Gun Violence: A Decade of Experience at a Free-Standing Children's Hospital

The objective of this study was to analyze the circumstances of encounters involving gun violence at a Children's Hospital (CH) between January 1, 2012, and December 31, 2023. This was a retrospective study of patients 0 to 17 years old, presenting with firearm-related trauma to a CH facility. There were 325 cases. There was a rising frequency trend from 2012 to 2023. The year 2020 saw the highest annual frequency. A significant majority of these cases were the result of assaults experienced by black, male, teenagers living within an urban zip code. There were 16 deaths (4.9%). The extremities were the most common injury location (61%). A total of 188 (57.9%) cases involved hospitalization, 133 (40.9%) cases required surgery, and 67 (20.6%) cases required intensive care unit (ICU) admission. Our study demonstrates the overwhelming burden of gun violence borne by black urban communities, confirming other similar studies.