A Medical Miracle: Surviving a Perforating Gunshot Injury to the Neck

TL;DR

A patient miraculously survived a neck gunshot injury without surgery, thanks to factors like bullet path and timely care.

Contribution

The study presents a rare case of survival from a neck gunshot wound without surgical intervention.

Findings

The patient survived a perforating neck gunshot injury without needing surgery.

Bullet trajectory analysis using CT and virtual dissection tools helped understand survival factors.

Factors like bullet path and prompt medical care were critical to the patient's survival.

Abstract

Gunshot wounds to the neck are considered among the most serious and life-threatening injuries due to the anatomical complexity of the neck and its vital structures. Surviving a perforating wound to the neck depends on various factors, including the location of the injury, the caliber of the weapon used, the type of bullet, the distance from which the patient was shot, prompt medical intervention, and the overall health of the individual. We report a case of miraculous survival following a perforating gunshot wound to the neck, in which no surgical intervention was required. Reconstruction of the bullet trajectory was performed using CT images and a virtual dissection table, Anatomage (Anatomage Inc., California, US), to facilitate the analysis of the factors that contributed to the patient’s survival.

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