title: Changing incidence and management of penetrating neck injuries in the South East London trauma centre.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  A total of 17 cases of penetrating neck injury were managed by the otolaryngology team at King's College Hospital over a 3-year period in the 1980s. In April 2010 King's College Hospital became the major trauma centre for South East London. This prospective cohort study  compares the incidence, changing demographic features and treatment outcomes of penetrating neck trauma in South East London over the previous 23 years.
  
  
  METHODS
  Data were collected over a 12-month period (April 2010 to March 2011) and a selective management protocol was introduced to  standardise initial investigations and further treatment.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The past 23 years have seen a 550% increase in the incidence of penetrating neck injuries in South East London, with a marked increase in gun crime. Only 38% of cases underwent negative neck exploration in 2011 compared  with 65% in 1987. Selective conservative management based on the absence of haemodynamic instability or radiological findings reduces length of hospital stay, lightens surgical workload and cuts costs without affecting morbidity or mortality.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The increased incidence of penetrating  neck injury is a reflection of more interpersonal violence rather than a consequence of the larger South East London trauma centre catchment area. Tackling this problem requires focus on wider issues of community prevention. Sharing of data between the four London trauma centres and the police  is needed to help prevent interpersonal violence and develop a universal treatment algorithm for other institutions to follow.
authors.affiliation: ENT Department, Whipps Cross University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK. rhydian.harris@doctors.org.uk
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Harris
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Olding
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Lacey
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Bentley
authors.forename: K M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Schulte
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Lewis
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Kandasamy
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Oakley
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002985:Clinical Protocols; D005260:Female; D006406:Hematoma / Q000209:etiology / Q000628:therapy; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D015601:Injury Severity Score; D007902:Length of Stay; D008131:London / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D019838:Neck Injuries / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000628:therapy; D010348:Patient Care Team / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011446:Prospective Studies; D014193:Trauma Centers / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014950:Wounds, Penetrating / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000628:therapy