title: Current orthopaedic treatment of ballistic injuries.
abstract: The purpose of this review is to examine current orthopaedic treatment of gunshot wounds. Surgeons are increasingly confronted by gunshot wounds that occur in both military and civilian settings. Much of the published work has been from military settings. In the United States, low-energy gunshot wounds are very common, and their incidence is increasing elsewhere in the world. Current treatment and its rationale is reviewed and a systematic approach to the assessment and treatment of these injuries is offered, taking into account the entirety of the injury, rather than simply the velocity of the missile.
authors.affiliation: Division of Orthopaedic Surgery, University of Alabama at Birmingham, 950 Faculty Office Tower, 510 South 20th Street, Birmingham, AL 35294-3409, USA. david.volgas@ortho.uab.edu
authors.forename: David A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Volgas
authors.forename: James P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Stannard
authors.forename: Jorge E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Alonso
mesh_terms: D001808:Blood Vessels / Q000293:injuries; D003646:Debridement / Q000379:methods; D005547:Foreign Bodies / Q000601:surgery; D050723:Fractures, Bone / Q000209:etiology / Q000601:surgery; D006801:Humans; D007596:Joints / Q000293:injuries / Q000601:surgery; D019637:Orthopedic Procedures / Q000379:methods*; D059348:Peripheral Nerve Injuries; D012307:Risk Factors; D014946:Wound Infection / Q000628:therapy; D014948:Wounds, Gunshot / Q000601:surgery*