Abstract
IntroductionThe extent of wound contamination in gunshot injuries is still a topic of controversial debate. The purpose of the present study is to develop a model that illustrates the contamination of wounds with exogenous particles along the bullet path.Material and methodsTo simulate bacteria, radio-opaque barium titanate (3-6 μm in diameter) was atomized in a dust chamber. Full metal jacket or soft point bullets caliber .222 (n = 12, v0 = 1096 m/s) were fired through the chamber into a gelatin block directly behind it. After that, the gelatin block underwent multi-slice CT in order to analyze the permanent and temporary wound cavity.ResultsThe permanent cavity caused by both types of projectiles showed deposits of barium titanate distributed over the entire bullet path. Full metal jacket bullets left only few traces of barium titanate in the temporary cavity. In contrast, the soft point bullets disintegrated completely, and barium titanate covered the entire wound cavity.DiscussionDeep penetration of potential exogenous bacteria can be simulated easily and reproducibly with barium titanate particles shot into a gelatin block. Additionally, this procedure permits conclusions to be drawn about the distribution of possible contaminants and thus can yield essential findings in terms of necessary therapeutic procedures.
Highlights
The extent of wound contamination in gunshot injuries is still a topic of controversial debate
The permanent cavity caused by both types of projectiles showed deposits of barium titanate distributed over the entire bullet path
To establish the mean distance between the barium titanate particles deposited within the temporary wound cavity, the infiltration depth was measured from the centre of the gelatin block along the ruptures, and the eight results were averaged for each vertical section. Both the gelatin blocks at which shots were fired with a soft point projectile and those at which shots were fired with a full metal jacket projectile were perforated by the projectile or fragments of them
Summary
The extent of wound contamination in gunshot injuries is still a topic of controversial debate. The gelatin block underwent multi-slice CT in order to analyze the permanent and temporary wound cavity. Current scientific research on possible contaminations along permanent or temporary wound cavities and the resulting surgical recommendations are topics of controversial debate in medical literature [2]. This is not least due to the fact that there is still a lack of clarity about some of the phenomena leading to a temporary wound cavity [3]. Most recommendations are based on clinical experience and not on systematic scientific research
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
