Characteristics of firearms involved in fatalities.

OBJECTIVES: To document the types of firearms associated with firearm fatalities, and to determine the availability of information on firearm characteristics in existing data sources. DESIGN: Review of police, medical examiner, and crime laboratory records for all firearm homicides and review of medical examiner records for all suicides and unintentional and undetermined firearm fatalities. SETTING: City of Milwaukee, Wis, from 1990 through 1994. POPULATION: A total of 175 firearm suicides and 524 firearm homicides. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Source of data; circumstances and means of death; host demographic characteristics; firearm make, model, caliber, barrel length, and serial number. RESULTS: Handguns accounted for 468 (89%) of 524 firearm homicides and 124 (71%) of 175 firearm suicides. Handguns of .25 caliber accounted for 14% (n = 63) of 438 firearm homicides and 12% (n = 15) of all firearm suicides in which caliber was known. The Raven MP-25 was the single most commonly identified firearm and accounted for 10% (n = 15) of 153 handgun homicide cases and 7% (n = 7) of the 76 suicide cases in which the manufacturer of the firearm was identified. From all data sources combined, information on firearm type was available in 681 (97%) of 699 cases, caliber/gauge in 636 cases (91%), manufacturer/model in 309 cases (44%), and serial number in 276 cases (40%). CONCLUSIONS: Inexpensive, short-barreled .25-caliber handguns were the most common weapon type associated with firearm homicides and suicides in Milwaukee during 1990 through 1994. Product-specific information is a crucial part of planning appropriate injury countermeasures for firearms. In combination, police, crime laboratory, and medical examiner data can supply this information with modest changes in data collection procedures.

An anatomic index for the severity of ocular injuries.

Ocular injuries are a frequent cause of monocular blindness and cause disfigurement and discomfort. We developed a measure of severity for eye injuries using a multi-attribute utility (MAU) model. The severity index scoring was applied to eye injuries that presented at hospitals in Wisconsin, U.S.A. The resulting distribution of severities was compatible with that seen by general eye care physicians. A severity scale provides a means of comparing the severity of injuries from a wide variety of traumatic sources (e.g. automobile crashes, combat injuries, occupational accidents, etc.) and is useful in evaluating preventive and public health measurements.

The incidence of acute hospital-treated eye injuries.

Little information is available on the incidence and severity of eye injuries despite the disfigurement and vision loss they cause. From a population-based study in Dane County, Wisconsin, the incidence of acute hospital-treated eye injuries was 423/100,000 residents in 1979. The most common causes of eye injuries were assaults, work-related events, sports and recreational activities, motor vehicle crashes, and falls. Consumer products were involved in almost 70% (9/13) of severe eye injuries classified as severe. Injuries from fireworks were not found at all in this population. Implementing known strategies for eye injury prevention would substantially reduce their incidence. These include requiring certified eye protectors at workplaces and in sports activities whenever possible rather than making their use voluntary. For the preponderance of eye injuries, however, modifying potentially hazardous consumer products, including the interior of passenger cars, will be necessary.

The incidence of facial injuries from dog bites.

The incidence of hospital-treated facial injuries caused by dog bites was determined from a population-based study involving Dane County, Wisconsin, hospitals during 1978 and 1979. Annual rates were shown to be 152 per 100,000 for ages 0 to 4 years, 128 per 100,000 for ages 5 to 9 years, and 62 per 100,000 for ages 10 to 14 years. Severe facial injuries from dog bites were found almost exclusively in children younger than 10 years. If these rates apply to children in the US population, then an estimated 44,000 facial injuries, 16,000 of them severe, caused by dog bites are seen in hospitals each year. The cumulative incidence of facial injuries from dog bites for children to age 14 years is 1.6%. Most of the published advice for preventing dog bite injuries to the face suggests parental diligence in keeping children away from dogs, but options such as choosing dogs less likely to bite children may be more effective.

The incidence of hospital-treated facial injuries from vehicles.

The annual incidence rate of facial injuries from vehicle crashes, 278 per 100,000 residents, was determined from a population-based study involving all Dane County, Wisconsin, hospitals with emergency departments. Applying this figure to the U.S. population yields an estimated 625,000 hospital-treated facial injuries from vehicles occurring in the United States each year. Vehicle crashes were the source of a substantial proportion of facial injuries from all causes, and were found to be the single leading cause of the most severe facial lacerations and facial fractures. The majority of injuries were sustained by drivers and other vehicle occupants, and others by bicyclists, motorcyclists, and pedestrians struck by vehicle. Vehicle occupants' faces were most commonly injured by steering wheels and windshields. Technologies which are thought to protect occupants include airbags and nonlacerating windshields, but neither is available in vehicles currently manufactured for sale in the United States.