A new model for the characterization of infection risk in gunshot injuries:Technology, principal consideration and clinical implementation

Head & Face Medicine

Nils-Claudius Gellrich¹  Martin Rücker¹  Conrad Wilker¹  Marcus Stoetzer¹  Majeed Rana¹  Constantin von See¹ 

[1] Department of Craniomaxillofacial Surgery, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany

关键词: radiology;    basic research;    infection;    gunshot;   

Others  :  819521
DOI  :  10.1186/1746-160X-7-18

 received in 2011-09-26, accepted in 2011-10-27,  发布年份 2011

【 摘 要 】

Introduction

The extent of wound contamination in gunshot injuries is still a topic of controversial debate. The purpose of the present study is to develop a model that illustrates the contamination of wounds with exogenous particles along the bullet path.

Material and methods

To simulate bacteria, radio-opaque barium titanate (3-6 μm in diameter) was atomized in a dust chamber. Full metal jacket or soft point bullets caliber .222 (n = 12, v₀ = 1096 m/s) were fired through the chamber into a gelatin block directly behind it. After that, the gelatin block underwent multi-slice CT in order to analyze the permanent and temporary wound cavity.

Results

The permanent cavity caused by both types of projectiles showed deposits of barium titanate distributed over the entire bullet path. Full metal jacket bullets left only few traces of barium titanate in the temporary cavity. In contrast, the soft point bullets disintegrated completely, and barium titanate covered the entire wound cavity.

Discussion

Deep penetration of potential exogenous bacteria can be simulated easily and reproducibly with barium titanate particles shot into a gelatin block. Additionally, this procedure permits conclusions to be drawn about the distribution of possible contaminants and thus can yield essential findings in terms of necessary therapeutic procedures.

【 授权许可】

   
2011 von See et al; licensee BioMed Central Ltd.

【 图 表 】

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