Epidemiology and outcome of penetrating injuries in a Western European urban region.
Eur J Trauma Emerg Surg
; 42(6): 663-669, 2016 Dec.
Article
in En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-26762313
ABSTRACT
PURPOSE:
Severe life-threatening injuries in Western Europe are mostly caused by blunt trauma. However, penetrating trauma might be more common in urban regions, but their characteristics have not been fully elucidated.METHODS:
Retrospective analysis of data from patients admitted to our urban university level I trauma center between 2008 and 2013 with suspicion of severe multiple injuries. Collection of data was performed prospectively using a PC-supported online documentation program including epidemiological, clinical and outcome parameters.RESULTS:
Out of 2095 trauma room patients admitted over the 6-year time period 194 (9.3 %) suffered from penetrating trauma. The mean Injury Severity Score (ISS) was 12.3 ± 14.1 points. In 62.4 % (n = 121) the penetrating injuries were caused by interpersonal violence or attempted suicide, 98 of these by stabbing and 23 by firearms. We observed a widespread injury pattern where mainly head, thorax and abdomen were afflicted. Subgroup analysis for self-inflicted injuries showed higher ISS (19.8 ± 21.8 points) than for blunt trauma (15.5 ± 14.6 points). In 82.5 % of all penetrating trauma a surgical treatment was performed, 43.8 % of the patients received intensive care unit treatment with mean duration of 7.4 ± 9.3 days. Immediate emergency surgical treatment had to be performed in 8.0 vs. 2.3 % in blunt trauma (p < 0.001). Infectious complications of the penetrating wounds were observed in 7.8 %.CONCLUSIONS:
Specific characteristics of penetrating trauma in urban regions can be identified. Compared to nationwide data, penetrating trauma was more frequent in our collective (9.3 vs. 5.0 %), which may be due to higher crime rates in urban areas. Especially, self-inflicted penetrating trauma often results in most severe injuries.Key words
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Collection:
01-internacional
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Wounds, Penetrating
Type of study:
Etiology_studies
/
Observational_studies
/
Prognostic_studies
/
Risk_factors_studies
/
Screening_studies
Limits:
Adult
/
Female
/
Humans
/
Male
Country/Region as subject:
Europa
Language:
En
Journal:
Eur J Trauma Emerg Surg
Year:
2016
Document type:
Article
Affiliation country:
Alemania