Pelvic gunshot wound presenting as bladder clot concealing a left external iliac injury.

KEY CLINICAL MESSAGE: This is the first reported case of a pelvic gunshot wound with a bladder injury masking a coinciding left external iliac artery injury. A high index of suspicion for an acute and traumatic ilio-vesical fistula should be raised in the presence of the following triad: bright red hematuria, bladder distension from clot retention, hemodynamic instability after bladder decompression "Mukendi's triad."

ABSTRACT: Iliac artery injury from gunshot wounds is very rare and a lethal injury associated with high mortality rate. Concurrent ballistic external iliac artery and bladder injuries resulting in an acute ilio-vesical shunt or fistula and discovered at the time of presentation are extremely rare.In this report, we present an unprecedented case of multiple pelvic gunshot wounds presented with a distended injured bladder full of clots concealing a left external iliac injury by tamponade effect.