Table 2.
Demographics and Clinical Characteristics of Children after Firearm Injury in California, 2005–2018, and In-Hospital Mortality
| Variable | Mortality n = 206 | Survival n = 2,203 | p Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| ACS verification level, n (%) | <0.001 | ||
| Non-trauma/level III/IV | 60 (6.9) | 806 (93.1) | |
| Adult level I | 18 (6.4) | 262 (93.6) | |
| Adult level II | 80 (17.5) | 377 (82.5) | |
| Pediatric | 12 (4.9) | 234 (95.1) | |
| Dual | 36 (6.4) | 524 (93.6) | |
| Annual total firearm injury, median (IQR) | 106 (38–306) | 94 (22–303) | 0.87 |
| Annual pediatric firearm injury, median (IQR) | 3.5 (2–10) | 5 (2–11) | 0.83 |
| Age, n (%) | <0.001 | ||
| 0–4 y | 52 (20.6) | 201 (79.4) | |
| 5–9 y | 31 (8.8) | 320 (91.2) | |
| 10–14 y | 123 (6.8) | 1,682 (93.2) | |
| Sex, n (%) | 0.43 | ||
| Male | 160 (8.8) | 1,657 (91.2) | |
| Female | 46 (7.8) | 566 (92.2) | |
| Race and ethnicity, n (%) | 0.28 | ||
| White non-Hispanic | 25 (7.7) | 299 (92.3) | |
| Black non-Hispanic | 49 (8.0) | 566 (92.0) | |
| Hispanic | 99 (8.4) | 1,084 (91.6) | |
| Other/unknown | 33 (11.5) | 254 (88.5) | |
| Intent, n (%) | <0.001 | ||
| Self-inflicted | 16 (55.2) | 13 (44.8) | |
| Assault | 126 (9.7) | 1,173 (90.3) | |
| Unintentional | 51 (5.5) | 879 (94.5) | |
| Undetermined | 13 (8.6) | 138 (91.4) | |
| NISS, median (IQR) | 11 (3–25) | 1 (1–6) | <0.001 |
| < 16, n (%) | 107 (5.2) | 1,938 (94.8) | <0.001 |
| ≥ 16, n (%) | 99 (27.2) | 265 (72.8) | |
| AIS body region* | |||
| Head and neck | 66 (27.7) | 172 (72.3) | <0.001 |
| Face | 5 (6.0) | 79 (94.1) | 0.39 |
| Chest | 89 (25.5) | 260 (74.5) | <0.001 |
| Abdomen | 28 (9.2) | 278 (90.9) | 0.69 |
| Extremity | 14 (1.7) | 798 (98.3) | <0.001 |
| Annual pediatric discharges, median (IQR) | 937 (246–1792) | 963 (151–2461) | 0.78 |
Percentages calculated by column for total and by row for outcomes. Analysis included Chi-square and t-test accounting for hospital level clustering.
*
AIS body regions are not mutually exclusive. The remaining injuries were external.
ACS, American College of Surgeons; AIS, Abbreviated Injury Score; IQR, interquartile range; NISS, New Injury Severity Score.