Clinical and Medico-legal Aspects of Maxillofacial and Neck Injuries Complicated by Infection

Abstract

One of the most frequent and predictable types of complications in traumas of the maxillofacial area and neck is that of infection, which renders the progression of the trauma more acute. It is infection, when it occurs, that affects the clinical picture and determines the final outcome of the trauma. Inadequate medical methods exacerbate the severity of the progression of the trauma and, consequently, complicate forensic medical assessment of the injury. Nowadays there is no clear definition of acute inflammatory process severity in terms of prevalence and characteristics of its clinical course in maxillofacial area and neck injuries. The aim of our study is to improve criteria for assessing the severity of harm to human health in patients with injuries of the maxillofacial area and neck. We carried out a retrospective analysis of medical records of the inpatients treated from 2008 to 2019 in the department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery of St. Petersburg City Hospital No. 15, Russia. All patients had the injuries in the maxillofacial area and neck varying in severity and complicated by infectious processes, differing in their prevalence in the cellular spaces of the maxillofacial area and neck. In all these cases surgery was attempted, but it was not always adequate and timely, which made it more difficult for medical forensics experts to assess the severity of harm to human health resulting from the injury. The results of the study confirm the need to implement the modernized criteria for assessing the severity of harm caused to human health in case of injuries in the maxillofacial area and neck complicated by infectious processes. Their implementation will help bridge the gap between practical needs and the capabilities of forensic medical examination