Trends in the incidence and severity of stab wounds in Sweden 1987-1994

Objective: To evaluate the incidence, types of injury, medical consequences , and mortality of patients with stab wounds in Sweden. Design: Retrospective case study. Setting: The Swedish National Hospital Discharge Register (SNHDR) and the R egister of Causes of Death, Statistics Sweden (RCDSS) Subjects: 1315 patients with stab wounds. All 1507 episodes were treated in Swedish hospitals from 1987-1994. Main outcome measures: Incidence of stab wounds in Sweden, mortality, types of injuries and medical consequences. Results: From 1987 to 1994, 1315 people were admitted to Swedish hospitals with stab wounds, which corresponds to 2.1 injuries/100000 population/year. In all, 1507 episodes were treated in hospital. There were 1121 men (85%) and 194 women (15%), with a median age of 32 years (range 1-88). The annual incidence was relatively constant during this period. The total number of deaths was 45/1315 (3.4%). Among these, 13 (29%) had thoracic, 9 (21%) abdo minal, 7 (16%) head/neck and 7 (15%) extremity injuries. Twenty percent of those admitted to hospital had to spend more than one week there. Conclusions: The incidence of stab wounds was low and the annual incidence stable. Young men in urban areas were the commonest victims. Injuries of th e trunk were commonest, followed by injuries to the head and neck and limbs , 80% of the patients were discharged from hospital within a week, and 3% o f those treated in hospital for stab wounds died.