New study reveals a disturbing surge in violent injuries during home orders

Newswise — Chicago: Social isolation brought about by a stay-at-home order (SAHO) issued early in the 2019 coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic can have fatal and dangerous side effects. There is: Increased intentional penetrating injuries, especially gun violence, remains at a high level despite the stay-at-home order subsided and the number of cases of COVID-19 increasing.Researchers in the Philadelphia region have published these findings. “Press material” Published to Journal of American Universities of Surgeons Website before printing.

Jose L from the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. Pascual, MD, PhD, FACS, and colleagues said emergency department (ED) visits were significantly reduced during home orders, while intentional injury visits reached historic highs and remained there. Since reporting.

As of October 19, Philadelphia had 386 murders, an increase of 39% over the same period last year. Reported KYW / AM Newsradio..

“Currently, the number of major emergency department hospitalizations has settled down to pre-COVID numbers, including trauma hospitalizations, falls, car-motorcycle collisions, and pedestrian accidents, and selective surgery has returned to near normal. Keeping an eye on the facts, penetration damage remains high, “said Dr. Pasqual. Importantly, he points out that the same demographics (young African-American men) are disproportionately affected by these injuries, both before and after state-wide SAHO relaxation. Did.

The study evaluated trauma and emergency ED visits to the University of Pennsylvania Presbyterian Medical Center from February 1 to May 30, 2020, and period before and after the start of SAHO on March 16 in Philadelphia. Used as a boundary for. Penn Presbyterian is one of four adult Level 1 trauma centers in Philadelphia, serving West Philadelphia and its western suburbs.

The analysis showed significant differences in trauma trends in the three major demographics after SAHO and before SAHO. The proportion of men with trauma is high, with 64.4% of pre-SAHO cases and 72.1% of post-SAHO cases (p= 0.019); Younger patients appear, with average patient ages before (22.1 years range) and after 42.9 (20.3 years range) (range 20.3 years)p= 0.009); The proportion of non-white trauma patients is high, accounting for 69.5% before and 77.7% after (p= 0.008). Specifically, the percentage of gunshot wound visits almost doubled from 12.6% to 22.9% (p<0.0001).

“The most obvious demographic here was the young black man, which was previously seen in the category of violent injuries,” said Dr. Pasqual. “Therefore, it seemed that a pandemic and / or stay-at-home order could have had direct consequences of increasing the violent reality of existing cities in their demographics.”

To gain a more historic perspective on the effects of SAHO, Dr. Pasqual and colleagues compared trauma during the period from March 16 to May 30, 2016 to 2019. Until March 16, the trend for violent injuries was similar to 2020 and the previous year. However, Dr. Pasqual said, “Since March 16, 2020, the number of shooting injuries has increased by nearly 40% compared to the previous year’s average, which is quite different.”

During the COVID-19 surge earlier this year, Penpres Vitarian has been working on World Health Organization guidelines. Guidance Statement of the American College of Surgeons About maintenance of emergency medical care released on April 7. Prior to that, Dr. Pasqual said he relied on “hearsays” from doctors in Milan, the United Kingdom and Hong Kong for early pandemic COVID patient care.

“We had to make an urgent decision on how to place personal protective equipment (PPE) at the provider and how to separate patients from each other in Trauma Bay. This is immediately available to PPE. It was as important as it couldn’t be, “he said. The ACS statement helped in that regard. “I must say that the simultaneous presence of both a pandemic and an inherent penetrating trauma was not actually defined or explained by any plan,” added Dr. Pasqual.

As the number of cases of COVID-19 increases, the findings raise many questions about gun violence in urban areas. Dr. Pasqual said: “As the center of the city, as the center of trauma, as a country of trauma mechanisms and this highly devastating change in the distribution of trauma across the most endangered and most suffering specific demographics, how Are you getting rid of yourself? That? I’m very worried that this wasn’t the story that happened. Cases can increase weeks or months in the future, but COVID-19 and The number of overall traumas (before and after COVID-19) has been resolved, at least in a short period of time, but the number of violent injuries has not yet been determined. “

The co-authors of the study are Hatem O. Abdallah, BS, and Cindy Zhao, BS of the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine. Dr. Eleanor Kaufman, MD, Department of Surgery, University of Pennsylvania, Dr. Justin Hatchmonji, MD, Robert A. Swendiman, MD. Dr. Lewis J. Kaplan, MD, and Dr. William Schwab, MD, Department of Traumatology, Surgical Treatment, and Emergency Surgery, Pennsylvania Elderly Medical Center.

Dr. Pasqual, an associate professor of surgery and neurosurgery at the University of Pennsylvania’s Perelman School of Medicine, has revealed that he is a consultant to Pfizer and Grifols. He is a councilor of the Society of Emergency Medicine and chairs the Quality and Patient Safety Committee of the Eastern Trauma Surgery Society.

“FACS” indicates that the surgeon is a Fellow of the American Academy of Surgeons.

Quote: Increasing gun injuries during the intense Covid-19 pandemic: Hidden city burden. Journal of American College of Surgeons, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jamcollsurg.2020.09.028..

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About the American College of Surgeons
The American College of Surgeons is a science education institution for surgeons founded in 1913 to raise the bar for surgical practice and improve the quality of care for all surgical patients. The university is dedicated to the ethical and competent practice of surgery. The results have had a major impact on the American scientific surgical process and have been established as an important supporter for all surgical patients. The college has more than 82,000 members and is the largest surgeon organization in the world. For more information, please visit: www.facs.org (.)