Demographics and Patterns of Injury in Patients with Sharp Penetrating Trauma admitted to a Greater Manchester Major Trauma Centre: A Retrospective Five-Year Study

Abstract

Background: Sharp penetrating trauma represents 4.1%-6.9% of all major trauma cases in the UK. The incidence of Sharp penetrating trauma is rising, with 47,000 offences in England and Wales in 2019. There has been limited published data on the victims of sharp penetrating trauma. Methods: We performed a single centre retrospective case note review of patients admitted to an urban major trauma centre following an assault with a sharp object from 1st January 2014 to the 31st December 2018. Data was collected on demographics, injury pattern, management, and outcome. Results: In total, 686 patients were included in the study. There was a year-on-year increase of admissions with sharp penetrating trauma from 100 admissions in 2014, to 194 in 2018. The majority of patients were male, with a mean age of 31, and 73% of our patients were of Caucasian ethnicity. Patients presented most frequently on weekends (53%). The length of stay increased over the study period from 2.3 days in 2014 to 4.0 days in 2018. The thorax was the most commonly injured body region, involved in 29% of presentations, followed by the abdomino-pelvis (21%). 51% of patients presented with multiple injuries, and the average number of stab wounds per patient increased from 1.95 in 2014 to 2.40 in 2018. Conclusion: Our study has demonstrated the incidence and severity of sharp penetrating trauma is increasing in central Manchester. The authors advocate the creation of a national knife crime database to further the implementation of prevention strategies.