• Journal of Trauma and Injury
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• v.37 no.1
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• pp.1-5
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• 2024

The aim of this paper was to review the biomechanics of knife injuries, including those that occur during stabbing rampages. In knife stab attacks, axial force and energy were found to be 1,885 N and 69 J, respectively. The mean velocity of a stabbing motion has been reported to range from 5 to 10 m/sec, with knife motions occurring between 0.62 and 1.07 seconds. This speed appears to surpass the defensive capabilities of unarmed, ordinarily trained law enforcement officers. Therefore, it is advisable to maintain a minimum distance of more than an arm's length from an individual visibly armed with a knife. In training for knife defense, particularly in preparation for close-quarter knife attacks, this timing should be kept in mind. Self-inflicted stab wounds exhibited a higher proportion of wounds to the neck and abdomen than assault wounds. Injuries from assault wounds presented a higher Injury Severity Score, but more procedures were performed on self-inflicted stab wounds. Wound characteristics are not different between nonsuicidal self-injury and suicidal self-wrist cutting injuries. Consequently, trauma surgeons cannot determine a patient's suicidal intent based solely on the characteristics of the wound. In Korea, percent of usage of lethal weapon is increasing. In violence as well as murders, the most frequently used weapon is knife. In the crimes using knife, 4.8% of victims are killed. Therefore, the provision of prehospital care by an emergency medical technician is crucial.

• Journal of Trauma and Injury
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.134-141
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• 2010

Purpose: A classic approach to abdominal stab wounds has been a routine laparotomy for the purpose of diagnosis or treatment. However, management protocols for abdominal stab wounds are still contentious in most trauma centers. We examined the relationship between the character of the stab wound and the injured intraabdominal organs by retrospectively analyzing the medical records of patients with abdominal stab wounds admitted to Gil hospital, and the findings for our patients are then confronted with a review of the literature. We aimed to propose proper management protocols to approach abdominal stab wounds. Methods: The medical records of all 80 patients sustaining abdominal stab wounds, admitted at the Department of Surgery, Gil Hospital, Gachon Medical School, from January 2004 to December 2008 were retrospectively reviewed. All the abdominal stab wounds were collated based on the site and the character of the injury, investigations performed on admission, results of investigations, operations performed and findings at the time of the operation. Results: The most prevalent age group was patients in their forties and the average age of the patients was 41 years for both genders. The stab wounds were most commonly located at the periumbilical area (16.9%), followed by the epigastric area (15.6%), and 18.2% of the patients had multiple wounds. The most commonly eviscerated organ was the omentum (9 out of 16 cases); 61.7% of non-eviscerated patients underwent a therapeutic laparotomy while 81.3% of eviscerated patients underwent a therapeutic laparotomy. The small bowel was the most commonly injured organ (22.7%, 17 out of 75 injuries). The review revealed a relatively common diaphragmatic injury in abdominal stab wound patients (8 cases, 10.5%). The average hospital stay was 11 days. Conclusion: This review revealed commonly eviscerated and injured intraabdominal organs in abdominal stab wound patients and their relationship with a therapeutic laparotomy. Although the management is still controversial, the authors suggest indications for an immediate laparotomy and a protocol for managing abdominal stab wounds. Hemodynamic instability and peritoneal irritation signs are definite indicators for an immediate laparotomy, but the review revealed intraabdominal organ evisceration alone not to be a statistically significant factor. In addition, the authors suggest that abnormal CT findings can be valuable for making a decision on management of hemodynamically stable stab wound patients. Further study may clarify a role for a more selective approach to operative intervention and for a more extensive use of selective observation.

