BACKGROUND Recidivism is a key outcome measure for injury prevention programs. Firearm injury recidivism rates are difficult to determine because of poor longitudinal follow-up and incomplete, disparate databases. Reported recidivism rates from trauma registries are 2% to 3%. We created a collaborative database merging law enforcement, emergency department, and inpatient trauma registry data to more accurately determine rates of recidivism in patients presenting to our trauma center following firearm injury. METHODS A collaborative database for Jefferson County, Kentucky, was constructed to include violent firearm injuries encountered by the trauma center or law enforcement from 2008 to 2019. Iterative deterministic data linkage was used to create the database and eliminate redundancies. From patients with at least one hospital encounter, raw recidivism rates were calculated by dividing the number of patients injured at least twice by the total number of patients. Cox proportional hazard models were used to evaluate risk factors for recidivism. The cumulative incidence of recidivism over time was estimated using a Kaplan-Meier survival model. RESULTS There were 2, 363 assault-type firearm injuries with at least 1 hospital encounter, approximately 9% of which did not survive their initial encounter. The collaborative database demonstrated raw recidivism rates for assault-type firearm injuries of 9.5% compared with 2.5% from the trauma registry alone. Risk factors were young age, male sex, and African American race. The predicted incidence of recidivism was 3.6%, 5.6%, 11.4%, and 15.8% at 1, 2, 5, and 10 years, respectively. CONCLUSION Both hospital and law enforcement data are critical for determining reinjury rates in patients treated at trauma centers. Recidivism rates following violent firearm injury are four times higher using a collaborative database compared with the inpatient trauma registry alone. Predicted incidence of recidivism at 10 years was at least 16% for all patients, with high-risk subgroups experiencing rates as high as 26%. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE Epidemiological, level III.

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Purpose of Review Early enteral nutrition improves outcomes following traumatic brain injury (TBI). This can prove difficult due to TBI-induced feeding intolerance secondary to disruption of the brain-gut axis, a network composed of central nervous system (CNS) input, autonomic signaling, and immunologic regulation that controls gut and CNS homeostasis. Here, we discuss the pathophysiology of brain–gut axis dysregulation and outline nutrition strategies in patients with TBI. Recent Findings Feeding intolerance following TBI is multifactorial; complex signaling between the CNS, sympathetic nervous system, parasympathetic nervous system, and enteric nervous system that controls gut homeostasis is disrupted within hours post-injury. This has profound effects on the immune system and gut microbiome, further complicating post-TBI recovery. Despite this disruption, calorie and protein requirements increase considerably following TBI, and early nutritional supplementation improves survival following TBI. Enteral nutrition has proven more efficacious than parenteral nutrition in TBI patients and should be initiated within 48 hours following admission. Immune-fortified nutrition reduces CNS and gut inflammation and may improve outcomes in TBI patients. Summary Although autonomic dysregulation of the brain–gut axis results in feeding intolerance following TBI, early enteral nutrition is of paramount importance. Enteral nutrition reduces post-TBI inflammation and enhances immunologic and gut function. When feasible, enteral nutrition should be initiated within 48 hours following injury.