Incidence of Traumatic Peripheral Nerve Injuries and Amputations in Sweden between 1998 and 2006

Abstract

Background: To define the epidemiological pattern of nerve injuries and traumatic amputations in Sweden, 1998–2006, and investigate possible targets for emerging neural engineering and neuroprosthetic technologies. Methods: The Swedish Hospital Discharge Register was used as the information base, including data from all public inpatient care, excluding outpatient data. ICD-10 codes were used to classify nerve injuries and traumatic amputations of high incidence levels or inpatient care time. Selected codes, causative factors, age and gender distribution were discussed in detail, and potential targets for tailored solutions were identified. Results: Incidence rate was determined as 13.9 for nerve injuries and 5.21 for amputations per 100,000 person-years. The majority of injuries occurred at the wrist and hand levels, although it could be concluded that these are often minor injuries requiring less than a week of hospitalization. The single most care-consuming nerve injury was brachial plexus injury, constituting on average 68 injuries and 960 hospital days annually. When minor amputations of fingers and toes were disregarded, the most frequent site of amputation was between the knee and ankle (24 patients/year). Conclusions: Based on an analysis of incidence and care time, we find that brachial plexus injuries and lower leg amputations should be the primary targets of new technologies.

The incidence of peripheral nerve injury in trauma patients in Iran

“…In addition, women are not accustomed to riding motorcycle in Iran. [4] Our study showed that 90% of the trauma patients were under 50 years old, and the peak frequency of PNI was identified in the 21-30-year-old age group, which shows the higher vulnerability of the youth. [9,10,13,17] Lower ISS and hospital stay were both suggestive of less severity of trauma in PNI patients versus those without nerve injury.…”

“…Data from developed countries are useful but insufficient for strategic long-term planning in developing countries. [4] In this study, the incidence of PNI and the related factors in trauma patients in Iran are discussed.…”

“…This sequence was also identified in other studies. [13,16] Asplund et al [4] showed that the majority of PNIs occurred in the wrist and hand region. However, in our study, the forearm was the most frequently involved area, followed by the wrist and hand.…”

The sciatic nerve injury model in pre-clinical research

“…for tumor excision lesion (Evans, 2001;Siemionow and Brzezicki, 2009;Isaacs, 2013). Although usually not threatening the patient's life, nerve injuries represent a heavy social burden in terms of both long term disability and economic costs (Asplund et al, 2009;Rosberg et al, 2013). For this reason, growing efforts are dedicated to the development of effective treatment for peripheral nerve injuries which increase tissue regeneration and functional recovery and might be eventually translated to the patients for improving the clinical outcome (Tos et al, 2013, Griffin et al, 2013.…”

Cervical and Upper Limb Peripheral Nerve Injuries in Adults: Electrodiagnostic Studies and Symptoms

“…Additionally, other studies have reported that the majority of PNIs occurred in the wrist and hand region (20). Saadat and colleagues (21) reported the forearm to be the most frequently involved area, followed by the wrist and hand.…”