Self-inflicted craniomaxillofacial gunshot wounds by handguns are more deadly than those by shotguns: an NIS study.

Abstract

The purpose of the present study is to determine whether handguns discharged at the craniomaxillofacial region are associated with greater fatality in suicide attempts relative to shotguns. The following retrospective cohort study was completed using the Nationwide Inpatient Sample (NIS), a Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP) database. The primary predictor variable was the type of firearm (handguns vs. shotguns). The primary outcome variable was prognosis (fatality vs. no fatality). A binary logistic regression was performed to determine the risk of mortality of all predictor variables. Our final sample consisted of 223 patients. Handguns (85.2%) were the most popular firearm. Relative to black patients, white patients were over three times more likely to die (p < 0.05). Compared to patients who were transferred in, patients not transferred in were eight times more likely to die (p = 0.000). Relative to patients who were admitted electively, patients who were not admitted electively were 16.7 times more likely to die (p < 0.01). Finally, relative to patients who used shotguns, patients who used handguns were 3.4 times more likely to die (p = 0.002). Self-inflicted gunshot wounds to the maxillofacial region by handguns were more lethal than shotguns.