 147 cases (52.8%), gunshot wounds in 76 cases (27.4%), and blunt injuries in 55 cases (19.8%). The period between injury and hospital admission ranged between was 1 hour and 4 days (mean:9.5 hours). The localisations were a. radialis/ulnaris in 80 (28.8%), a. brachialis in 56 (20.1%), a. femoralis in 53 (19.1%), a. poplitea in 35 (12.6%.), a. tibialis posterior-anterior-peronealis in 30 (10.8%), a. axillaris in 9 (3.2%), a. subclavia in 6 (2.2%), a. iliaca externa in 6 (2.2%), carotid arteries in 3 (1.1%). The most common surgical interventions were primary repair in 150 cases (53.9 % ), venous autograft replacement in 90 cases (32 %), synthetic graft replacement in 24 cases (8.6%) and ligation in 15 cases (5.4%). Result: There were 11 amputations (3,9%) and 17 patients died. (6.1%) Conclusions: It was thought that early and reasonable surgical intervention, a convenient technique, preoperative and postoperative full monitorization, effective medical interventions, and education on emergency can decrease morbidity and mortality in such cases.

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