Hospital study: The number of patients presenting at a Dublin hospital with firearm injuries has increased almost fourfold over the past four years, a study has found.
In the year 2000 four such patients were treated at Connolly Hospital in Blanchardstown but last year the number of cases rose to 14. The majority were young men and in most cases the weapon which caused their injury was a shotgun, although injuries from handguns is on the increase.
The study was carried out by Ruairí Mac Niocaill, a registrar in orthopaedics, who worked at the hospital for a period before moving on to Tallaght Hospital.
He found the treatment of patients who receive firearm injuries is "resource intensive" and a wide range of expertise is required. One patient needed surgery more than 20 times and treatment in an individual case cost in excess of €10,000. One of those injured had to remain in hospital for 51 days.
"We need to look at whether people need to travel abroad to get greater experience in dealing with these type of injuries," the doctor said.
He found 38 patients presented at Connolly Hospital with firearm injuries on 40 occasions between January 2000 and April 2005. Two individuals were shot on two separate occasions.
Four people who were shot were taken to the hospital in 2000, one in 2001, five in 2002, 11 in 2003 and 14 in 2004. A further two cases were treated in the first four months of this year.
"This represents a substantial increase when compared to a 1985 study which identified 21 firearm incidents over a 10-year period in the 1970s in a similar Dublin population," Mr Mac Niocaill said. All of the patients who were admitted to Blanchardstown hospital in this latest study survived. Seven of the patients who had been shot were brought in dead or died in A&E.
A number had to be transferred to other hospitals.
Over half the patients admitted required the specialist treatment of a general surgeon, 34 per cent required an orthopaedic surgeon, 22 per cent a plastic surgeon, 7 per cent an ophthalmologist, 5 per cent a urologist, and 10 per cent required input from other specialities including cardio-thoracic surgery, maxillo-facial surgery, neurosurgery and psychiatry.
"This study shows that the number of firearm injuries is increasing and that the care of these injuries is a complex and resource intensive task that requires a multidisciplinary approach and the availability of a wide range of speciality services," he said.
The weapon used in 26 cases was a shotgun, a pistol was used in 11 cases and a nail-gun was used in one case. The full records of two patients could not be retrieved.
"All but two cases were intentional and none represented suicide or parasuicide," he said.
The study will be presented at the annual European Society for Emergency Medicine and American Society for Emergency Medicine in Nice next month.