• Journal of Trauma and Injury
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.106-114
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• 2007

Purpose: There is little controversy that a classic indication such as hemodynamic instability or any sign of peritoneal irritation requires an immediate laparotomy in the management of abdominal stab wounds. However, omental herniation or bowel evisceration as an indication for an immediate laparotomy is controversial. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the significance of these factors as indications for an immediate laparotomy. Methods: The medical records of 98 consecutive abdominal stab wounds patients admitted to the Emergency Center of Masan Samsung Hospital from January 2000 to December 2006 were carefully examined retrospectively. Using multivariate logistic regression analysis, thirty-nine factors, including the classic indication and intraabdominal organ evisceration, were evaluated and were found to be associated with a need for a laparotomy. Also, the classic indication was compared with a new indication consisting of components of the classic indication and intra-abdominal organ evisceration by constructing a contingency table according to the need for a laparotomy. Results: Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed any sign of peritoneal irritation, base deficit, and age to be significant factors associated with the need for a laparotomy (p<0.05). The sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy rates of the classic indication were 98.6%, 72.0%, and 91.8%, respectively, and those of the new indication were 93.2%, 84.0%, and 90.8%, respectively. The differences in those rates between the above two indications were not significant. Conclusion: Intra-abdominal organ evisceration was not a significant factor for an immediate laparotomy. Moreover, the new indication including intra-abdominal organ evisceration was not superior to the classic indication. Therefore, in the management of abdominal stab wounds, the authors suggest that an immediate laparotomy should be performed on patients with hemodynamic instability or with any sign of peritoneal irritation.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.63-68
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• 1976

Cardiac injury is a relatively uncommon entity, which calls for emergency surgical treatment. During the period from 1974 up to 1975, three cases of stab wound of the heart were treated in Department of Thoracic Surgery. Capital Armed Forces General Hospital among 70 chest injury cases. All of the cases had stab wounds on the heart by knife. Injured sites were found in two cases on the right ventricle, and one case on the right atrium and intrapericardial inferior vena cava. All patients were treated by thoracotomized and sutured with 000 silk for myocardial stab wounds. One of these died of cerebral hypoxia, who was resuscitated from cardiac arrest during operation. Pericardial tamponade signs were not definite except one case.

• Journal of Trauma and Injury
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.143-149
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• 2006

Purpose: This study was done to evaluate the incidence, type of injury, medical consequences, mortality, and prognostic factors associated with stab wounds in patients who visited Kangnam Sacred Heart Hospital, Hallym University, Seoul, Korea. Methods: A retrospective analysis of the clinical data of 40 patients with abdominal stab wounds who visited Kangnam Sacred Heart Hospital, Hallym University, Seoul, Korea from January 1, 2000 to December 31, 2004. Results: 1) The most prevalent age group was patients in their the twenties to fourties (77.5% of all patients), and average age of the patients was 39.3 years. The male-to-female ratio was 2.07:1. 2) The external site of stab wounds was most commonly the periumbilcal area of the abdomen (14 cases, 33.3%). 3) The most commonly injured organs were the liver and the stomach (10 cases each, 16.9%). 4) Operations were performed on all 40 patients, with 9 (22.5%) negative operation findings. 5) Death occurred in 5 cases (12.5%). 6) The trauma indices of the death group were TRISS 51.9%, RTS 3.6 points, and APACHE II 23.0 points. 7) The average transfusion amount of the death group was 13.8 pints Conclusion: These data suggest that the transfusion amount and the trauma index of abdominal stab injuries may be statistically significant factors for predicting mortality.

• Journal of Trauma and Injury
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.21-28
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• 2010

Purpose: In Korea, most abdominal penetrating wounds are caused by stab wounds rather than gun-shot wounds. However, not many studies have been performed on stab injuries and their epidemiologic characteristics. Disagreements of opinions of obligatory surgical exploration and conservative treatment exist, and this subject is still being debated. Therefore, the authors studied the epidemiologic characteristics of abdominal stab wound patients visiting the emergency department and reviewed the proportion of patients that received nontherapeutic surgery and conservative treatment. Methods: This study included patients visiting the emergency department with abdominal stab wounds. A retrospective chart review was done on the abdominal stab wound patients. Sex, age, cause of injury, location of wound, initial vital signs, operation results, injured organs and CT & LWE results were reviewed. Results: The median age of the 121 patients was 40.9 years, of these patients, 88 were males, of which 52 (43.0%) were drunken. Of the patients that received non-therapeutic operations, only 3 patients (15.0%) were drunken, significantly lower than the therapeutic operation group. For the location of the wound, most patients were injured in the right and left upper quadrants, 27 patients each. The most common injured organ was the small bowel; 13 patients were injured in the small bowel. With abdominal CT scans and local wound explorations together, the results exhibited a sensitivity of 97%, a specificity of 44%, a positive predictive value of 56%, and a negative predictive value of 95%. Conclusion: In our study, the sensitivity was 97% when CT & LWE were performed together; thus we can conclude that CT and LWE can be used together to select the treatment method. Although in our study, the surgical indications in abdominal stab wound patients is not sufficient, our results showed a higher rate of nontherapeutic surgery compared to previous studies. Therefore, more research is needed to prevent unnecessary laparotomies in hemodynamically-stable patients without symptoms.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.6 no.2
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• pp.181-188
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• 1973

