title: Carotid artery injury from an airgun pellet: a case report and review of the literature.
abstract: Historically airguns were powerful weapons. Modern models, though less lethal, are still capable of inflicting serious or life threatening injuries. Current United Kingdom legislation fails to take into the account the capacity for airguns to maim and kill. We believe that airguns should be governed by the same law that applies to firearms. We present a case of a potentially fatal airgun injury to the neck. The airgun pellet caused a defect in the anterior wall of the external carotid artery, which required rapid access and surgical repair. We discuss the mechanism of airgun injury and review the literature in terms of investigation and management.
authors.affiliation: Maxillofacial Surgery, Pinderfields General Hospital, Aberford Road, Wakefield WF14DG, UK. syedabad1@hotmail.com
authors.forename: Syed
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Abad
authors.forename: Ian Ds
authors.initials: ID
authors.lastname: McHenry
authors.forename: Lachlan M
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Carter
authors.forename: David A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Mitchell
mesh_terms: D020212:Carotid Artery Injuries / Q000209:etiology / Q000601:surgery*; D002342:Carotid Artery, External / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D014948:Wounds, Gunshot / Q000150:complications / Q000601:surgery*; D055815:Young Adult