• 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.

• Korean Journal of Bronchoesophagology
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.57-60
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• 2007

The management of penetrating zone II neck injuries without hard signs of vascular injury has been controversial. The controversy lies between mandatory exploration and a selective approach to the management of theses injuries. Authors that advocate mandatory exploration state its low complication rate and high sensitivity in support of this approach. Surgeons in support of selective management argue selective management has comparable efficacy with lower morbidity in comparison with mandatory exploration. Recently we experienced a case of stab wound near vertebral artery and operatively explored, therefore we report a case along with review of literature.

• 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.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 Chest Surgery
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• v.28 no.6
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• pp.630-632
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• 1995

Bichamber cardiac rupture is less frequent compared to unichamber cardiac rupture. We report a patient who was successfully treated after the diagnosis of penetrating stab wound of both ventricles. The key to improved outcome of management of cardiac trauma lies in the rapid transportation to a general hospital where cardiac surgery is available. Aggressive primary intervention and immediate operation are also major factors.

• 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.36 no.3
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• pp.286-289
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• 2023

Torso stab injuries near the cardiac box may present unique challenges due to difficulties in hemorrhage control. For a stab injury to the heart, the repair is straightforwardly performed via median sternotomy. In contrast, injuries to the inferior vena cava are challenging to repair, especially when they are close to the diaphragm, and the bleeding can be torrential. Herein, we describe a case of a self-inflicted stab wound within the "cardiac box." The trajectory of the stab injuries went below the diaphragm and injured the infradiaphragmatic inferior vena cava. Successful emergent repair via the thoraco-laparotomy approach revived the young man. In this report, we revisit and discuss previous large series of patients with this rare vena cava injury.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.31 no.12
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• pp.1243-1246
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• 1998

Tracheobronchial injuries are uncommon. Except for the cervical region, most tracheobronchial injuries are due to blunt chest trauma in Korea. The depth of the tracheobronchial trees renders these structures relatively safe from stab wound. We experienced a case of left main bronchial laceration with azygos vein tear following stab wound in the back of right chest firstly in Korea. The patient was a 24 years old male. A routine chest radiography showed a knife in chest at emergency room. We didn't remove the knife at emergency room. This patient was carried to operation room in 30 minutes after arrival of our hospital without computed tomography and bronchoscopy. The operation was performed through standard right posterolateral thoracotomy and then the knife was removed. The left main bronchus and azyos vein were lacerated obliquely. The penetrated azygos vein was ligated and the laceration of the left main bronchus was repaired. Postoperative course was uneventful.

• Journal of Trauma and Injury
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.49-52
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• 2010

A hemothorax usually occur, due to injuries to the intercostal and great vessels, pulmonary damage, and sometimes fractured ribs. We report a case in which the hemothorax that occurred, neither intrathoracic injury nor injury to internal thoracic vessels and organs, via lacerated diaphragmatic and liver laceration due to a right upper part of anterior chest stab injury caused by a sharp object. The patient's general conditions gradually worsened, so chest and abdominal computed tomogram were taken. The abdominal computed tomogram revealed diaphragmatic injuries and bleeding from the lacerated liver. We performed an exploratory laparotomy to control the bleeding from the lacerated liver with simple primary sutures. In addition exploration was performed in the right pleural space through the lacerated diaphragm with a thoracoscopic instrument. There were no bleeding foci in the right pleural space, the vessels, or the lung on the thoracoscopic video. Closure of the lacerated diaphragm was achieved with simple, primary sutures. The postoperative course of the patient was uneventful, and the patient was discharged.