8 cases of the heart wound which had been successfully operated on were reported. These wounds were caused by knife in 6 cases, by traffic accident in one case and by explosion in one case, and clinically classified as Hemothorax type in 4 cases, acute Tamponade type in 3 cases and combined type in one case. Some important problems for the diagnosis and treatment of stab wound of the heart were also discussed.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.7 no.1
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• pp.23-30
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• 1974

During the 35 month period from November 1966 to November 1967 and from June 1971 to March 1973 I had experienced 127 cases of non fatal wounds of chest in Viet-Nam. .Among these 127 cases, 62[45.4%] were gun shot wounds, 49[35.8%] were shrapnel wounds and the other were traffic accident. stab wounds and miscellanous. Approximately 21% of gun shot wound were perforating and 79% were penetrating but all cases of shrapnel wounds were penetrating. Of these 127 cases. 90% evacuated to hospital within 6 hours and average time 2.5 hours. The tranfusion requirement of these cases ranged from zero to 36 pints of whole blood with an average of 2.600cc. Initial intrathoracic findings were hemopneumothorax and hemothorax mostly. and the incidence of open thoracotomy was 9.5%[12cases] and closed thoracotomy was 82.8%[104cases], which were contrast to the reports from Korean conflict. I had experienced 24 cases with complication, such as large hematoma in lung parenchyme[8 cases], atelectasis[4 cases], pyothorax [3 cases], pneumonia [3 cases], fibrothorax [3 cases], pleural effusion [2 cases] and wound infection [2 cases]. Mortality rate for entire group was 4.7% but the cases associated with brain injury was 100%, with spinal cord injury was 50%, with large vessel 50%, and abdominal injury was 33.3%, and nobody died solely of thoracic injury.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.6 no.2
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• pp.189-194
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• 1973

A cardiac injury is one of the most dramatic and demanding emergencies than may be cared by the surgeon. Four patients who sustained penetrating wound of the heart have been experienced in the Depart-ment of Thoracic Surgery, Kyungpook National University Hospital. They were 3 males and one female. The age was between 21 and 25. All of this series had stab wounds on the heart by instruments of scissors, gimlet, kitchen knife and glass. Injured sites were two cases of right ventricle, one of the right atrium and one of indifinitive with pericardial laceration. Three of these patients have been successfully treated by emergency thoracotomy with 3-0 silk sutures for myocardial penetrating wounds. One of these patients occurred cardiac arrest during surgery and expired, who was in penetrated right ventricular injury through which massive bleeded. The classic clinical description of tamponade, Beck`s triad, seemed to be useful for making diagnosis of the tamponade but not entirely reliable as diagnostic criterion of the tamponade. In the studing of 3 tamponade cases in these series, the triad of Beck was presented in only two cases. Elevated venous pressure was thought to be a valuable diagnostic factor in pericardial tamponade.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.3-12
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• 1982

Although most patients with penetrating injuries can be managed successfully with early tube thoracotomy, blood volume replacement & close observation, the remainder can be saved only by an aggressive operative intervention. From January 1959, to August 1980, 176 cases with penetrating injuries had been treated at the Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, National Medical Center. The ratio of male to female patient of penetrating chest wounds was 4.3:1 in male predominance and age from 10 to 40 occupied 76.7% of the total cases. Stab wounds was the most common penetrating injuries and followed by gunshot & glass wounds. To prevent early complications of penetrating chest injuries, thoracentesis were done in 29 cases [16%], and closed thoractomy in 40 cases [22.7%]. Open thoractomy, however, had to be done in 37 cases [21%] because of massive bleeding, hemopericardium, foreign body.