BACKGROUND Gunshot wounds to the cervical spine most frequently concur with serious injuries to the spinal cord and cervical vessels and often have a fatal outcome. CASE REPORT We describe the case of a 35-year-old male with a complex fracture of the C2 vertebra body and a mandibular fracture after a penetration gunshot to the cervical spine. Computed tomography (CT) at admission revealed the...

Facial gunshot injuries are unusual and complicated clinical entities. Because of the mechanism of injury, early aggressive primary reconstruction might not be ideal. Initial conservative management followed by staged secondary reconstruction could be performed to obtain satisfactory functional and aesthetic results. Reconstruction of the cranio-maxillo-facial deformities requires a multi-disci...

BACKGROUND To present a patient with an indirect blast rupture of the head of pancreas, as well as with a blast contusion of the duodenum following abdominal gunshot injury. CASE REPORT A patient with the abdominal gunshot injury was submitted to the management of the injury of the liver, gaster and the right kidney in the field hospital. The revealed rupture of the head of the pancreas and t...

Firearm injuries are regarded as a special form of blunt trauma. The damage to the organism is caused by the impact of a single projectile (or a multitude of pellets) propelled from a barrel by high-pressure combustion gases and striking the body at a high velocity. Gunshot wounds, in a broader sense, are also lesions caused by blank-cartridge weapons as well as injuries due to livestock stunne...

Craniocerebral gunshot injuries (CGI) are increasingly encountered by neurosurgeons in civilian and urban settings. Unfortunately this is a prevalent condition in developing countries, with major armed conflicts which is not very likely to achieve a high rate of prevention. Management goals should focus on early aggressive, vigorous resuscitation and correction of coagulopathy; those with stabl...

BACKGROUND Disturbing trends regarding the sex, age, and race of gunshot victims have been reported in previous national studies; however, gunshot trends have not been well documented in individual cities in the southeastern United States. OBJECTIVES 1) Analyze trends in gunshot wounds, particularly the association between gunshot wounds and race, among victims presenting to a Level I Trauma ...

Major injuries of the pancreas are uncommon, but may result in considerable morbidity and mortality because of the magnitude of associated vascular and duodenal injuries or underestimation of the extent of the pancreatic injury. Prognosis is influenced by the cause and complexity of the pancreatic injury, the amount of blood lost, duration of shock, speed of resuscitation and quality and nature...

Penetrating brain injuries from gunshot wounds can carry a poor prognosis and require an aggressive, multifaceted approach to obtain a good prognosis and outcome. An initial evaluation requires appropriate imaging studies followed by management and prophylaxis against increased intracranial pressure, infection, and seizures. Surgical management is then followed to ensure the watertight closure ...

Recent guidelines have been produced advising doctors working in emergency departments that they should report all gunshot injuries to the police (albeit with consent in all but very limited circumstances). This article will discuss some of the legal and ethical issues that surround breaking patient confidentiality in relation to gunshot wounds and other potentially dangerous patients; and look...

Gunshot injuries of the human body challenge surgical teams in the emergency department. Since such injuries do not follow any rule, every patient should be considered a special case. Our case, of bullet embolism from injured inferior cava vein to the right heart ventricle is a rare one. Such cases make us be more alert for diagnosis and treatment of this kind of injury. Well equipped hospitals...