Gunshot injuries of the liver: the Baragwanath experience.

BACKGROUND

This study comprised 304 patients with gunshot injuries of the liver, many of which from high-velocity firearms. The purpose of this study is to evaluate our management policy in gunshot injuries of the liver in light of our recent wider experience.

METHODS

All grade I and II injuries and most grade III injuries were managed by simple operative measures, without postoperative mortality directly related to the liver trauma.

RESULTS

Grade III, IV, and V injuries had 8.5%, 52%, and 16% resectional debridement rates and 8.5%, 38%, and 84% perihepatic packing rates, respectively. In the resectional debridement group the postoperative mortality rate was 15% (half the deaths were directly caused by the hepatic injury). The postoperative mortality rate in the perihepatic packing group was 31.5% of which 45% of deaths were due to ongoing bleeding, 27.5% to sepsis, and 27.5% to associated trauma. The septic complications were less common when packs were removed early.

CONCLUSIONS

We suggest that resectional debridement and perihepatic packing should be liberally applied in the most severe grade III, most grade IV, and grade V gunshot injuries of the liver and that perihepatic packing should be removed as early as the physiologic derangements are corrected. Our experience with grade VI injuries is very limited, and their management should be studied in larger series.