Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2021 Jun 2;103(11):1026-1037.
doi: 10.2106/JBJS.20.01544.

Management of Civilian Low-Velocity Gunshot Injuries to an Extremity

Affiliations
Review

Management of Civilian Low-Velocity Gunshot Injuries to an Extremity

Justin T Jabara et al. J Bone Joint Surg Am. .

Abstract

➤: Despite an increasing rate of civilian low-velocity gunshot injuries, there remains a lack of evidence-based treatment standards.

➤: Most low-velocity gunshot-induced fractures of the extremity can be managed similarly to non-gunshot-induced fractures, with the goals of restoring function and minimizing complications.

➤: There are a limited number of high-quality studies to support the use of prophylactic antibiotics for nonoperatively treated gunshot wounds.

➤: Intra-articular retained bullets should be removed, while prophylactic irrigation and debridement for a transarticular bullet is not routinely warranted for infection prevention.

➤: Much of the literature on low-velocity gunshot wounds is Level-III or IV evidence, warranting the need for higher-powered, randomized, prospective investigations.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Disclosure: The authors indicated that no external funding was received for any aspect of this work. On the Disclosure of Potential Conflicts of Interest forms, which are provided with the online version of the article, one or more of the authors checked “yes” to indicate that the author had a relevant financial relationship in the biomedical arena outside the submitted work and “yes” to indicate that the author had other relationships or activities that could be perceived to influence, or have the potential to influence, what was written in this work (http://links.lww.com/JBJS/G419).

References

    1. National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. WISQARS nonfatal injury reports,, 2000-2019. Accessed 2021 Feb 25. https://webappa.cdc.gov/sasweb/ncipc/nfirates.html .
    1. Fowler KA, Dahlberg LL, Haileyesus T, Annest JL. Firearm injuries in the United States. Prev Med. 2015 Oct;79:5-14. Epub 2015 Jun 24.
    1. Papachristos AV, Braga AA, Hureau DM. Social networks and the risk of gunshot injury. J Urban Health. 2012 Dec;89(6):992-1003.
    1. Bartlett CS, Helfet DL, Hausman MR, Strauss E. Ballistics and gunshot wounds: effects on musculoskeletal tissues. J Am Acad Orthop Surg. 2000 Jan-Feb;8(1):21-36.
    1. Ordog GJ, Wasserberger J, Balasubramanium S, Shoemaker W. Civilian gunshot wounds—outpatient management. J Trauma. 1994 Jan;36(1):106-11.

LinkOut - more resources