Why the study?
Gunshot wounds frequently involve extremities and can cause acute limb ischemia secondary to arterial vasospasm, though the incidence is unknown.
Acute limb ischemia secondary to arterial vasospasm from a gunshot wound can sometimes be successfully managed nonoperatively with close monitoring.
Nonoperative management may succeed in select vasospasm-related acute limb ischemia; leaves open optimal patient selection and need for prospective data.
Gunshot wounds are rising in incidence, morbidity, and mortality. It is thought that about half of nonfatal injuries occur in an extremity. Although the incidence is not known, arterial vasospasm can result in acute limb ischemia. We present the case of a 33-year-old man who suffered a gunshot wound to the left lower extremity resulting in arterial vasospasm of the superficial femoral artery. He quickly regained arterial flow, and we were able to manage his acute limb ischemia nonoperatively and to document restoration of flow through serial examinations and Doppler imaging. He was subsequently discharged the next day and is experiencing a full recovery.
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Goerlich et al. (2019) studied this question.
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