Citation

Beidas OE, Rehman S. Orthop. Surg. 2011; 3(2): 102-105.

Affiliation

School of Medicine Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Temple University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2011, John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

10.1111/j.1757-7861.2011.00125.x

PMID

22009594

Abstract

Objective:  To verify the hypothesis that neurologic injuries are less prevalent in civilian gunshot injuries than that reported in the military literature, and are more likely to occur with concomitant fracture. Methods:  In order to investigate the incidence and patient variables of gunshot injury with neurologic injury, a retrospective chart review was performed at a single urban trauma center over a five-year period. Results:  One thousand eight hundred and fifty-one patients with gunshot injuries were treated at our center over the five year study period. Of these, 895 patients (48%) had involvement of at least one extremity and 382 (21%) had concomitant fractures. Seventy-four had concomitant neurologic injury. There was a statistically significant difference of 14% (53/382) and 4% (21/513) (P < 0.0001) between the group with fracture (53 patients) and the group without fracture (21 patients), respectively, in the occurrence of neurologic insult. Conclusion:  This incidence of neurologic injuries in civilian gunshot injuries is lower than that previously reported in the military population and the presence of a fracture is clearly an additional risk factor for neurologic injury.

Language: en