Abdominal gunshot wounds: Experiences in the emergency department at the hassan II university hospital in Fes, Morocco

Abstract

We report the case of a young couple, a 30-year old man and his 21-year old wife victim, after a family conflict, of shotgun shooting. Shotgun is allowed in Morocco during the game hunting season. Surgical exploration of both patients showed multiple lesions of the digestive tract as well vascular wound on the man’s femoral artery causing hemorrhagic shock. The study of gunshot wounds is based on resulting tissues lesions which vary as a function of the different shooting parameters. The impact, the path and the found projectile allow detect the type of weapons and the shooting conditions. Gunshot injuries may be very different. They depend on: the weapon in question, the trajectory of the projectile in relation to the hit body, the shooting distance and, especially, the characteristics of the projectile. Contused wounds are most common, with very specific features. They are caused by a criminal act, a suicidal act or an accidental act.