Abstract:

Penetrating neck injuries are rare in the pediatric age group. Objects that cause injury are often lead and cutting tools, but unusual foreign bodies are also encountered. While some of these injuries require simple medical intervention, some of them may be life-threatening. In this study, a fifteen-year-old male patient who was brought to the emergency department with a gunshot wound to the neck and chest was presented. On the patient's examination, the entrance hole of the penetrating body in the right submandibular area, the metal foreign body under the skin in the chest, and the laryngeal examination revealed a metal foreign body extending from the epiglottis to the air passage embedded in the tongue root. Although the case was reported as a lead injury by family and first aid teams, it was concluded that the foreign body in the chest and air passage was not the lead, but the internal metal parts that were thought to belong to the barrel of the weapon. Because the vital signs were stable and the vascular structures were intact, the foreign body in the airway was removed by rigid endoscopy. In gunshot wounds, the depth of penetration and tissue damage are mainly due to explosive alignment. According to the way the incident occurred in our case, as well as the first thing that comes to mind is the bullet injury, the fact that the piece belonging to the weapon progresses more slowly and with less damage than the lead make the case lucky and different because of the character of the penetrating object.

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