Epidemiology of Spinal Cord Injury by Firearm in a Reference Hospital in the State of Para

Objective This study aimed to describe the clinical and epidemiological aspects of Spinal Cord Injury caused by firearms in patients admitted to the Metropolitan Urgency and Emergency Hospital, Belem, Para, from January 2008 to December 2013. Methods It was developed a cross-sectional, retrospective and descriptive study, based on analysis of medical records of 89 patients diagnosed with Spinal Cord Injury by firearm's injury. Results It was observed that firearm's injury accounted for 9,2% of Spinal Cord Injury, with a average of 14,8 news cases per year; 86,5% of these were male; 73,1% had less than thirty years. The cervical segment was the most affected (46%) and 51,8% of the pacients were classified as ASIA A. The most were treated conservatively (75,3%) and 56,2% had some complication during the hospitalization, the infectious complications were the more frequent (45%). The dead rate was 18%. Conclusion Thus, this study concluded that the SCI by firearm's injury in patients treated at Metropolitan Urgency and Emergency Hospital affects mainly young men, the traumas occurred mainly in the cervical segment and the classification ASIA A was the most prevalent. Conservative treatment was adopted in most cases and more than half of the patients developed complications, especially infectious, while a significant portion evolve to death.