Prospective analysis of extremity gunshot injuries treated in a Nigerian regional trauma center

Background: Extremity gunshot injuries are a common cause of morbidity and mortality in our environment. They pose a management challenge because of the complex soft tissue and bony injuries. Objectives: The objectives of this study was to determine the pattern and treatment outcomes of these injuri...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Omolade A Lasebikan, Njoku I Omoke, Ndubuisi O Onyemaechi, Emmanuel C Iyidobi, Wilson I Anetekhai
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wolters Kluwer Medknow Publications 2019-01-01
Series:International Journal of Medicine and Health Development
Subjects:
Online Access:http://www.ijmhdev.com/article.asp?issn=2635-3695;year=2019;volume=24;issue=2;spage=100;epage=106;aulast=Lasebikan
_version_ 1798018591295012864
author Omolade A Lasebikan
Njoku I Omoke
Ndubuisi O Onyemaechi
Emmanuel C Iyidobi
Wilson I Anetekhai
author_facet Omolade A Lasebikan
Njoku I Omoke
Ndubuisi O Onyemaechi
Emmanuel C Iyidobi
Wilson I Anetekhai
author_sort Omolade A Lasebikan
collection DOAJ
description Background: Extremity gunshot injuries are a common cause of morbidity and mortality in our environment. They pose a management challenge because of the complex soft tissue and bony injuries. Objectives: The objectives of this study was to determine the pattern and treatment outcomes of these injuries in our setting. Materials and Methods: This was a prospective study of extremity gunshot injuries treated at National Orthopaedic Hospital, Enugu, Nigeria over a 12-month period. Results: Fifty-five patients were studied, with a mean age of 36.9 ± 13.39 years and a male-to-female ratio of 8.2:1. The two top causes of gunshot injuries were armed robbery (41; 74.5%) and assaults/communal clash (6; 10.9%), and the most common type of gun was the rifle (21; 38.2%). Gunshot fracture was the commonest type of injury among the patients (39, 70.9%). Only 34.5.1% of our patients presented to hospital within the first 6h. Secondary wound closure was the commonest method of wound cover. Majority of the gunshot fractures were treated non-operatively. The duration of hospitalization ranged from 2 days to 13 weeks with a mean duration of 4.9 weeks. Late presentation, presence of fracture, and wound infection were associated with prolonged hospital stay. Outcome of treatment was good in 80% of patients and the mortality rate was 1.8%. Conclusion: The young adult males are more involved in extremity gunshot injuries. The fracture rate of these injuries is high with associated increased morbidity. Effective control measures aimed at reducing the incidence of gunshot injuries will reduce the negative socioeconomic impact of these injuries.
first_indexed 2024-04-11T16:25:27Z
format Article
id doaj.art-3cad2f6f6c4147058bbf9a445492a257
institution Directory Open Access Journal
issn 2635-3695
language English
last_indexed 2024-04-11T16:25:27Z
publishDate 2019-01-01
publisher Wolters Kluwer Medknow Publications
record_format Article
series International Journal of Medicine and Health Development
spelling doaj.art-3cad2f6f6c4147058bbf9a445492a2572022-12-22T04:14:10ZengWolters Kluwer Medknow PublicationsInternational Journal of Medicine and Health Development2635-36952019-01-0124210010610.4103/ijmh.IJMH_27_19Prospective analysis of extremity gunshot injuries treated in a Nigerian regional trauma centerOmolade A LasebikanNjoku I OmokeNdubuisi O OnyemaechiEmmanuel C IyidobiWilson I AnetekhaiBackground: Extremity gunshot injuries are a common cause of morbidity and mortality in our environment. They pose a management challenge because of the complex soft tissue and bony injuries. Objectives: The objectives of this study was to determine the pattern and treatment outcomes of these injuries in our setting. Materials and Methods: This was a prospective study of extremity gunshot injuries treated at National Orthopaedic Hospital, Enugu, Nigeria over a 12-month period. Results: Fifty-five patients were studied, with a mean age of 36.9 ± 13.39 years and a male-to-female ratio of 8.2:1. The two top causes of gunshot injuries were armed robbery (41; 74.5%) and assaults/communal clash (6; 10.9%), and the most common type of gun was the rifle (21; 38.2%). Gunshot fracture was the commonest type of injury among the patients (39, 70.9%). Only 34.5.1% of our patients presented to hospital within the first 6h. Secondary wound closure was the commonest method of wound cover. Majority of the gunshot fractures were treated non-operatively. The duration of hospitalization ranged from 2 days to 13 weeks with a mean duration of 4.9 weeks. Late presentation, presence of fracture, and wound infection were associated with prolonged hospital stay. Outcome of treatment was good in 80% of patients and the mortality rate was 1.8%. Conclusion: The young adult males are more involved in extremity gunshot injuries. The fracture rate of these injuries is high with associated increased morbidity. Effective control measures aimed at reducing the incidence of gunshot injuries will reduce the negative socioeconomic impact of these injuries.http://www.ijmhdev.com/article.asp?issn=2635-3695;year=2019;volume=24;issue=2;spage=100;epage=106;aulast=Lasebikanextremitiesgunshot injurynigeriapatterntreatment outcome
spellingShingle Omolade A Lasebikan
Njoku I Omoke
Ndubuisi O Onyemaechi
Emmanuel C Iyidobi
Wilson I Anetekhai
Prospective analysis of extremity gunshot injuries treated in a Nigerian regional trauma center
International Journal of Medicine and Health Development
extremities
gunshot injury
nigeria
pattern
treatment outcome
title Prospective analysis of extremity gunshot injuries treated in a Nigerian regional trauma center
title_full Prospective analysis of extremity gunshot injuries treated in a Nigerian regional trauma center
title_fullStr Prospective analysis of extremity gunshot injuries treated in a Nigerian regional trauma center
title_full_unstemmed Prospective analysis of extremity gunshot injuries treated in a Nigerian regional trauma center
title_short Prospective analysis of extremity gunshot injuries treated in a Nigerian regional trauma center
title_sort prospective analysis of extremity gunshot injuries treated in a nigerian regional trauma center
topic extremities
gunshot injury
nigeria
pattern
treatment outcome
url http://www.ijmhdev.com/article.asp?issn=2635-3695;year=2019;volume=24;issue=2;spage=100;epage=106;aulast=Lasebikan
work_keys_str_mv AT omoladealasebikan prospectiveanalysisofextremitygunshotinjuriestreatedinanigerianregionaltraumacenter
AT njokuiomoke prospectiveanalysisofextremitygunshotinjuriestreatedinanigerianregionaltraumacenter
AT ndubuisioonyemaechi prospectiveanalysisofextremitygunshotinjuriestreatedinanigerianregionaltraumacenter
AT emmanuelciyidobi prospectiveanalysisofextremitygunshotinjuriestreatedinanigerianregionaltraumacenter
AT wilsonianetekhai prospectiveanalysisofextremitygunshotinjuriestreatedinanigerianregionaltraumacenter