Penetrating nontorso trauma: the head and the neck

Acute penetrating injuries to the head and neck cause considerable anxiety for most clinicians owing to concern for airway control and neurologic injury and to limited clinician experience in most centres. This article discusses an organized approach to the evaluation and initial treatment of penetrating injuries to the head and neck based on regional anatomy and clinical examination. The approach is particularly helpful in the context of ongoing hemorrhage and/or airway compromise.