Michael Rozenfeld1,2, Kobi Peleg1,2, Adi Givon1, Boris Kessel3. 1. Israel National Center for Trauma and Emergency Medicine Research, Gertner Institute for Epidemiology and Health Policy Research, Tel Hashomer, Israel. 2. School of Public Health, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel. 3. Trauma Unit, Hillel Yaffe Medical Center, Hadera, Israel.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Although women comprise only a minority of patients hospitalized due to violence-related injury, the circumstances of attacks against women may make their injuries more severe. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective study using data of 9173 patients with stabbing-related injuries from 19 trauma centers participating in the Israeli National Trauma Registry between 1 January 1997 and 31 December 2014. Male and female patients were compared in terms of demographic and circumstantial factors, clinical characteristics, and outcomes. RESULTS: Women were found to have greater injury severity according to the Injury Severity Scale (ISS) - 18% vs. 11% of severe (ISS 16+) injuries - requiring more hospital resources. Injuries that contributed most to injury severity in the female population were head and severe abdominal trauma. Women also sustained injuries to more body sites than men; however, regression analysis showed that the contribution of this factor to the overall difference in injury severity was less important than the injured sites. Regression analysis among severely injured patients pointed at injury to lower extremities as an independent factor related to female mortality. Different from men, among women the stabbing injuries to the upper extremities were not a protective factor in terms of mortality. CONCLUSIONS: There are significant differences in the injury profiles of male and female stabbing victims, which can be explained by the different circumstances of the injury event.
BACKGROUND: Although women comprise only a minority of patients hospitalized due to violence-related injury, the circumstances of attacks against women may make their injuries more severe. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective study using data of 9173 patients with stabbing-related injuries from 19 trauma centers participating in the Israeli National Trauma Registry between 1 January 1997 and 31 December 2014. Male and female patients were compared in terms of demographic and circumstantial factors, clinical characteristics, and outcomes. RESULTS:Women were found to have greater injury severity according to the Injury Severity Scale (ISS) - 18% vs. 11% of severe (ISS 16+) injuries - requiring more hospital resources. Injuries that contributed most to injury severity in the female population were head and severe abdominal trauma. Women also sustained injuries to more body sites than men; however, regression analysis showed that the contribution of this factor to the overall difference in injury severity was less important than the injured sites. Regression analysis among severely injured patients pointed at injury to lower extremities as an independent factor related to female mortality. Different from men, among women the stabbing injuries to the upper extremities were not a protective factor in terms of mortality. CONCLUSIONS: There are significant differences in the injury profiles of male and female stabbing victims, which can be explained by the different circumstances of the injury event.