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. 2020 Oct;55(5):625-628.
doi: 10.1055/s-0040-1702960. Epub 2020 Apr 27.

Firearm-Related Fractures: Epidemiology and Infection Rate

Daniel Baumfeld  1 , Auro Sérgio Perdigão de Brito  1 , Maíra Soares Torres  1 , Kassio Lohner Prado  1 , Marco Antonio Percope de Andrade  1 , Tulio Vinicius de Oliveira Campos  1
Affiliations

Firearm-Related Fractures: Epidemiology and Infection Rate

Daniel Baumfeld et al. Rev Bras Ortop (Sao Paulo). 2020 Oct.

Abstract

Objective To investigate the incidence of infection in patients with gunshot-related fractures, and to correlate this finding with the occurrence of surgical debridement in the emergency room. Methods A retrospective, observational, descriptive study that included all cases of fractures caused by firearms between January 2010 and December 2014; 245 fractures in 223 patients were included. Results There was surgical-site infection in 8.5% of the fractures, and the mean number of debridements required to control the infectious process was of 1.273 ± 0.608. A correlation was identified between the surgical treatment chosen and the affected body segment ( p < 0.001). The surgical treatment in the emergency room had a correlation with the occurrence of infection ( p < 0.001; Chi-squared test). Conclusion Patients with gunshot injuries treated non-operatively presented less severe and stable lesions; thus, the incidence of complications in this group was found to be lower. On the other hand, those patients with complex lesions underwent debridement and external fixation. Therefore, a greater number of infectious complications in patients submitted to external fixation was found, as expected.

Keywords: Wound infection/epidemiology; fractures, bone; wounds, gunshot/epidemiology.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflito de Interesses Os autores declaram não haver conflito de interesses.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Correlation between infection and conduct in the emergency room (Chi-squared test; p  < 0.001).
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Subgroup analysis to identify the group with the highest incidence of infection.
Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Correlação entre infecção e conduta na sala de emergência (Teste do qui-quadrado; p  < 0,001).
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Análise de subgrupo para identificar o grupo com maior incidência de infecção.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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