Abstract
BackgroundStudies on penetrating injuries in Europe are scarce and often represent data from single institutions. The aim of this study was to describe the incidence and demographic features of patients hospitalized for stab injury in a whole nation.Materials and methodsThis was a retrospective nationwide population-based study on all consecutive adult patients who were hospitalized in Iceland following knife and machete-related injuries, 2000–2015. Age-standardized incidence was calculated and Injury Severity Score (ISS) was used to assess severity of injury.ResultsAltogether, 73 patients (mean age 32.6 years, 90.4% males) were admitted during the 16-year study period, giving an age-standardized incidence of 1.54/100,000 inhabitants. The incidence did not vary significantly during the study period (P = 0.826). Most cases were assaults (95.9%) occurring at home or in public streets, and involved the chest (n = 32), abdomen (n = 26), upper limbs (n = 26), head/neck/face (n = 21), lower limbs (n = 10), and the back (n = 6). Median ISS was 9, with 14 patients (19.2%) having severe injuries (defined as ISS > 15). The median length of hospital stay was 2 days (range 0–53). Forty-seven patients (64.4%) underwent surgery and 26 of them (35.6%) required admission to an intensive care unit (ICU), all with ISS scores above 15. Three patients did not survive for 30 days (4.1%); all of them had severe injuries (ISS 17, 25, and 75).ConclusionStab injuries that require hospital admission are rare in Iceland, and their incidence has remained relatively stable. One in every five patients sustained severe injuries, two-thirds of whom were treated with surgical interventions, and roughly one-third required ICU care. Although some patients were severely injured with high injury scores, their 30-day mortality was still low in comparison to other studies.
Highlights
Studies on penetrating injuries in Europe are scarce and often represent data from single institutions
Number of cases and incidence During the 16-year study period, a total of 88 patients had penetrating stab wounds but 15 of them died on site or in the emergency department before being admitted to hospital, eight due to homicide, six due to suicide, and one for unknown reasons
The incidence of penetrating stabbing injuries did not vary significantly during the study period, incidence rate ratio 1.00
Summary
Studies on penetrating injuries in Europe are scarce and often represent data from single institutions. Trauma is one of the leading causes of death in all age groups in most developed countries [1, 2], and globally an estimated five million people die every year from trauma—injuries that are in most cases preventable and non-random [2]. Most of these deaths are from blunt. Some of these differences can be explained by differences in the severity of injuries, and in what types of injuries and injured body parts were included in the studies
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