A successful initial management of a penetrating head trauma in a rural district hospital: Case report

Penetrating head trauma is the most fatal form of head injury. Although many cases of penetrating head trauma have been reported in the literature, its management remains complex, requiring a multidisciplinary team, which makes it a challenge in district hospitals where human resources and technical...

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Main Authors: S. Kohpe Kapseu, C.H. Esseme Ndjie, V. Tchokonte-Nana
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2025-02-01
Series:Trauma Case Reports
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Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352644025000056
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author S. Kohpe Kapseu
C.H. Esseme Ndjie
V. Tchokonte-Nana
author_facet S. Kohpe Kapseu
C.H. Esseme Ndjie
V. Tchokonte-Nana
author_sort S. Kohpe Kapseu
collection DOAJ
description Penetrating head trauma is the most fatal form of head injury. Although many cases of penetrating head trauma have been reported in the literature, its management remains complex, requiring a multidisciplinary team, which makes it a challenge in district hospitals where human resources and technical equipment are limited.We aim to present a successful initial management of a case of penetrating head trauma in a rural district hospital before a transfer to a first category hospital. A 27-year-old man, smoker with no pathology history was involved in a road accident, falling from a motorbike without a helmet. In admission to our rural district hospital, the Glasgow Coma Scale during physical examination was 6/15 with bilateral mydriasis, haemodynamic distress and good saturation. A penetrating head injury was identified with profuse intracranial haemorrhage. Intracranial packing known in damage control neurosurgery to tamponade severe intracranial haemorrhage and which is a lifesaving neurosurgical manoeuvre was used. The patient was transferred unconscious to a first-category hospital, free of intubation and in a stable haemodynamic state. The post-operative period was marked by convulsive seizures, for which the patient was put on anticonvulsants with a good outcome. At rural district hospital level, when faced with a penetrating head trauma, the principles of neurosurgical damage control must be well-known in order to optimise the use of available resources.
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spelling doaj-art-8a69312df568428a827e7d9dbe0490822025-08-20T03:20:30ZengElsevierTrauma Case Reports2352-64402025-02-015510112810.1016/j.tcr.2025.101128A successful initial management of a penetrating head trauma in a rural district hospital: Case reportS. Kohpe Kapseu0C.H. Esseme Ndjie1V. Tchokonte-Nana2Cliniques Universitaires des Montagnes (CUM), Bangangté, West-Cameroon, Cameroon; Faculty of Health Sciences, Comparative Anatomy and Experimental Histopathology and Surgery, Université des Montagnes, Bangangté, West Cameroon, Cameroon; Corresponding author at: S/C Université des Montagnes, BP 208 Bangangté, Ouest-Cameroun, Cameroon.Chirurgie Orthopédique et Traumatologique, Département de Chirurgie et Spécialités Chirurgicales, Unité de Formation et de Recherches en Sciences de la Santé, Université Joseph Ki Zerbo, Ouagadougou, Burkina FasoFaculty of Health Sciences, Comparative Anatomy and Experimental Histopathology and Surgery, Université des Montagnes, Bangangté, West Cameroon, CameroonPenetrating head trauma is the most fatal form of head injury. Although many cases of penetrating head trauma have been reported in the literature, its management remains complex, requiring a multidisciplinary team, which makes it a challenge in district hospitals where human resources and technical equipment are limited.We aim to present a successful initial management of a case of penetrating head trauma in a rural district hospital before a transfer to a first category hospital. A 27-year-old man, smoker with no pathology history was involved in a road accident, falling from a motorbike without a helmet. In admission to our rural district hospital, the Glasgow Coma Scale during physical examination was 6/15 with bilateral mydriasis, haemodynamic distress and good saturation. A penetrating head injury was identified with profuse intracranial haemorrhage. Intracranial packing known in damage control neurosurgery to tamponade severe intracranial haemorrhage and which is a lifesaving neurosurgical manoeuvre was used. The patient was transferred unconscious to a first-category hospital, free of intubation and in a stable haemodynamic state. The post-operative period was marked by convulsive seizures, for which the patient was put on anticonvulsants with a good outcome. At rural district hospital level, when faced with a penetrating head trauma, the principles of neurosurgical damage control must be well-known in order to optimise the use of available resources.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352644025000056Penetrating head traumaIntracranial haemorrhageAccidentRural hospitalCase report
spellingShingle S. Kohpe Kapseu
C.H. Esseme Ndjie
V. Tchokonte-Nana
A successful initial management of a penetrating head trauma in a rural district hospital: Case report
Trauma Case Reports
Penetrating head trauma
Intracranial haemorrhage
Accident
Rural hospital
Case report
title A successful initial management of a penetrating head trauma in a rural district hospital: Case report
title_full A successful initial management of a penetrating head trauma in a rural district hospital: Case report
title_fullStr A successful initial management of a penetrating head trauma in a rural district hospital: Case report
title_full_unstemmed A successful initial management of a penetrating head trauma in a rural district hospital: Case report
title_short A successful initial management of a penetrating head trauma in a rural district hospital: Case report
title_sort successful initial management of a penetrating head trauma in a rural district hospital case report
topic Penetrating head trauma
Intracranial haemorrhage
Accident
Rural hospital
Case report
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352644025000056
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