GPHC neurosurgeons save 4 gunshot-to-the-head patients in 4 months

Between January and April 2025, the Neurosurgery Department at Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) successfully treated and saved four patients who sustained direct gunshot wounds to the head an achievement that represents a significant milestone in medical care by international standards.
These patients presented with open, penetrating skull fractures, brain contusions, and in some cases, embedded metal or bone fragments injuries that often prove fatal. However, through emergency neurosurgical intervention, every one of them survived and was discharged in improved condition. In the first case, operated on in February, a 21-year-old male sustained a right frontal comminuted depressed skull fracture, with multiple fragments suggestive of a warhead injury. He underwent emergency neurosurgery and was successfully discharged and is recovering at home. Then on April 8 a 46-year-old male presented with a right frontal open penetrating depressed skull fracture and underlying brain contusion. After urgent surgery, he was discharged in the care of the state on April 15. The third case was done on April 14 which as a 27-year-old male who sustained a right frontal open penetrating depressed skull fracture, with contusions. Emergency surgical management was successful, and he was discharged home. On April 22, a 19-year-old male suffered a left occipital open penetrating skull fracture, with haemorrhagic contusions, multiple bone fragments, and metal foreign bodies in situ. He underwent emergency surgery and was discharged and is recovering.
All four cases were managed by GPHC’s Neurosurgery Department, where prompt surgical intervention and advanced clinical protocols were instrumental in achieving positive patient outcomes. Given the high mortality and complexity associated with penetrating cranial gunshot injuries, successfully treating four patients within a four-month period highlights the department’s proficiency in neurotrauma management and critical care.
The GPHC commended their neurosurgery team for their dedication, precision, and life-saving expertise, and reaffirm our commitment to delivering the highest standard of trauma and emergency care in Guyana.