TY - JOUR PY - 1994// TI - Civilian gunshot wounds--outpatient management JO - Journal of trauma A1 - Ordog, G. J. A1 - Shoemaker, W. A1 - Balasubramanium, S. A1 - Wasserberger, J. SP - 106 EP - 111 VL - 36 IS - 1 N2 - Cost containment is important in this time of inner-city economic and health-care crisis. Of 28,150 patients treated for gunshot wounds (GSWs) from 1977 through 1991, 16,892 (60%) were treated as outpatients after emergency department evaluation and treatment. The complication rate was 1.8% (mostly infections), and nine patients were later found to have vascular injuries requiring surgical treatment. These were identified later at outpatient follow-up and treated with no long-term morbidity or mortality. A conservative estimate of the cost savings from this study was more than $37 million. With a more liberal use of angiography to eliminate rare missed vascular injuries, many GSW victims can be safely treated as outpatients, eliminating the need for expensive in-hospital observation.

Language: en

LA - en SN - 0022-5282 UR - http://dx.doi.org/ ID - ref1 ER -