The study highlights the dangers of vascular injuries in young gunfire

A study presented today at the 22nd Annual Meeting of the Neuro -Interventional Surgery Society (SNI) found that almost half of the lesions due to bullfighting in the brain in children and young adults include penetrating brain injuries (PCVI). These types of injuries, which damage blood vessels in the brain and can lead to high disability and permanent death rates, can be mitigated if hospitals prioritize to perform immediate vascular cranial images (tests that evaluate blood flow in the brain) and repeat these tests to verify the changes.

Although shooting injuries are now the main cause of death for people under 25 in the United States, there has been little research on how PCVis can be treated in young children and adults. In the study, “penetrating cerebrovascular lesions in a pediatric cohort of intracranial bullet wounds: incidence, characterization of the type of lesion and clinical results”, researchers at the State University of Louisiana aimed to fill the gap in research on identification, categorize and treat this type of devastating lesion.

The scientists reviewed the medical records for male patients from 15 to 20 years that were sent to a large city hospital between 2012–2021 with bullet wounds in the brain. The team discovered that 38 patients underwent vascular images of the brain, of which 17 individuals (44%) experienced PCVI. PCVI patients were more likely to die for their injuries than those without PCVis (47.1% compared to 23.8%). PCVI patients who survived their injuries were also more likely to experience a serious permanent disability after treatment than those without PCVI (76.2% compared to 41.2%).

With shooting lesions, including head injuries, becoming a tragically common fact in the United States, it is essential that we know more about how the brains of children and young adults are specifically affected. Make vascular images in young children and adults with gunshot wounds early and, often, after these injuries occur, you can give us more information to improve care for these patients and potentially save lives. “

Lucid L. Ponce Mejia, MD, neurologist and specialist in neurocritical care at the Center for Health Sciences of the State University of Louisiana in New Orleans