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For several years we have turned to the experiences of large city hospitals for guidance in the management of penetrating trauma from low velocity instruments of civilian "warfare." The Robert B. Green Hospital of San Antonio, Tex, has a vast number of cases to study, and this book suggests that their handling of such injuries is especially worthy of our attention. They also included the management of high velocity wounds in Vietnam, which adds significantly to the story of penetrating wounds.
The organization of the book is slightly puzzling since they begin with a chapter on anesthesia before describing the immediate resuscitation and steps in diagnosis.
The chapter on radiological diagnosis provides a good explanation of the diagnosis of full thickness abdominal wall injury by the insertion of a catheter into the wound and injection of contrast medium. Most of the other techniques are more appropriate for blunt trauma