A clinical review of 84 cases of gunshot wound of the abdomen was made during a period, 5 years from January 1970 to December 1975 at Dept. of General Surgery of Capital Armed Forces General Hospital.
The results obtained were as follows: 1. The cases were all males and the age distribution was 3rd (78 cases), and 4th decades (6 cases).
2. In majority of the cases, lapsing time from injury to surgery was 9 hours (79.3%).
3. The injured intra abdominal organs were as follows; small bowel 36 cases (22.7%), colon 24 cases (15.2%), mesentery 21 cases. (13.3%), stomach 18 cases (11.3%), liver 16 cases (1.1%) and so forth.
4. Most are multiple organ injures; 1~2 organs repaired were 30 cases (35.7%) and 34 organs repairs-required were 34 cases (40.4%).
5. As diagnostic aids for exploratory laparotomy, history of gunshot, physical finding of abdomen, abdominal paracentesis and roentgenological findings were of great help.
6. Postoperative compications developed in 20 cases (23.8%), the most common of which was wound infection in 7 cases (8.4%).
7. Mortality rate was 14. 3% (12 cases), the most common cause of which was hypovoler, shock due to bleeding.
8. Mortality rate was depending upon the number of the organs injured and the lapsingtime from injury to surgery.
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