The following is a summary of “National trends in prehospital penetrating trauma in 2020 and 2021,” published in the October 2023 issue of Emergency Medicine by Huebinger, et al.

For a study, researchers sought to assess trends in prehospital encounters for penetrating trauma in 2020 and 2021 on a national level, considering the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.

A retrospective analysis of the National Emergency Medicinal Services (EMS) Information System (NEMSIS) combined 2018–2021 databases of prehospital encounters was conducted. Penetrating trauma rates were calculated yearly and monthly with 95% CI overall and for each census region. A comparison of trauma rates in 2020 and 2021 was made against the combined rates for 2018/2019.

The study found 67,457 (rate of 0.30%) penetrating traumas in 2018, 86,054 (0.30%) in 2019, 95,750 (0.37%) in 2020, and 98,040 (0.34%) in 2021. Nationally, trauma rates were higher from March 2020 to July 2021 compared to the baseline. Penetrating trauma rates from May to December 2021 were lower than the corresponding period in 2020. All census regions exhibited increased trauma rates from March 2020 to July 2021.

The study revealed elevated trauma rates in 2020, persisting until July 2021, with a nationwide impact across all US census regions. It underscored the prolonged influence of the COVID-19 pandemic on penetrating trauma rates and emphasized the need for ongoing monitoring and public health interventions.

Source: sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0735675723003753