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Affiliation
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Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Indiana University School of Medicine, and the James Whitcomb Riley Children's Hospital, Indianapolis, IN. Electronic address: rloder@iupui.edu. |
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Abstract
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OBJECTIVE: To determine the epidemiology of injuries from hunting stands presenting to US emergency departments (EDs).
METHODS: The National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (NEISS) database was queried for ED visits for the period 2004 through 2012 for hunting stand injuries and analyzed for age, diagnosis, sex, race, anatomic location of the injury, the use of alcohol, and association with a gunshot wound.
RESULTS: There were an estimated 57,820 visits with an average age of 39.7 years (range, 1-83 years). The patients were predominantly male (94.3%), white (98.1%), and seen at small- or medium-size hospitals (85.8%). Disposition from the ED was admission in 19.3% and released in 80.7%. A fall occurred in 79.6% and a gunshot wound in 0.1%, and alcohol was involved in 0.6%. The most common diagnoses were a fracture (32.9%), contusion or abrasion (24.2%), strain or sprain (16.0%), laceration (9.2%), and internal organ injury (4.3%). Those injured in a fall were more frequently admitted (24.0% vs 6.4%) and more likely to have a fracture (38.2% vs 12.4%). Those with a fracture were older (43.6 vs 37.9 years). Those with internal organ injuries were more frequently admitted (59.9% vs 17.5%).
CONCLUSIONS: This study has characterized the epidemiology of hunting stand injuries with most occurring from falls. A fracture was the most common injury with a very low alcohol intoxication rate. These baseline data can now be used to compare other studies of hunting stand injuries and guide prevention strategies, such as education regarding the need for safety measures to prevent falls.
Language: en |