Epidemiological characteristics and comparative outcome of blast versus gunshot injuries of the extremities in Somalia.

BACKGROUND: War conflicts and terror-related injuries constitute a significant public health problem in Somalia. We aim to characterize and compare the injury characteristics of gunshot and blast injuries of the extremities. METHODS: The data of 333 patients with gunshot and blast injuries of the extremities over three years were retrospectively reviewed. The demographics, injury characteristics, and outcomes were analyzed. RESULTS: Most of the patients had injuries due to gunshot casualties compared with blast victims (n = 222, 66.7% vs. n = 111, 33.3%). Patients with gunshot wounds (GSW) had a more significant proportion of males than those with blast wounds (BW) (95.5% vs. 85.6%, P < 0.001). There were more open extremity fractures in GSW casualties (96.4% vs. 81.1%). The BW victims had significantly higher associated injuries (52.3% vs. 18.5%, P < 0.001). The BW group had a higher injury severity score (ISS ≥ 16 in 55%, P < 0.001). The need for an intensive care unit (ICU) admission was significantly higher in the BW patients (18% vs. 6.3%, P < 0.001); as well as the length of hospital stay (LOS) was higher in the BW group compared with the GW patients (> 2-week hospital stay in 31% vs. 19%, P < 0.04). About a 2.7% mortality rate was observed in BW (P < 0.014). CONCLUSION: Gunshot and explosion injuries comprise the majority of war and terror-related trauma of the extremities. These injury mechanisms differ in the body regions involved, the severity of the injury, duration of hospital stay, need for ICU admission, and mortality. Assessment and management of such devastating casualties require a complex and multidisciplinary approach.

Reverse sural flap for anteromedial ankle and dorsal foot soft-tissue defect following an injury: A case report.

Introduction and importance: Foot and ankle soft-tissue defects constitute a real challenge to reconstructive surgeons because of restricted local soft tissue availability. We report a 28 years old male with a significant soft-tissue defect on the left anteromedial ankle and dorsal foot. Case presentation: A 28 years old male with soft-tissue necrosis on the left anteromedial ankle and dorsal foot, as well as second - fourth metatarsal fractures with gangrene of the first - third phalanx, presented to our hospital 14 days after a traffic accident. He underwent debridement and amputation of the gangrenous fingers. In the second operation, a pin fixation of the metatarsal fractures and the reverse sural flap was performed. The donor site was covered with a split-thickness skin graft. The wounds began to improve significantly on the tenth day after the surgery, and his wounds were gone entirely in the third week. The pins were removed eight weeks after the surgery with the fractures healed. Clinical discussion: Skin grafts are easy and quick to cover open wounds but cannot be applied to cover bare tendons or bone. Local flaps of the distal third of the lower extremity have a limited range of motion and arc of rotation. Free flaps are an acceptable but complex reconstructive surgery that requires long operative time, special instruments, and microsurgical training and are expensive. Conclusion: The reverse sural flap was considered feasible in reconstructing patients with soft-tissue defects of the distal leg, ankle, and foot, especially in resource constraint scenarios.

Delayed treatment of neglected open knee dislocation; case report.

INTRODUCTION AND IMPORTANCE: Traumatic open knee dislocation is a rare, severe injury characterized by severe ligamentous destruction and a high frequency of infection and neurovascular involvement. Delayed treatment of these injuries is complicated, necessitating the intervention of not only a skilled orthopedic surgeon but also a plastic surgeon. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first case of delayed open knee dislocation faced by a practicing surgeon in an underdeveloped country (Somalia) with a successful outcome. CASE PRESENTATION: A 60 years old diabetic man, presented to our emergency unit with an open wound of his left knee, due to a traffic accident three months ago. At the time, a bone healer reduced the dislocation and applied traditional medicine to cover the wound. We decided to treat the patient with vigorous debridement, gastrocnemius flap, and hybrid external fixation for arthrodesis. The patient was followed up for three months after the surgery with excellent clinical and radiological outcomes. CONCLUSION: Although treating delayed open knee dislocation injuries is challenging, using a gastrocnemius muscle flap to cover the knee joint and arthrodesis to stabilize the joint will not only prevent limb amputation but will also result in satisfactory results.