[A brain injury caused by a fragment from a soda water carbon dioxide cartridge]

The authors present a report on the treatment of a female patient with a brain injury caused by a splint from an exploded sparklet used for making soda water. The rare occurrence of gunshot wounds in peace time leads to embarrassment as regards treatment of patients with this type of injury. It was found that in gunshot wounds of the head and brain it is necessary to revise the pathway of the splint after craniotomy, remove the foreign body, bone fragments and debris, then close carefully the opening in the dura mater, remove the margins of the bone contaminated with the object which caused the injury and stitch the skin. The authors draw attention to difficulties associated with localization of the foreign body in the pathway of the splint and to the possible use of peroperative two-dimensional ultrasonography.