GUNSHOT WOUND TO THE NECK: NOT AN EASY AIRWAY
Introduction: Securing the airway is the first and most important part in
any trauma as per the Advanced Trauma Life Support (ATLS) guidelines, and an
injury to the face and/or neck can lead to devastating results if the airway
was not secured.Objective: A penetrating neck injury can be a
life-threatening event if the airways were not secured. Case Report: 26 years old
female patient was transferred to our Emergency Department (ED) from a rural
secondary care facility, for a self inflicted, close range, GSW to the thyroid
cartilage by a low velocity firearm. An attempt of oropharyngeal intubation was
unsuccessful and as the patient’s saturation was dropping, the surgeon present
in the rural ED elected to expand the entry wound and insert the tube directly
through the trachea and transfer the patient to our tertiary care center.
Conclusion: Securing the
airways remains the most critical and challenging part even for the most
skilled emergency physicians. At least a second and third alternatives should
be prepared and ready in case of failure of intubation.
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