Treatment of a ballistic wound of the common carotid artery revealed by a spontaneous carotid-jugular fistula

Abstract

The case reported is of a 30-year-old patient with a left internal carotid-jugular fistula secondary to the explosion of an improvised explosive device during the Afghan war. Carotid resection with arterial bypass using a venous allograft and internal jugular ligation were performed by left cervicotomy associated with sternotomy at a specialized center. The management of cervical arteriovenous fistulas that occur as a result of penetrating trauma faced during the war must be considered and it should be noted that, on battlefields, treatment is not always performed in specialized units.