The patients were divided into two cohorts: COVID positive (+) and COVID negative (-). However, it is not known which patients present with the highest incidence.Īll acute care surgery (ACS) patients who presented to our level I trauma center between March 19, 2020, and Septemand were tested for COVID-19 were included in the study. To investigate whether any specific acute care surgery patient populations are associated with a higher incidence of COVID-19 infection.Īcute care providers may be exposed to an increased risk of contracting the COVID-19 infection since many patients present to the emergency department without complete screening measures. The scope of the US gun problem in 2019 is far greater than is indicated merely by medical costs and body counts.
Individual and community efforts to prepare for and prevent the shootings entail additional costs and burdens. The negative effects of exposure to firearm violence have been highlighted in the literature. These more indirect costs include medical care, grief, fear, hopelessness, and PTSD. The burden of all these shootings falls not only directly on the victims themselves but also can impact their families, friends, and communities. Firearm homicide rates remain highest for young non-White males in urban areas, and firearm suicide rates remain highest for older White males in rural areas. Firearm homicides, firearm suicides, and public mass shootings have all been increasing. In the past decade, rates of firearm injury have increased in the USA, both absolutely and in comparison to other high-income countries.
To update current understanding of the extent and impact of firearm violence in the USA. Gunshot wound injury is a unique public health concern requiring comprehensive, nation-wide, contemporary study. Patients with GSW incurred significantly higher hospital charges and had a significantly higher mortality rate. When compared with OIPI, GSW patients arrived more severely injured and required more operations, more ICU admissions, and longer hospital stays. The median hospital charge per admission for GSW was twice that of OIPI (GSW $12,612 vs OIPI $6,195 p < 0.001). Gunshot wound patients experienced a longer median length of stay vs OIPI patients (3 days vs 2 days, p < 0.001). The odds ratio for GSW patients requiring ICU admission was 20% higher than that for OIPI patients (OR 1.23, 95% CI 1.11 to 1.36). The odds ratio for GSW patients requiring operation was twice as high as those suffering OIPI (odds ratio 2.0, 95% CI 1.8 to 2.2). There was a significant difference in mortality for patients with GSW vs OIPI (11% vs 2%, p < 0.001). There were 17,871 patients who met inclusion criteria. Demographic and clinical variables were assessed for GSW patients and compared with victims of OIPI. This was a retrospective study of patients presenting as those with GSW and OIPI (defined as combined stab wound or blunt assault), between Januand March 30, 2018, at LAC+USC Medical Center (LAC+USC) and Harbor UCLA Medical Center (HUCLA).
This study explored the financial and clinical burdens of GSW patients across 2 Los Angeles County Level I trauma centers over the last 12 years, and compared them with other forms of interpersonal injury (OIPI). Gunshot wound (GSW) injuries present a unique surgical challenge.