Incidence, topography, types of firearm injuries before and after the revolution of the 25th of January 2011: a hospital-based study

Abstract

Background: Egyptian revolution of the 25th of January was associated with major changes in the community. Consequently, this might be associated with an impact on the injury pattern regarding the etiology, mechanism, and the victim"s profile hence the objective is to study the incidence, pattern and topography of firearm injury before and after the revolution Methods: Data was collected from the medical records retrospectively from January 2009 to January 2013 and prospectively from 2013 to 2014. Results: The total number of patients was 447 patients demonstrating a highly significant and a sharp increase from 36 patients (about 12/year) before to 411 (about 134/year) after the revolution. There was no significant increase in sex, mean age or age distribution incidences. Conclusions: Firearm injury has become a major problem, sharply increasing and evolving, after the revolution. This necessitates a rapid update of the protocols of first aid and emergency management as well as education and training of the future Health professionals in the country.