Occupational traumatic injuries rarely affect genitourinary organs: a retrospective, comparative study

Area of Science:

• Trauma Surgery
• Occupational Health
• Genitourinary Medicine

Background:

• Genitourinary (GU) organ injuries can result from various traumatic events.
• Occupational injuries (OI) represent a significant subset of trauma, necessitating specific investigation.
• Comparing occupational GU injuries (GU OIs) with non-occupational GU injuries (GU non-OIs) can reveal distinct patterns and outcomes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify the mechanisms of injury associated with occupational trauma to genitourinary organs.
• To compare the characteristics and outcomes of GU OIs with GU non-OIs.

Main Methods:

• A retrospective study was conducted at a level 1 trauma center from 2010 to 2016.
• Patients with GU injuries were categorized into occupational (OI) and non-occupational (non-OI) groups.
• Data collected included occupation type, injury mechanism, injury location, concomitant injuries, interventions, costs, and mortality.

Main Results:

• Out of 623 patients with GU injuries, 39 (6.3%) sustained occupational GU injuries.
• Falls (43%) were the most common mechanism for GU OIs, followed by motor vehicle collisions (31%).
• Adrenal gland and kidney were the most frequently injured organs; no significant differences in mortality or total direct cost were observed between GU OI and GU non-OI groups.

Conclusions:

• Occupational GU trauma exhibits comparable injury patterns, hospital trajectories, and direct costs to non-occupational GU trauma.
• The findings suggest that workplace safety measures and injury prevention strategies should consider the identified mechanisms of GU trauma.