Citation

Weinberger LN, Holena DN, Powell EK, Gracias V. Inj. Extra 2008; 39(12): 389.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2008, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/j.injury.2008.08.005

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

In the world of penetrating trauma, the dictum 'trajectory determines injury' has long been promulgated as a method for determining which organs are likely to have been injured according to the path of the projectile. For transthoracic and transabdominal penetrating wounds, marking potential entrance and exit wounds with radiopaque markers and subsequently obtaining plain films of intervening body areas has been the standard of care at our institution; depending on the nature of the injury, haemodynamically stable patients may undergo computed tomography to help further define injury pattern prior to operation.

In analogy to penetrating trauma, electrical injury may also have an entrance and an exit wound. The 'path of least resistance' that electrical current may take through tissue may be difficult to define and intervening structures, including intrathoracic and intraabdominal viscera, may be at risk for injury.