This article discusses the assessment, management and treatment of patients with stab wounds on arrival in the emergency department. It describes the immediate approach to assessment. The assessment of stab wounds to the chest, abdomen and limbs is also examined.

traumatic coronary artery-cameral fistulas (tcaf) are rare and may present secondary to penetrating injuries (80%) or iatrogenic traumas. early operative intervention remains the recommended treatment modality for accidental traumatic coronary artery fistulas. we report the case of a 17-year-old man who presented with left anterior descending coronary artery-right ventricle fistula following pe...

A patient with stab wounds to the chest may have negative physical findings, and normal radiologic examinations and still develop delayed pneumothorax or hemothorax. The frequency and time intervals of these complications have not been established. One hundred ten asymptomatic patients with chest stab wounds were prospectively studied. All patients had normal chest radiographs on initial evalua...

conclusions although evaluations of the initial vital signs and physical examinations are still important, the history regarding the source of the stab wounds (aisw vs. sisw) may be helpful in determining the appropriate treatment methods and predicting patient outcomes. results a total of 19 patients had undergone exploratory laparotomy. of the nine patients with sisw undergoing this procedure...

conclusions it seems serial clinical examinations are safe and decrease the cost and duration of hospitalization in stable patients with anterior abdominal wall stab wounds. results ninety-one men (91%) and 9 women (9%) with mean age of 27 ± 10.7 years were included. coexisting injuries were prevalent in 12 cases. the duration of hospitalization was 1 day in 31%, 2 days in 30%, 3 - 4 days in 32...

Clinical practice guidelines have been shown to improve the delivery of care. Anterior abdominal stab wounds, although uncommon, pose a challenge in both rural and urban trauma care. A multidisciplinary working party was established to assist in the development of evidence-based guidelines to answer three key clinical questions: (i) What is the ideal prehospital management of anterior abdominal...

Non-missile penetrating brain injuries are rare events in western countries. We report a case with lethal stab injury of the brain and identification of the weapon used in the assault by digital superimposition on CT scans taken at admission of the victim to a hospital. Furthermore, all cases with knife stab wounds of the skull between 1971 and 2000 were analyzed and compared with literature re...

Unlike the penetrating injuries to the brain caused by missiles, injuries by stabbing are largely restricted to the wound tract. Early recognition, debridement and judicious antibiotic therapy can limit or prevent complications in the management of stab wounds. Among the common sequelae of stab wounds of the brain are pneumocephalus, meningitis, intracerebral hemorrhage and direct blood vessel ...

Fatalities resulting from sharp force injuries may be of accidental, homicidal or suicidal origin. Cut-throat and cut-stab wounds are “effective” in homicidal attacks with sharp objects, e. g. knifes, while accidental injuries in this topographic region caused by sharp objects are rarely seen and most often caused by broken glass. Self-inflicted cut throat and stab wounds are uncommon but never...