Penetrating Injury from a Less-Lethal Bean Bag Gun

Grange, Jeff T.; Kozak, Richard J.; González, Jaime

doi:10.1097/00005373-200203000-00030

Cited by 16 publications

(11 citation statements)

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“…Numerous injuries owing to beanbag bullets have been reported in the literature4 5 including penetrating injuries to the chest,6 7 abdomen8 and limbs 9. A total of four cases of penetrating chest injury have been previously reported, three of these with older generation beanbag designs5 6 and only one with a newer ‘drag stabilised’ bullet, similar to the one found in the present case 7.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 78%

Non-lethal? Penetrating chest injury due to beanbag bullet

et al. 2013

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We report a case of serious lung injury from beanbag bullet. A 46-year-old gentleman, shot with beanbag bullets was brought to the emergency department. Upon arrival he was in obvious respiratory distress and complained of severe pain in the right chest. A 3.0×3.5 cm entry wound on the right parasternal area was identified. Chest x-ray revealed a right haemopneumothorax, parenchymal changes at the right lung base and a radiopaque foreign body. A right-sided intercostal chest tube was inserted, draining air and 750 ml of blood. After stabilisation patient underwent a right thoracotomy. A beanbag bullet was found in the oblique fissure of the right lung, with extensive haematoma of the middle lobe. The bullet and skin fragments overlying the lung and along the bullet track were extracted. The pleural cavity was washed with normal saline and haemostasis was confirmed. The patient had an uneventful postoperative recovery.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 78%

Non-lethal? Penetrating chest injury due to beanbag bullet

et al. 2013

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“…It can be presumed that greater injury results when projectiles are fired closer to the target, given the higher velocity and kinetic energy upon impact. The bean bag was designed to unravel upon exiting the shell, collapse upon impact, and distribute kinetic energy through the largest surface area [2,6]. However, there are reported incidents of bean bags that remained encased upon impact and resulted in fatal intrathoracic penetration [2].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Although morbidity and mortality rates are substantially lower compared to the use of conventional bullets, shots to the chest and abdomen have caused internal organ damage requiring surgical intervention. Impact munitions were designed to be non-penetrating; however, there are cases reporting bean bags penetrating the chest resulting in pulmonary injury and even death [[1], [2], [3], [4], [5], [6]]. Video Assisted Thoracoscopic Surgery (VATS) has become a successful, less-invasive method to assess intrathoracic injuries and remove foreign bodies in select patients that are hemodynamically stable [3,7], while a diagnostic pericardial window can be performed to assess cardiac injury.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Minimally invasive surgical management of penetrating chest injury from kinetic impact bean bag projectile

Marrufo

Boyd

Leshikar

2019

Trauma Case Reports

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Bean bag guns are considered “non-lethal” weapons used by law enforcement. There are emerging reports in the medical literature on management of penetrating, intrathoracic injuries and none were found that involve potential cardiac complications. We present a case of a penetrating bean bag involving the pericardium. A young, adult man was shot in the left axillary region by law enforcement and presented hemodynamically stable. Computed Tomography (CT) demonstrated a bean bag anterolateral to the pericardium, associated with a small pulmonary contusion and hemopneumothorax. He underwent a left tube thoracostomy and sub-xiphoid pericardial window with cardiopulmonary bypass on standby. The diagnostic pericardial window showed no pericardial effusion and the foreign body extraction was successfully performed through the subxiphoid incision via Video Assisted Thoracoscopic Surgery. There were no intra-operative or post-operative complications.

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“…Because of the shape and size of a bean bag, the kinetic energy is spread over a larger surface area, thereby reducing the amount of injury to the individual. Although this weapon is considered to be nonlethal or less lethal, several reports of significant injury following its use have been published in the US [1][2][3]. Risk factors for serious injuries include multiple shots and close-range shots.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Blunt liver trauma from bean bag ammunition

Luyer

Hoofwijk

2008

Eur J Trauma Emerg Surg

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Police departments in Europe are increasingly using nonlethal weapons and/or ammunitions such as a bean bag to restrain and disable a person temporarily. A bean bag is a small nylon bag filled with metal balls that is fired from a shotgun and weighs approximately 50 g. It is successfully used in the United States by law enforcement personnel. This report describes a case in which use of a bean bag resulted in a contusion of the liver, which was treated conservatively.

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Penetrating Injury from a Less-Lethal Bean Bag Gun

Cited by 16 publications

References 0 publications

Non-lethal? Penetrating chest injury due to beanbag bullet

Non-lethal? Penetrating chest injury due to beanbag bullet

Minimally invasive surgical management of penetrating chest injury from kinetic impact bean bag projectile

Blunt liver trauma from bean bag ammunition

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