OUR EXPERIENCE IN SURGICAL TREATMENT OF GUNSHOT SHRAPNEL BLIND NECK WOUND

Abstract. Introduction. Blast injuries are combined injuries that occur as a result of the impulsive impact of a complex of factors affecting the body. Professional and coordinated actions of medical workers allow saving the lives of victims, both civilians and military personnel, in particular with such dangerous injuries as neck injuries. The danger of neck injuries lies in their immediate and long-term consequences, which can be significant due to the dense arrangement of important anatomical structures in a limited space without adequate protection by the musculoskeletal system. Given the anatomical features of this area of the body, the management of patients with neck injuries often requires a multidisciplinary approach, which is clearly illustrated by the presented clinical case. Further, a clinical case is demonstrated — the treatment of a victim with a gunshot shrapnel blind wound of the neck, which was also accompanied by injuries to the internal jugular vein, oropharynx and submandibular salivary gland. The difficulties encountered by the authors in the treatment process and the ways to overcome them are presented. The success of treating gunshot wounds of the neck depends on a clear understanding of the topographic anatomy of this area. Diagnostic imaging techniques can greatly assist and facilitate the task for surgeons. In emergency situations, as in this clinical case, preoperative assessment of the trajectory of the foreign object (bullet, fragment, etc.) using computed tomography is important. Postoperative complications of such interventions, in particular neuropathy, are quite common, but are usually reversible, regressing over time.