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...
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Format: | Article |
Language: | English |
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Wolters Kluwer Medknow Publications
2019-01-01
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Series: | International Journal of Medicine and Health Development |
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Online Access: | http://www.ijmhdev.com/article.asp?issn=2635-3695;year=2019;volume=24;issue=2;spage=100;epage=106;aulast=Lasebikan |
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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 |
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