Management of orofacial arrow injuries at Nigerian tertiary health care hospital: A report of 30 cases

Background: Arrow injuries are still common presentations at various medical facilities across the Northern region of Nigeria.Objective: This study evaluated various degree of orofacial arrow injuries presented and managed at Federal Medical Centre, Nguru, North eastern Nigeria.Methods: A retrospective analysis of thirty patients with orofacial arrow injuries who presented and were managed over a period of four years was carried out. The information collated included patients’ personal profile, circumstances of injury, presentation, treatment and complications. The data analysis was done using IBM SPSS version 20.0.Results: Thirty cases of orofacial arrow injuries in patients whose ages ranged from 10 to 70 years were evaluated and managed. The mean age of the patients was 50.70 years. All patients were males, mostly farmers and herders, and are rural dwellers. The arrows were shot following misunderstanding between these herders and farmers Among the age groups recorded, the highest frequency was found between the ages of 41-50 years. Out of the 30 patients, 8(26.67%) had arrow injuries outside the orofacial region. 23 patients had arrow in-situ on presentation and the others had a part of their arrows extracted mostly by themselves prior to presentation. Conclusion: Orofacial arrow injuries has become a common finding at primary and secondary health care centers and hospitals in the North eastern region of Nigeria. In this study, we evaluated 30 cases with various degree of orofacial arrow injuries presented and managed at Federal Medical Centre, Nguru, North eastern Nigeria.