This past weekend while at work, one of the emergency department MDs with whom I have a pretty good rapport called me up in the ICU and told me to come down to take a look at something 'absolutely remarkable'. A young Latino man had arrived via ambulance after developing all the signs and symptoms charateristic of what is commonly referred to as 'acute abdomen'. Radiologic images were promptly taken and these not only confirmed one, but multiple points of small bowel perforation, as well as the presence of numerous metallic fragments scattered throughout the peritoneum -- the largest of these fragments having been lodged in the inferior-most aspect of the man's sternum. Strangely, however, the man denied having been shot and an entry wound could not be located anywhere on his torso. His only other injury was a large hematoma on the posterior aspect of his right leg, just above the knee. Finally, the MD on the case and the one who called me up in the ICU to come down and take a look, ordered CT scans of the man's entire right leg and foot. Sure enough, there was tissue damage all the way from his heel up through his right hip. The hematoma on the back of the affected leg was the result of a bullet having cut into the great saphenous vein. And a very small, ragged entry wound was located right on the center of the heel.
The HPD were notified and they promptly sent detectives to come and interview the man. As it turned out, he had been at a 'kegger' much earlier the same night where some idiot pulled out one of those silly, little 'starter' pistols -- the .22 Long Rifle jobbies -- and squeezed off a few. One of these struck our misfortunate patient in his right calcaneous bone, took an abrupt turn upward and somehow managed to eat it's way up through the length of his entire leg, through his a$$, and through all the periotoneal viscera, whereupon it finally came to rest on the backside of his lower sternum. And the man didn't even realize he'd been shot until we told him the massive peritonitis from which he was suffering was the result of the bullet having punctured his small bowel in mutiple places.
I'm still incredulous over this case!!! I mean, c'mon . . . a .22 LR from a pistol? It just doesn't generate any kind of real kinetic energy!!!
The HPD were notified and they promptly sent detectives to come and interview the man. As it turned out, he had been at a 'kegger' much earlier the same night where some idiot pulled out one of those silly, little 'starter' pistols -- the .22 Long Rifle jobbies -- and squeezed off a few. One of these struck our misfortunate patient in his right calcaneous bone, took an abrupt turn upward and somehow managed to eat it's way up through the length of his entire leg, through his a$$, and through all the periotoneal viscera, whereupon it finally came to rest on the backside of his lower sternum. And the man didn't even realize he'd been shot until we told him the massive peritonitis from which he was suffering was the result of the bullet having punctured his small bowel in mutiple places.
I'm still incredulous over this case!!! I mean, c'mon . . . a .22 LR from a pistol? It just doesn't generate any kind of real kinetic energy!!!
