Management of Abdominal Gunshot Wounds in Children - Case Report

Introduction

One of the causes of mortality in pediatric population is penetrating abdominal injuries, which can affect several organs. Among all types of abdominal trauma, in gunshot wounds a good prognostic requires prompt diagnosis and treatment.

In Romania, there is no specific database on gunshot injuries in the pediatric population, but from various sources, it was found that there are 3 cases (1 case of abdominal injury caused by gunshot in rural area and 2 cases of head and cervical spine injury due to gunshot that took place in urban area).

Case presentation

A 13-year-old boy is brought to the emergency care unit with a penetrating gunshot wound by ricochet in the left lower abdominal quadrant. Abdominal computed tomography revealed abdominal wall discontinuity in the left iliac fossa with oblique and posterior trajectory and a foreign body in the peritoneal cavity measuring 19/7 mm. Intraoperatory, the projectile was found in the sigmoid colon.

Conclusion

Penetrating gunshot wounds in pediatric population need adequate investigation and prompt diagnosis despite hemodynamic stability at presentation. Successful management of such a patient depends on the accuracy of the surgical intervention as well as the existence of a multidisciplinary medical team, which helps to prevent significant complications, including death.