54.11 Is There A Difference In The Demographic Factors Between Laceration And Gunshot Violence?

Posted on January 26, 2017

N. Valsangkar1, C. B. Siedlecki1, T. M. Bell1, A. Fecher1  1Indiana University School Of Medicine,Surgery – Trauma Critical Care,Indianapolis, IN, USA

Introduction: Traumatic injuries are the leading cause of mortality for people ages 1-46. Within this population, patients ages 10-21 are a heterogeneous group with varying mechanisms and settings of injury. The objective of this study was to identify demographic trends in assault-related injuries and to define targeted primary prevention programs.

Methods: A retrospective analysis of 722 patients from 3 urban, Level I  trauma centers (2010-2014) was performed to examine trends in mechanisms of injury among patients ages 10-21 who were injured as a result of an assault.  The relationship between distance from the patient’s home to location of injury was examined. Gender and age group (ages 10-14, 15-18, 19-21) comparisons examined differences in the prevalence of penetrating and blunt injuries. Multivariate logistic regressions were used to predict the setting of stab/cut/pierce injuries and GSW injuries.

Results: The highest rates of injury were observed among males (87.7%) and older adolescents (50.1%). Penetrating injuries were most common (88.6%), of which the predominant form was GSW (79.4%). Females were more likely to sustain an injury at home compared to males who were more likely to sustain injuries more than 2 miles from home (p=0.03). There was also an increased risk of having a stab/cut/pierce injury compared to a GSW injury when the injury occurred in the home (OR=2.4;95%CI:1.4-4.1).

Conclusion: Our data demonstrates that females in the 19–21 age group represent a vulnerable population susceptible to stab wounds that occur at home. Index cases of a stab injuries at home currently prompted this institutions trauma registry to follow these patients in a separate database. However, a targeted outreach program based on our database likely represents the most efficient strategy to prevent young adolescent women in high-risk communities from experiencing violence-related injuries at home.