Management of Complex Facial Injuries: Cutting Traumas by Angle Grinders

Abstract

The use of angle grinders can lead to complex facial injuries. The most frequent sites affected are within the head and face region. Anatomical boundaries or structures are not respected by the high-speed disc of angle grinders, and thus, injuries can be mutilating, permanently disabling, or even lethal. Functional and aesthetical satisfying results can be reached through debridement, excision of wound edges, and meticulous layered functional closure after appropriate reconstruction of additional facial bony defects. The management and short-term outcome of a complex facial cutting trauma by an angle grinder are presented and discussed.