A Twenty-Year Retrospective Cohort Study of Mortality and Morbidities in Adult Trauma Patients with Blunt, Sharp, and Firearm Injuries

TL;DR

A 20-year study shows that while survival rates for trauma patients have improved, firearm injuries are linked to rising shock-related complications and blood transfusion needs.

Contribution

This study provides a comprehensive 20-year analysis of mortality and morbidities in trauma patients by injury type, revealing demographic and clinical trends.

Findings

Mortality rates for all injury types dropped from 6-12% in 2004 to under 1% in 2023.

Firearm injuries saw a 533% increase in acute post-hemorrhagic anemia and a 450% rise in blood transfusion rates.

Firearm injury patients became significantly younger over 20 years, unlike blunt or sharp injury patients.

Abstract

Background and Objectives: Traumatic injuries are a major public health issue, being the leading cause of death in the U.S. Advancements in medical care, injury prevention, and regional trauma systems have improved survival rates, but there is limited information on outcomes for survivors. Blunt, sharp, and firearm injuries are the primary mechanisms in trauma forensics. This study examines patient outcomes for blunt, sharp, and firearm injuries over 20 years. Materials and Methods: De-identified data were collected from the TriNetX Research network in June 2024. Patients aged 18–90 were categorized by injury type (blunt, sharp, firearm) from 2004 to 2023. Trends were analyzed by stratifying the data into 20 consecutive one-year intervals. Mortality, blood transfusions, traumatic shock, hypovolemic shock, and acute post-hemorrhagic anemia were recorded annually. Statistical analysis was performed using One Way Repeated ANOVA and post hoc Tukey testing, with significance defined as p < 0.05. Results: The study included 1,205,350 blunt, 710,875 sharp, and 144,562 firearm injuries. Firearm injuries predominantly affected males (83%) and African Americans (51%), while blunt and sharp injuries showed more demographic variability. Looking at the 20-year trends, the average age of firearm and sharp injury patients decreased by 21% (48 ± 13 to 38 ± 15, p ≤ 0.0001) and 14% (49 ± 16 to 42 ± 18, p ≤ 0.0001), respectively, while blunt injury patient age did not change significantly. Mortality rates significantly decreased from 12% for firearm, 7% for sharp, and 6% for blunt injuries in 2004 to less than 1% in 2023 for all three injury mechanisms. Blood transfusions increased 450% (2% to 11%) for firearm injuries and increased 100% for sharp and blunt injuries (1% to 2%). Traumatic shock and hypovolemic shock incidences also increased by 100% for firearm injuries (3% to 6% and 1% to 2%, respectively), while sharp and blunt injuries did not change significantly. Acute post-hemorrhagic anemia increased from 3% to 19% for firearm injuries (533% relative increase), while sharp and blunt injuries remained around 3% for the past 20 years. Conclusions: The study reveals that with improved survival rates over the last 20 years, there has been a significant increase in shock-related morbidities and blood transfusion rates, particularly for firearm injuries. These findings can inform trauma care to enhance resuscitation efforts, optimize resource allocation, and improve mortality and outcomes for these injury mechanisms.

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