Introduction:Patients with soft tissue injuries caused by missile attacks during wartime have been treated with radical debridement and delayed closure. In a study in Gaza City, the rate of infection of missile injuries to the extremities when treated with minimal surgical intervention, was measured.Methods:Patients with severe soft tissue damage, compound fractures, and injuries to major blood vessels and/or nerves were excluded from the study. One hundred fourteen patients were treated according to a standardized regime that included a superficial, minor surgery revision of the inlet and the outlet opening, and antibiotic treatment. Local soft tissue infection was defined as the presence of at least two signs of local infection.Results:A total of 109 out of 114 patients attended the first follow-up visit. Eleven (10%) of these patients had an infected wound. A total of 105 of the patients (92%) attended a second follow-up. None of these patients had an infected wound.Conclusions:Under conditions with a high number of causalities, minimal surgical treatment followed by the administration of antibiotics is a safe procedure for patients with penetrating missile injuries and less severe soft tissue damage.

Long-term multi-institutional followup of the classic Charleston pouch I reveals that it provides adequate continence with an acceptable complication rate and satisfactory patient acceptance.

No abstract