%0 Journal Article
%T Management of Acute Traumatic Wounds in an Emergency Structure in a Developing Country, Case of University Clinics of Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of Congo
%A Getou Nkunkuyi Bungu
%A Joseph Katonkola Kabeya
%A Gasteph Kambale Kangudia
%A Luc Bakumobatane Mokassa
%A Anatole Kapay Kibadi
%J Open Journal of Emergency Medicine
%P 75-83
%@ 2332-1814
%D 2025
%I Scientific Research Publishing
%R 10.4236/ojem.2025.131008
%X The objective of this descriptive study is to present the management of acute traumatic wounds in an emergency structure in a developing country, the case of the Democratic Republic of Congo. Sampling was exhaustive and covered a total of 232 patients, each presenting a single wound and meeting our inclusion criteria. The age group of 20 to 29 years was the most represented, with a proportion of 27.2%. A delay of <6 hours between the trauma and arrival at the hospital was present in 134 patients (57.8%). The lesions observed were contused wounds in 180 patients (77.6%). The wounds were localized to the lower limbs in 139 patients (59.9%), to the trunk in 35 patients (15.1%), to the head and neck for 34 patients (14.2%), and to the upper limbs in 24 patients (10.3%). Surgical trimming, whether or not associated with wound suturing (84%), was the most performed surgical procedure. Monoantibiotic therapy and tetanus seroprophylaxis supervised the surgery. Only one patient out of the 134 (0.4%) who consulted before the 6 experienced an infection compared to 5 out of 69 patients (2.2%) who consulted between 12 and 24 hours. The infection rate remains very low (<3%), and the lesions generally heal by first intention.
%K Acute Traumatic Wounds
%K Emergency Structure
%K Type of Lesions
%K Management
%K Developing Countries
%U http://www.scirp.org/journal/PaperInformation.aspx?PaperID=141156