Femoral vessel injury by a nonlethal weapon projectile

Abstract

Rubber projectiles are used as an alternative to metal bullets owing to their lower morbidity and mortality rate. There are few reports of vascular lesions of extremities caused by rubber projectiles in the literature. The authors report the case of a 37-year-old man who was the victim of a penetrating injury to the left thigh with a rubber projectile. He reported only pain at the site of the injury; pulses were decreased in the affected limb. After arteriography confirmed an injury to the superficial femoral artery, he underwent an arterial and venous femorofemoral bypass using a reversed contralateral saphenous vein. Keywords: Vascular trauma, Nonlethal projectile, Penetrating trauma