Aim. to characterize the mechanisms, patterns, and outcomes of nonfatal hunting-related injuries in patients presenting to Bern University Hospital, Switzerland, and compare these to reports of hunting injuries worldwide. Methods. patients presenting with hunting-related injuries to the Emergency Department at Bern University hospital from 2000 to 2014 were identified by retrospectively searching the department database using the keyword “hunt.” Each case was analyzed in terms of the patient age and gender, the mechanism and pattern of injury, and management and patient follow-up. Results. 19 patients were identified. 16 were male with a mean age of 50 years (range: 16–74). Mechanisms of injury included firearm-related injuries, falls, and knife wounds. The most common patterns of injury were head injuries (7), followed by injuries to the upper (5) or lower limb (5) and trunk (2). Over half of the patients were admitted, and nine required emergency surgery. Conclusion. Nonfatal hunting accidents in Bern, Switzerland, are largely caused by firearms and falls and tend to occur in male hunters with a mean age of 50 years. The most common patterns of injury are orthopedic and head injuries, often requiring surgery. These findings are consistent with international studies of nonfatal hunting accidents.

The primary aim is to assess the length of hospitalization due to iatrogenic pneumothorax as a main complication of totally implantable venous access device (TIVAD) implantation. Secondary aim is to analyze the thrombogenic effects of different catheter diameters on the subclavian vein. Pneumothorax is a rare and may be underestimated, underdocumented, but serious complication in TIVAD of implantation using the subclavian vein puncture method. A total of 1155 consecutive patients with TIVAD implantation were assessed retrospectively over a 14-year time period. As primary outcome the length of hospitalization due to iatrogenic pneumothorax and as secondary outcome subclavian vein thrombosis (SVT) in relation to different TIVAD catheter sizes were analyzed. Pneumothoraces occurred 6 times (0.52%) and only when the subclavian vein was punctured. The median hospitalization for these patients was 8 days (5 of the 6 patients needed a chest drain). No pneumothoraces occurred when a peripheral vein was used for access (980 patients). SVTs were detected in 13 patients (1.1%) without any correlation to the diameter of the catheter. There was no significant correlation detected between the different tumor types and the complication rates. Iatrogenic pneumothorax may lead to hospitalization of 1 week or more. The costs then increase with additional chests x-rays, chest drain insertions, and hospitalization days. When making the choice for surgical venous cutdown or subclavian vein puncture to implant TIVAD, the consequences of iatrogenic pneumothorax should be considered as pneumothorax is a rare but serious complication of TIVAD implantation inherent to subclavian vein puncture.

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