Citation

Carter CW, Sharkey MS, Fishman F. J. Am. Acad. Orthop. Surg. 2017; 25(3): 169-178.

Affiliation

From the Department of Orthopaedics and Rehabilitation, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT. Dr. Carter or an immediate family member serves as a board member, owner, officer, or committee member of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons and the Pediatric Orthopaedic Society of North America. Neither of the following authors nor any immediate family member has received anything of value from or has stock or stock options held in a commercial company or institution related directly or indirectly to the subject of this article: Dr. Sharkey and Dr. Fishman.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2017, American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons)

DOI

10.5435/JAAOS-D-15-00642

PMID

28134675

Abstract

Firearm injuries are a major cause of morbidity and mortality among children and adolescents in the United States and take financial and emotional tolls on the affected children, their families, and society as a whole. Musculoskeletal injuries resulting from firearms are common and may involve bones, joints, and neurovascular structures and other soft tissues. Child-specific factors that must be considered in the setting of gunshot injuries include physeal arrest and lead toxicity. Understanding the ballistics associated with various types of weaponry is useful for guiding orthopaedic surgical treatment. Various strategies for preventing these injuries range from educational programs to the enactment of legislation focused on regulating guns and gun ownership. Several prominent medical societies whose members routinely care for children and adolescents with firearm-related injuries, including the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Pediatric Surgical Association, have issued policy statements aimed at mitigating gun-related injuries and deaths in children. Healthcare providers for young patients with firearm-related musculoskeletal injuries must appreciate the full scope of this important public health issue.

Language: en