Penetrating stab injuries of the chest and abdomen.

A retrospective review was carried out of 100 consecutive patients with penetrating stab injuries of the chest and/or abdomen, requiring admission to hospital. Laparotomies were performed in 44 patients, while a further 7 were subjected to thoracotomy. Only 1 patient died, and this was a case of combined thoraco-abdominal injury. There was an annual increase in the numbers of such injuries, which were particularly prevalent in young, unemployed persons, often under the influence of alcohol.