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IntroductionThis study focuses on a specific and often dramatic injury, namely gunshot wounds (GSW) of the head in order to determine whether there is a discrepancy in outcome between patients who sustain their injury in a rural setting and those who sustain it in an urban setting.Materials and methodsThis study involves a retrospective review of our prospectively maintained regional electronic trauma registry. All patients who sustained a cerebral GSW from January 2010 to December 2014 were reviewed.ResultsDuring the 5-year study period, a total of 102 patients sustained an isolated cerebral GSW. Ninety-two per cent (94/102) were male and the mean age was 29 years. Ninety-four per cent (94/102) of injuries were related to interpersonal violence. Of the 102 patients in the study, 54% (55/102) were urban and were transported directly to our trauma centre. The remaining 46% (47/102) were rural and were transported to a rural district hospital prior to being referred to our trauma centre. The time of injury was available in 60% (61/102) of patients. The mean time from injury to arrival for all patients was 11 h (SD 7). The mean time from injury to arrival was significantly shorter for urban versus rural, 6 h (SD 5) and 15 h (SD 5), respectively (p ConclusionsCerebral GSWs are highly lethal injuries associated with significant mortality. Rural patients have a significantly longer transfer time, lower GCS on arrival and higher mortality than urban patients. Efforts should be directed at improving the pre-hospital EMS system in order to reduce delay to definitive care so that patient outcome can be optimised.

Original publication

DOI

10.1007/s00068-017-0800-z

Type

Journal

European journal of trauma and emergency surgery : official publication of the European Trauma Society

Publication Date

02/2019

Volume

45

Pages

145 - 150

Addresses

Pietermaritzburg Metropolitan Trauma Service, Department of Surgery, University of KwaZulu Natal, Durban, South Africa.

Keywords

Humans, Craniocerebral Trauma, Wounds, Gunshot, Registries, Retrospective Studies, Adult, Rural Population, Urban Population, Trauma Centers, South Africa, Female, Male