Management of civilian gunshot wounds in a Nigerian general hospital.

In a 3-year period (1981-1984), 52 male patients aged 10-60 years were treated for fresh gunshot wounds. The injuries varied from minor soft tissue injuries to major organ and tissue damage, and were all sustained by low-velocity missiles. Six of the patients (11.5%) died of their injuries or complications while 46 (88.46%) survived and were discharged after 1-15 weeks (a mean hospital time of 3 weeks). Some of the patients were treated before referral and for some there was a delay of more than 48 h before definitive specialist treatment. Mortality was related to the severity of wounding and the delay before treatment.