Change in blood lead concentration up to 1 year after a gunshot wound with a retained bullet.

The authors studied the time course and prevalence of elevated blood lead concentrations and associated injury- and patient-specific factors during the first year following gunshot injury. They determined blood lead levels at mean time points of 0.3, 3.

Elevated blood lead resulting from maxillofacial gunshot injuries with lead ingestion.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to identify the contribution of ingested lead particles to elevated blood lead concentrations in victims of gunshot injury to the maxillofacial region.

Patients And Methods: As part of a larger study of the effects of retained lead bullets on blood lead, a retrospective review of study findings was completed on 5 of 8 patients who sustained injuries to the maxillofacial region. These 5 patients were recruited into the larger study within 11 days of injury and showed a penetration path for the projectile that engaged the upper aerodigestive tract.