This Article  • References  • Full text PDF  • Send to a friend  • Save in My Folder  • Save to citation manager  • Permissions  Citing Articles  • Citing articles on Web of Science (8)  • Contact me when this article is cited  Related Content  • Similar articles in this journal  Social Bookmarking   What's this?

An Analysis of 500 Patients

Kirk K. Kazarian, MD; Franklin L. DiSpaltro, MD; William M. P. McKinnon, MD; Walter L. Mersheimer, MD

AMA Arch Surg. 1971;102(5):465-468.

Abstract
Since 1962, all patients with stab wounds of the abdomen admitted to New York Medical College-Metropolitan Hospital Center were managed on a selective basis. This study was compared to an earlier retrospective study (1958 to 1962). In the recent series operation was mandatory if the patient demonstrated signs of peritoneal irritation, shock, blood in the stomach, rectum or urine evisceration or free peritoneal air. Others were observed vigilantly under the supervision of the trauma team and explored if such signs appeared. The exploration rate has been reduced from 56% to 28% without increase in mortality, and no deaths resulted from observation without surgery. Drug addiction was encountered in 26% of the patients. Management, preoperative evaluation, and postoperative complications, especially with drug addicts, are detailed.

Author Affiliations
New York

From the Department of Surgery, New York Medical College and Metropolitan Hospital Center, New York. Dr. McKinnon is now at Ochsner Clinic, New Orleans.

Footnotes
Accepted for publication Dec 30, 1970.

Reprint requests to New York Medical College, Flower and Fifth Avenue Hospitals, New York 10029 (Dr. Kazarian).

CiteULike    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    Twitter     What's this?