Me. Brouker, OUTPATIENT ANTIBIOTIC-TREATMENT OF UNCOMPLICATED GUNSHOT WOUNDS - RAMIFICATIONS FOR MILITARY USE, Military medicine, 162(4), 1997, pp. 266-267
Recent literature on the treatment of gunshot wound (GSW) injuries is
based on civilian studies from large urban areas in the United States.
These studies have challenged the need to hospitalize patients suffer
ing from minor GSW injuries. Instead, these patients are treated in an
outpatient setting. The feasibility of extrapolating similar therapeu
tic intervention in the military is discussed. Combatants experiencing
a single, minor GSW injury may require only oral antibiotic treatment
on an outpatient basis. In an operational setting, this type of thera
peutic intervention would preclude a costly course of intravenous anti
biotic therapy with hospitalization and, more importantly, expedite th
e return of the combatant to his/her command.