Skip to content
Home
About Us
Resources
Profiles Metrics
Authors Directory
Institutions Directory
Top Authors
Top Institutions
Top Sponsors
AI Digest
Contact Us
Menu
Home
About Us
Resources
Profiles Metrics
Authors Directory
Institutions Directory
Top Authors
Top Institutions
Top Sponsors
AI Digest
Contact Us
Home
About Us
Resources
Profiles Metrics
Authors Directory
Institutions Directory
Top Authors
Top Institutions
Top Sponsors
AI Digest
Contact Us
Menu
Home
About Us
Resources
Profiles Metrics
Authors Directory
Institutions Directory
Top Authors
Top Institutions
Top Sponsors
AI Digest
Contact Us
Publication Details
AFRICAN RESEARCH NEXUS
SHINING A SPOTLIGHT ON AFRICAN RESEARCH
medicine
Knife inflicted penetrating injuries of the maxillofacial region: A descriptive, record-based study
Injury, Volume 41, No. 1, Year 2010
Notification
URL copied to clipboard!
Description
Penetrating knife injuries of the face are more common in South Africa than the rest of the world. These injuries can be life-threatening, especially where the major blood vessels of the face are involved. The approach to treatment should be multidisciplinary, beginning with the trauma unit to provide airway maintenance and haemodynamic stabilisation. An interventional radiologist may be consulted for angiography. The aim of the present study was to retrospectively analyse all cases of knife-inflicted penetrating injuries to the maxillofacial region with the knife in situ and subsequently develop a management protocol to be used by maxillofacial surgery registrars when presented with such cases. Materials and methods It was a retrospective, cross-sectional and record-based study, analysing all penetrating knife injuries reported at various hospitals for a period of 11 years. In this study, 24 cases of knife injuries were analysed. Results Twenty-one patients (87.5%) in this series were male and three (12.5%) were female. Of these 24 patients, 13 (54.2%) were coloured and 11 (45.8%) were black. There were no white or Indian patients. Post-surgical recovery of all patients was rapid and uneventful, and there were no fatalities. Conclusion Patients with knife injuries to the face with no definite signs of vascular injury can thus be safely and accurately managed on the basis of physical examination and plain-film radiography. An angiogram is mandatory if the patient presents with excessive bleeding, an expanding haematoma or if the knife blade is in the region of any large vessels. © 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Authors & Co-Authors
Meer, M.
Australia, Brisbane
Griffith University
Siddiqi, Allauddin
South Africa, Bellville
University of the Western Cape
Morkel, Jean A.
South Africa, Bellville
University of the Western Cape
Janse Van Rensburg, Pieter
South Africa, Cape Town
Stellenbosch University, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences
Zafar, Sobia
South Africa, Bellville
University of the Western Cape
Statistics
Citations: 36
Authors: 5
Affiliations: 3
Identifiers
Doi:
10.1016/j.injury.2009.05.003
ISSN:
00201383
Research Areas
Health System And Policy
Violence And Injury
Study Design
Cross Sectional Study
Cohort Study
Study Locations
South Africa
Participants Gender
Male
Female