Firearm injuries in rural Saudi Arabia: incidence, patterns, management, and cost

Abstract

Background: A retrospective study from 2013 to 2017 was conducted to evaluate the incidence of small firearms and air gun injuries, social demographics of victims, severity of injuries, patterns, length of stay, and cost of hospitalization in highly populated central rural Al Kharj region of Saudi Arabia. Results: In total, the study included 102 cases. The incidence of firearms and air gun injuries in Al Kharj region was 3.13/100,000. Most of the victims were young-aged males (98 cases; 96.1%). The males were absolute majority with the rate of males to females 23.5:1. There were no fatal injuries in this study and no suicides. Majority of the cases were accidents or usage of firearms as toys. The most common site of entry was the lower limb (44 cases; 43.1%), the abdomen (20 cases; 19.6%), and the upper limbs (16 cases, 15.7%). Handguns were the cause of injuries in 66 cases (64.7%) and air guns in 36 cases (35.3%) respectively. The median Injury Severity Score was 15. The total length of stay due to injuries over the study period was 514 days and was estimated for the local economy downfall of 285,000 Sadi Riyals as a cost of hospitalization. Twenty-six (25.4%) patients had to be readmitted to the hospital due to various complications. Thirty-seven (36.3%) patients had long-term disability. The mean length of stay in the hospital was 5 days (range = 1-9 days). The length of stay was positively correlated with Injury Severity Score, and significant increase was identified when the patients had ISS more than 20 (p < 0.04). Conclusion: The results from this study support the current tight gun law regulations in Saudi Arabia, which aims to reduce the number of firearm-related morbidity and mortality in the society. There is a necessity for better education in Saudi Arabian communities in relation to firearms and their use in order to reduce the number of firearm accidents and related injuries.

Evidential significance of multiple fracture patterns on the glass in forensic ballistics

“…Although these have been found to have the potential to cause fatal and grievous injuries such as bone micro-fracture (Kieser et al 2013), and ocular injuries (Schein et al 1994) and even may cause death (Lal and Subrahmanyam 1972). It is evident from the literature that air guns (both rifle and pistol) are being used in illicit activities for a long period and in current time also (Burnt and Packey 1979;Harshey et al 2017;Morgan et al 2019). Various researchers studied the different aspects of glass and air gun that may be of forensic interest such as wounding potential and behavior of air gun pellet in ballistic gel (DiMaio et al 1982;Wightman et al 2010;Hallikeri et al 2012;Stankov et al 2013…”

Scenario of Firearm Injury in Saudi Arabia: A Comparative Review

“…The majority of the KSA's civilian doctors will hardly ever get the opportunity to treat gun-related injuries. These injuries are primarily treated by military surgical services, local hospitals, and trauma centers [ 13 ].…”

Evaluate the Pattern of Firearm Injuries Based on Gender in Hyderabad, Sindh, Pakistan

“…The rate of violent deaths and related to firearm injuries in the developing societies are the twice as compared to high income countries 4 . A study conducted in the Northern Italy showed the mortality rates approximately 0.84 per every 100000 residents in year 2006, however the average of 12.6 cases yearly 5,6 .…”