Penetrating neck injury: Collaterals for another life after ligation of common carotid artery and subclavian artery

Neck, being not protected by skeleton, is vulnerable to external trauma and injury which involves blood vessels, trachea, esophagus and other endocrine and nervous system organs. Vascular injuries can not only cause potentially life-threatening hemorrhage but also need profound surgical expertise in...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Annu Babu, Harshit Garg, Sushma Sagar, Amit Gupta, Subodh Kumar
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2017-02-01
Series:Chinese Journal of Traumatology
Subjects:
Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S100812751630270X
Description
Summary:Neck, being not protected by skeleton, is vulnerable to external trauma and injury which involves blood vessels, trachea, esophagus and other endocrine and nervous system organs. Vascular injuries can not only cause potentially life-threatening hemorrhage but also need profound surgical expertise in management. Development of collateral circulation in neck is well known; however, there is scarcity of literature on the role of collateral formation in neck trauma. Here, we present a unique case of penetrating gunshot injury to neck with right common carotid and right subclavian artery injury with hemorrhagic shock managed with ligation of these vessels as a life-saving procedure. The patient presented with no neurological or motor deficits in immediate postoperative period owing to the collateral circulation between right vertebral artery and right common carotid and right subclavian artery.
ISSN:1008-1275