Retained Intra-abdominal Rifle Cartridge in a Pediatric Patient
Elizabeth Geyer-roberts1
, Shelley Warner2, Ruchi Amin2
1Nova Southeastern University , Osteopathic Medicine , Fort Lauderdale, United States
2Broward Health Medical Center, Pediatric Surgery, Fort Lauderdale, United States
Keywords: Retained bullet, gunshot, firearm, penetrating trauma, case report
Abstract
Firearms are the leading cause of death in children and adolescents in the United States, surpassing motor vehicle accidents. Gunshot wounds, specifically those of high-velocity firearms, are associated with catastrophic blast injuries to multiple organs and vasculature, leading to a high percentage of operative intervention. Occasionally, a bullet may miss all vital organs and become lodged in the body. In stable patients with retained bullets, as long as the bullet is not intraarticular, intrabursal, or in weight-bearing areas close to the skin, the management is usually to leave the bullet in place. However, recent research has found that this may leave patients at risk for long-term pain and psychological impacts. In this case report, we present a 13-year-old patient with a retained 30 mm intra-abdominal rifle cartridge. The patient presented 10 days following the injury in stable condition and underwent cartridge removal due to generalized weakness and vague pain. In surgery, the cartridge was incorporated into the omentum but otherwise freely was moving within the abdomen.
Cite this article as: Geyer-roberts E, Warner S, Amin R. Retained Intra-abdominal Rifle Cartridge in a Pediatric Patient. Pediatr Acad Case Rep. 2025;4(1):12-5.
The parents’ of this patient consent was obtained for this study.
The authors declared no conflicts of interest with respect to authorship and/or publication of the article.
The authors received no financial support for the research and/or publication of this article.