BACKGROUND: There is a grey zone about the epidemiology of trauma in eastern Turkey. The present study was aimed at obtaining data on this subject. METHODS: Trauma patients who applied to the emergency department (ED) between January 2006 and December 2007 were analyzed. RESULTS: There were 6183 patients, of whom 87% were male. The mean age was 26.2 ± 13.6 years. Assault was the most common cause (63.2%). Motor vehicle injury (MVI) and fall were encountered at frequencies of 21.2% and 6.5%, respectively. The most frequently injured body regions were head-neck and extremities. The majority of patients were managed and discharged from the ED (89.8%) with no consultation (81.8%). Interestingly, the discharge rate of assault cases was 98.7%. Patients were hospitalized (4.2%) mostly for MVI (32.6%) and fall (19%); however, hospitalization rates for firearm and piercing/cutting injury (36.1% and 16.7%) were significantly high. Among the transported patients (5.3%), the rates of MVI and fall were high (41.5% and 24.3%, respectively). In groups, for burn and firearm injuries, these were 42.1% and 24.1%, respectively. Forty-eight patients (0.8%) died, mostly from MVI by number, but by self-infliction and firearm by rate (8.3% and 6%). CONCLUSION: Assault cases caused an excessive trauma patient density in the ED, as 98.7% were discharged from the ED. Further studies are needed regarding the high rate of assault cases.
BACKGROUND: There is a grey zone about the epidemiology of trauma in eastern Turkey. The present study was aimed at obtaining data on this subject. METHODS:Traumapatients who applied to the emergency department (ED) between January 2006 and December 2007 were analyzed. RESULTS: There were 6183 patients, of whom 87% were male. The mean age was 26.2 ± 13.6 years. Assault was the most common cause (63.2%). Motor vehicle injury (MVI) and fall were encountered at frequencies of 21.2% and 6.5%, respectively. The most frequently injured body regions were head-neck and extremities. The majority of patients were managed and discharged from the ED (89.8%) with no consultation (81.8%). Interestingly, the discharge rate of assault cases was 98.7%. Patients were hospitalized (4.2%) mostly for MVI (32.6%) and fall (19%); however, hospitalization rates for firearm and piercing/cutting injury (36.1% and 16.7%) were significantly high. Among the transported patients (5.3%), the rates of MVI and fall were high (41.5% and 24.3%, respectively). In groups, for burn and firearm injuries, these were 42.1% and 24.1%, respectively. Forty-eight patients (0.8%) died, mostly from MVI by number, but by self-infliction and firearm by rate (8.3% and 6%). CONCLUSION: Assault cases caused an excessive traumapatient density in the ED, as 98.7% were discharged from the ED. Further studies are needed regarding the high rate of assault cases.