Cattle-Related Trauma: A 6-Year Retrospective Study of Patients Admitted to a Trauma Center in China

TL;DR

This study examines cattle-related injuries in China, revealing common injury situations and outcomes to help improve safety measures in rural areas.

Contribution

The first study on cattle-related trauma in China, providing insights into injury patterns and patient outcomes.

Findings

Most patients were male farmers injured in bullock cart accidents.

Lower extremity and pelvis injuries were most common, with a 16% ISS ≥ 16 severity rate.

Mortality was low at 1.2%, but 28.4% required ICU admission.

Abstract

Background: Cattle-related trauma is common in rural areas and is a significant cause of morbidity and mortality, often requiring hospital admission and surgical treatment. However, no literature is currently available on cattle-related trauma in China. We reviewed all patients with cattle-related trauma admitted to a trauma center in China over 6 years and aimed to explore the injury characteristics and outcomes of this trauma.

Methods: A retrospective cohort study was conducted, and patients with cattle-related trauma admitted from October 1, 2016, to September 31, 2022, were screened in the Hospital Information System. Demographic data, injury data, clinical treatment information, and outcomes were collected from the medical records and analyzed.

Results: A total of 243 patients, with a median age of 48 years (interquartile range [IQR] 31–57), were identified. Of these, 67.5% (n = 164) were male and 88.1% (n = 214) were farmers. Traveling in a bullock cart as a passenger (31.7%, n = 77) was the most frequent injury situation, and bullock cart accident (57.6%, n = 140) was the most common injury mechanism. Blunt trauma occurred in most patients (86.4%, n = 210). The most commonly injured body region was the lower extremity, pelvis and buttocks (38.3%, n = 93). Among the patients, 111 (45.7%) had at least one abbreviated injury scale (AIS) of ≥ 3. Overall, the median injury severity score (ISS) was 8 (IQR 4–13), and 39 patients (16.0%) had an ISS ≥ 16. In total, 209 patients (86.0%) underwent surgical treatment, and 69 (28.4%) were admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU). The median length of hospital stay (LOS) was 10 days (IQR 6–18), and the mortality rate was 1.2% (n = 3).

Conclusions: This study demonstrated the characteristics of cattle-related trauma in a trauma center in China. Our results may contribute to the development of data-driven safety measures to reduce the risk of cattle-related trauma.

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