[Nonoperatively treated penetrating thoracic and abdominal wound caused by a low-velocity shot]

This paper describes the successful nonoperative treatment of a 31-year-old male patient with thoracic and abdominal gunshot wounds. Once stabilized in the emergency department (ED), he was transferred to our general surgical department. On the first day after his admission, diagnostic peritoneal lavage (DPL) was performed, revealing a small amount of hemorrhagic fluid. The fluid inside the pericardium was examined by controlled echocardiography in the cardiology clinic, and a conservative approach was suggested. The patient began to tolerate oral feeding quite soon; he was discharged from the general surgical department in a good state of wellbeing on day 13 after admission. This case report supports the idea that nonoperative treatment with repeated physical examination can be an alternative to laparatomy for abdominal gunshot injuries. Further clinical and experimental trials should be performed to test how safe this alternative is.