Dandu Kartik V, Carniol Eric T, Sanghvi Saurin, Baredes Soly, Eloy Jean Anderson
1 Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, Newark, New Jersey, USA.
2 Center for Skull Base and Pituitary Surgery, Neurological Institute of New Jersey, Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, Newark, New Jersey, USA.
Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2017 May;156(5):853-856. doi: 10.1177/0194599817695546. Epub 2017 Mar 1.
Objectives Firearms have an enduring and visible presence within American culture. However, the public health impact of nonpowder firearms and other "toy" guns has not been fully studied. These guns-including BB guns (ie, ball bearing), paintball guns, and pellet guns-are typically marketed to a younger audience. The objective of this study is to analyze head and neck injuries related to nonpowder firearms. Study Design Cross-sectional analysis of a national database. Setting Academic medical center. Subjects and Methods The National Electronic Injury Surveillance System was queried for head and neck injuries involving nonpowder guns, including air, BB, and pellet guns, and associated ammunition. Analysis of age, sex, incidence, injury location, and diagnosis was performed. Results From 2005 to 2014, there were 1695 cases recorded, or 55,060 estimated emergency room visits, due to injuries related to nonpowder guns and fired ammunition. The majority of patients were male (80.9%). These injuries were most common in children 6 to 12 years of age (37.9%), followed by those 13 to 18 years old (27.1%) and adults (≥19 years old; 17.8%), while preschool children (0-5 years) represented 17.2%. The most common injury diagnosis was penetrating foreign body (34.9%), followed by lacerations (24.3%) and contusions/abrasions (13.7%). Conclusion Nonpowder and other nonlethal firearm-related injuries to the head and neck region are a frequent source of emergency room visits nationally. Safety measures and public education on a mainstream level are required.
目标 枪支在美国文化中有着持久且显著的存在。然而，非火药枪支及其他“玩具”枪对公众健康的影响尚未得到充分研究。这些枪支——包括气枪（即滚珠枪）、彩弹枪和弹丸枪——通常面向年轻受众进行销售。本研究的目的是分析与非火药枪支相关的头颈部损伤。研究设计 对一个国家数据库进行横断面分析。研究地点 学术医疗中心。研究对象与方法 查询国家电子伤害监测系统，以获取涉及非火药枪（包括气枪、滚珠枪和弹丸枪）及相关弹药的头颈部损伤情况。对年龄、性别、发病率、损伤部位和诊断进行分析。结果 2005年至2014年期间，共记录了1695例因非火药枪及发射弹药导致的损伤病例，估计有55060人次前往急诊室就诊。大多数患者为男性（80.9%）。这些损伤在6至12岁的儿童中最为常见（37.9%），其次是13至18岁的青少年（27.1%）和成年人（≥19岁；17.8%），而学龄前儿童（0至5岁）占17.2%。最常见的损伤诊断是穿透性异物（34.9%），其次是撕裂伤（24.3%）和挫伤/擦伤（13.7%）。结论 非火药及其他与非致命枪支相关的头颈部损伤是全国急诊室就诊的常见原因。需要在主流层面采取安全措施并开展公众教育。
