title: Penetrating injuries of the brachial artery.
abstract: This is a retrospective study of 72 patients with non-iatrogenic penetrating injuries of the brachial artery treated between 1991 and 1993. The mechanism of injury was stabbing in 39 per cent, a bullet in 51 per cent, pellets in 4 per cent and a dog bite in 6 per cent. We believe that angiography is rarely indicated, as in all our patients the diagnosis was made on clinical grounds. The proximity of the injury to neurovascular bundles was a poor predictor of arterial injury. One month after discharge 95 per cent of the patients had palpable distal pulses. Long-term morbidity is mainly attributed to associated nerve injuries.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Baragwanath Hospital, University of the Witwatersrand Medical School, Johannesburg, Republic of South Africa.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Degiannis
authors.forename: R D
authors.initials: RD
authors.lastname: Levy
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Sliwa
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Potokar
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Saadia
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001916:Brachial Artery / Q000293:injuries* / Q000601:surgery; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D014950:Wounds, Penetrating / Q000209:etiology* / Q000401:mortality / Q000601:surgery