A decade long overview of damage control laparotomy for abdominal gunshot wounds.

Purpose: Over the last three decades, damage control laparotomy (DCL) has become important in the management of abdominal gunshot wounds (GSW). This paper reviews the experience of a single institution over a decade with the use of DCL for GSW of the abdomen.

Methods: Longitudinal data (2013-2022) was collected from the Hybrid Electronic Medical Registry database to identify all patients with an abdominal GSW over the study period.

The rate of iatrogenic injuries in surgical patients appears resistant to multiple interventions: what can we learn from aviation safety?

Background: This project analyses all iatrogenic injuries from our department over the last decade and tracks their rate against several interventions.

Methods: All patients who sustained an iatrogenic injury between 2012 and 2022 were reviewed.

Results: A total of 946 iatrogenic injuries occurred in 731 patients.

Adverse events associated with the use of indwelling devices in surgical patients.

Background: Indwelling devices (IDs) are ubiquitous in modern healthcare and may often be associated with morbidity. This paper investigates adverse events related to IDs in surgical patients, which are generally placed into patients either to administer therapy, manage outputs or for specific therapeutic benefit.

Methods: A retrospective electronic database-based assessment of all adverse events relating to IDs was undertaken from December 2012 to August 2021.

Transdiaphragmatic pericardial washout post penetrating cardiac injury found incidentally at diagnostic laparoscopy.

A 22-year-old male presented following a precordial stab. He was haemodynamically and metabolically normal. Initial investigations did not reveal pericardial fluid or haemothorax.