Outcomes and demostration of cranial firearm injuries: A multicenter retrospective study.

Abstract

Cranial firearm injuries (CFAI) are associated with significant morbidity and mortality.This study was aimed to determine the factors affecting mortality of CFAI cases managed in our institution by a retrospective analysis of CT scans and clinical data. This multicenter retrospective study examined two hundred and nineteen patients presenting to neurosurgery clinics after CFAI between January 2012 and November 2014. Age, sex, Glasgow Coma Score (GCS), CT findings, and mortality and morbidity rates of the patients were analyzed to determine the factors affecting mortality. Mean age of the study population was 24.19±12.25 years, 85.8% of them were male. The most common CT findings were fracture (100%), intracranial hemorrhage (61.2%), and an intracranially located foreign body (44.3%). A cranial operation was performed in 64.8% of the victims. Mean GCS on admission was 8±3.9, which increased in survivors (p<0.05). CFAIs are associated with increased mortality and morbidity. We determined that many factors affected morbidity and mortality rates, and patient age, presence of intracranial hemorrhage, GCS, and treatment protocols were significantly associated with mortality.