A Decade of Firearm Injuries: Children Caught in the Crossfire

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Trauma Surgery
• Pediatric Medicine

Background:

• Firearm injuries (FIs) represent a critical public health issue, leading to significant morbidity and mortality in pediatric populations.
• Understanding evolving trends in pediatric FIs is essential for developing effective prevention strategies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To define current trends in pediatric firearm injuries.
• To identify patterns and potential avenues for prevention of firearm injuries in children and adolescents.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective review of medical records from two Level 1 Pediatric Trauma Centers (2010-2019).
• Analysis of 1037 firearm injury encounters in patients aged 0-21 years.
• Statistical analysis using Chi-Squared and Student's t-tests (P<0.05 significance).

Main Results:

• A significant increase in firearm injury incidence was observed from 2010-2014 (6.8/month) to 2015-2019 (10.6/month).
• Overall mortality was 4.5%, with a trend toward increased fatalities in the later study period.
• Injuries were predominantly assaults (70.4%), affecting African American males aged 13-17, with 12.1% recidivism and 75% concentrated in one urban region.

Conclusions:

• Pediatric firearm injuries are increasing, accompanied by high mortality rates.
• Geographic clustering of violence and recidivism highlights opportunities for targeted public health interventions.
• Data supports focused prevention efforts in high-risk urban areas to reduce pediatric firearm trauma.