Abstract
Civil violence is responsible for 2.5% of deaths worldwide; it killed more people in the 21st century than the sum of all wars. This study describes violence victims treated at a trauma reference hospital in Salvador, Brazil and analyzes the impact of different types of interpersonal violence. Interpersonal violence victims admitted between July 2015 and July 2017 were included. The 1,296 patients (mean age: 30.3 years; 90% male) were divided into three groups according to the mechanism of interpersonal violence: 1) beating, 2) firearm injury and 3) stab wound (STW) injury. The groups were compared for the following variables: age, gender, trauma mechanism, Revised Trauma Score (RTS) at admission, need for intensive care unit (ICU) attention, length of hospital stay, need for transfusion of blood products and death. Gunshot wounds (GSW) were the primary mechanism of injury (59%), followed by beating (24%) and STW (17%). Gunshot wound victims had a lower mean RTS upon admission, increased need for blood products and more Intensive Care Unit (ICU) admissions. Beating victims had the longest mean hospital stay (11.6 ± 19.6 days). The GSW group accounted for 77.4% of all deaths. The in-hospital mortality rate was significantly higher in the GSW group (12.7%) than in the beating group (5.4%) and in the STW group (4.9%). Gunshot wound victims are more critical: they require longer ICU stays, more transfusions of blood products and exhibit increased mortality compared with STW and beating victims.
Highlights
1.3 million people die each year as a result of civil violence[1], which accounts for 2.5% of mortality worldwide and killed more people in the 21st century than the sum of all wars during this period[1]
In a study conducted in Denver, GSW victims accounted for 27.9% of the sample, STW victims accounted for 30.3% of the sample and beating victims accounted for 41.8% of the sample[9]
We found that GSW victims experienced severe medical needs and required hospital resources such as ICU admission and the use of blood products
Summary
1.3 million people die each year as a result of civil violence[1], which accounts for 2.5% of mortality worldwide and killed more people in the 21st century than the sum of all wars during this period[1]. Acts of a physical nature-for example, beatings and firearm injuries-are examples of interpersonal violence[2]. Such violence is increasing in Brazil[3]. In 2016, 62,517 people were killed; approximately 70% of these peopled died from gunshot wounds[3]. These numbers are even more stark when compared with countries that are engaged in war.
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