Penetrating trauma: Difference between revisions
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==Overview== | ==Overview== | ||
Penetrating trauma is an [[injury]] that occurs primarily by an object piercing the skin or entering a [[tissue (biology)|tissue]] of the body. | Penetrating trauma is an [[injury]] that occurs primarily by an object piercing the skin or entering a [[tissue (biology)|tissue]] of the body. | ||
==Pathophysiology== | |||
The severity of the injury is determined largely by the velocity of the object that enters the body. High-velocity objects are usually projectiles such as bullets from high-powered or assault rifles.<ref name="brady">Daniel Limmer and Michael F. O'Keefe. 2005. ''Emergency Care'' 10th ed. Edward T. Dickinson, Ed. Pearson, Prentice Hall. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey. Pages 189-190.</ref> Bullets from handguns and shotguns are classed as medium-velocity projectiles.<ref name="brady"/> Low-velocity items, such as knives, are usually propelled by a person's hand, and usually do damage only to the area that is directly contacted by the object.<ref name="brady"/> | |||
==Complications== | |||
In addition to causing damage to the tissues they contact, medium and high velocity projectiles cause a cavitation injury: as the object enters the body, it creates a pressure wave which forces tissue out of the way, creating a cavity that can be much larger than the object itself.<ref name="brady"/> The tissues soon move back into place, eliminating the cavity, but the cavitation frequently does considerable damage first.<ref name="brady"/> Cavitation can be especially damaging when it affects delicate tissues such as the [[brain]], as occurs in [[penetrating head trauma]]. | |||
==Related Chapters== | ==Related Chapters== | ||
*[[Blunt trauma]] | *[[Blunt trauma]] | ||
*[[Penetrating head injury]] | |||
==References== | ==References== | ||
Latest revision as of 17:46, 21 February 2013
Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]
Overview
Penetrating trauma is an injury that occurs primarily by an object piercing the skin or entering a tissue of the body.
Pathophysiology
The severity of the injury is determined largely by the velocity of the object that enters the body. High-velocity objects are usually projectiles such as bullets from high-powered or assault rifles.[1] Bullets from handguns and shotguns are classed as medium-velocity projectiles.[1] Low-velocity items, such as knives, are usually propelled by a person's hand, and usually do damage only to the area that is directly contacted by the object.[1]
Complications
In addition to causing damage to the tissues they contact, medium and high velocity projectiles cause a cavitation injury: as the object enters the body, it creates a pressure wave which forces tissue out of the way, creating a cavity that can be much larger than the object itself.[1] The tissues soon move back into place, eliminating the cavity, but the cavitation frequently does considerable damage first.[1] Cavitation can be especially damaging when it affects delicate tissues such as the brain, as occurs in penetrating head trauma.