title: Analysis of trauma patients in a rural hospital in Turkey.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  There is a grey zone about the epidemiology of trauma in eastern Turkey. The present study was aimed at obtaining data on this subject.
  
  
  METHODS
  Trauma patients who applied to the emergency department (ED) between January 2006 and December 2007 were analyzed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There were 6183 patients, of whom 87% were male. The mean age was 26.2 ± 13.6 years. Assault was the most common cause (63.2%). Motor vehicle injury (MVI) and fall were encountered at frequencies of 21.2% and 6.5%, respectively. The most frequently injured body regions were head-neck and extremities. The majority of patients were managed and discharged from the ED (89.8%) with no consultation (81.8%). Interestingly, the discharge rate of assault cases was 98.7%. Patients were hospitalized (4.2%) mostly for MVI (32.6%) and fall (19%); however, hospitalization rates for firearm and piercing/cutting injury (36.1% and 16.7%) were significantly high. Among the transported patients (5.3%), the rates of MVI and fall were high (41.5% and 24.3%, respectively). In groups, for burn and firearm injuries, these were 42.1% and 24.1%, respectively. Forty-eight patients (0.8%) died, mostly from MVI by number, but by self-infliction and firearm by rate (8.3% and 6%).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Assault cases caused an excessive trauma patient density in the ED, as 98.7% were discharged from the ED. Further studies are needed regarding the high rate of assault cases.
authors.affiliation: Department of General Surgery, Abant İzzet Baysal University, Faculty of Medicine, Bolu, Turkey. nurkahramansoy@yahoo.com
authors.forename: Nurettin
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Kahramansoy
authors.forename: Hayri
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Erkol
authors.forename: Feyzi
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Kurt
authors.forename: Necla
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Gürbüz
authors.forename: Murat
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bozgeyik
authors.forename: Aysu
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kıyan
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D004636:Emergency Service, Hospital; D005260:Female; D006780:Hospitals, Rural; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009104:Multiple Trauma / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology / Q000401:mortality; D012737:Sex Factors; D014421:Turkey / Q000453:epidemiology