D. Demetriades et D. Charalambides, GUNSHOT WOUNDS OF THE COLON - ROLE OF RETAINED BULLETS IN SEPSIS, British Journal of Surgery, 80(6), 1993, pp. 772-773
The role in the development of local sepsis of retained bullets that h
ave passed through the colon was investigated. Of 84 patients with gun
shot wounds of the colon, the bullet was retained in the body in 40 an
d had left or was removed from the body in 44. The groups were similar
with regard to Revised Trauma Score, Injury Severity Score, Penetrati
ng Abdominal Trauma Index and type of colonic trauma. The incidence of
major local complications was 5 per cent in patients with a retained
bullet and 7 per cent in those without. These results suggest that ret
ained bullets that have penetrated the colon do not contribute to loca
l septic complications.