Penetrating thoraco-abdominal gunshot wounds procedure

Gunshot injuries of the trunk in the peace time are rare, but always represent great therapeutic and organisational problems. It concern especially thoraco-abdominal injury. Aim of this report is to present our treatment experiences with 19 wounded patients. Different procedure was applied. In 16 cases wounded laparotomy was done, in 4 cases following pleura cavity drainage. After that in 4 wounded thoracotomy was performed. In the 3 rest wounded thoraco-phrenolaparotomy was done. All of them had lung injury and a few of them have had great vessel and heart lesions. In the abdomen we found 1-4 organs injury. 7 (37%) wounded died, among these 6 after abdominal complications. Injuries mentioned above are severe, complicated and required individual and differentiated procedure. Above all severity of abdominal organs injury determined prognosis. Not enough experienced thoracic surgeon can cooperate with abdominal specialist surgeon during treatment procedure such a patients.