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Introduction: The epidemic of gun violence in the United States (US) is exacerbated by frequent mass shootings. In 2021, there were 698 mass shootings in the US, resulting in 705 deaths and 2,830 injuries. This is a companion paper to a publication in JAMA Network Open, in which the nonfatal outcomes of victims of mass shootings have been only partially described.Methods: We gathered clinical and logistic information from 31 hospitals in the US about 403 survivors of 13 mass shootings, each event involving greater than 10 injuries, from 2012-19. Local champions in emergency medicine and trauma surgery provided clinical data from electronic health records within 24 hours of a mass shooting. We organized descriptive statistics of individual-level diagnoses recorded in medical records using International Classification of Diseases codes, according to the Barell Injury Diagnosis Matrix (BIDM), a standardized tool that classifies 12 types of injuries within 36 body regions.Results: Of the 403 patients who were evaluated at a hospital, 364 sustained physical injuries—252 by gunshot wound (GSW) and 112 by non-ballistic trauma—and 39 were uninjured. Fifty patients had 75 psychiatric diagnoses. Nearly 10% of victims came to the hospital for symptoms triggered by, but not directly related to, the shooting, or for exacerbations of underlying conditions. There were 362 gunshot wounds recorded in the Barell Matrix (1.44 per patient). The Emergency Severity Index (ESI) distribution was skewed toward higher acuity than typical for an emergency department (ED), with 15.1% ESI 1 and 17.6% ESI 2 patients. Semi-automatic firearms were used in 100% of these civilian public mass shootings, with 50 total weapons for 13 shootings (Route 91 Harvest Festival, Las Vegas. 24).  Assailant motivations were reported to be associated with hate crimes in 23.1%.Conclusion: Survivors of mass shootings have substantial morbidity and characteristic injury distribution, but 37% of victims had no GSW. Law enforcement, emergency medical systems, and hospital and ED disaster planners can use this information for injury mitigation and public policy planning. The BIDM is useful to organize data regarding gun violence injuries. We call for additional research funding to prevent and mitigate interpersonal firearm injuries, and for the National Violent Death Reporting System to expand tracking of injuries, their sequelae, complications, and societal costs.

ImportanceCivilian public mass shootings (CPMSs) in the US result in substantial injuries. However, the types and consequences of these injuries have not been systematically described.ObjectiveTo describe the injury characteristics, outcomes, and health care burden associated with nonfatal injuries sustained during CPMSs and to better understand the consequences to patients, hospitals, and society at large.Design, setting, and participantsThis retrospective case series of nonfatal injuries from 13 consecutive CPMSs (defined as ≥10 injured individuals) from 31 hospitals in the US from July 20, 2012, to August 31, 2019, used data from trauma logs and medical records to capture injuries, procedures, lengths of stay, functional impairment, disposition, and charges. A total of 403 individuals treated in hospitals within 24 hours of the CPMSs were included in the analysis. Data were analyzed from October 27 to December 5, 2021.ExposuresNonfatal injuries sustained during CPMSs.Main outcomes and measuresInjuries and diagnoses, treating services, procedures, hospital care, and monetary charges.ResultsAmong the 403 individuals included in the study, the median age was 33.0 (IQR, 24.5-48.0 [range, 1 to >89]) years, and 209 (51.9%) were women. Among the 386 patients with race and ethnicity data available, 13 (3.4%) were Asian; 44 (11.4%), Black or African American; 59 (15.3), Hispanic/Latinx; and 270 (69.9%), White. Injuries included 252 gunshot wounds (62.5%) and 112 other injuries (27.8%), and 39 patients (9.7%) had no physical injuries. One hundred seventy-eight individuals (53.1%) arrived by ambulance. Of 494 body regions injured (mean [SD], 1.35 [0.68] per patient), most common included an extremity (282 [57.1%]), abdomen and/or pelvis (66 [13.4%]), head and/or neck (65 [13.2%]), and chest (50 [10.1%]). Overall, 147 individuals (36.5%) were admitted to a hospital, 95 (23.6%) underwent 1 surgical procedure, and 42 (10.4%) underwent multiple procedures (1.82 per patient). Among the 252 patients with gunshot wounds, the most common initial procedures were general and trauma surgery (41 [16.3%]) and orthopedic surgery (36 [14.3%]). In the emergency department, 148 of 364 injured individuals (40.7%) had 199 procedures (1.34 per patient). Median hospital length of stay was 4.0 (IQR, 2.0-7.5) days; for 50 patients in the intensive care unit, 3.0 (IQR, 2.0-8.0) days (13.7% of injuries and 34.0% of admissions). Among 364 injured patients, 160 (44.0%) had functional disability at discharge, with 19 (13.3%) sent to long-term care. The mean (SD) charges per patient were $64 976 ($160 083).Conclusions and relevanceCivilian public mass shootings cause substantial morbidity. For every death, 5.8 individuals are injured. These results suggest that including nonfatal injuries in the overall burden of CPMSs may help inform public policy to prevent and mitigate the harm caused by such events.

To describe the epidemiology and healthcare burden of non-fatally injured victims of mass shootings, and better understand the implications to hospitals, communities and society of those who survive their wounds. Mass shootings in the United States result in significant injuries. The type and consequences of these have not been systematically described. This is a preliminary report of a larger retrospective analysis. We report non-fatal injuries from 18 consecutive mass shootings in the US (2012 -19). Data from trauma logs and medical records captured type, location of injuries, frequency of surgical and ED procedures, hospital and intensive care unit (ICU) lengths of stay (LOS), functional status on discharge, disposition, and index-hospital charges. Two sites thus far report 184 non-fatal injured patients (median age 33, range 18-82), 53% female, 83.3% Caucasian, 7.2% Hispanic, and 6.6% Black, including 61 (33.2%) that were not bullet wounds. Patients arrived by ambulance 42.9% of the time. Of 212 body regions injured (1.15 per patient), most common were extremity (61.3%), head and neck (12.3%), chest (11.8%), and abdomen/pelvis (9.4%). Of all victims, 31.5% (n=58) were admitted, 16.3% had one (n=30), and 4.8% (n=9) had multiple surgeries. In the ED, 32.6% (n=60) had 68 procedures and 64.1% (n=118) were discharged. Median LOS was three days (IQR 1-6) for 58 admitted patients, and five days (IQR 1.5-9) for the 19 ICU patients (10.3% of all injured and 32.8% of admissions). Of admitted patients, 44.8% had functional disability at discharge, with 10.3% sent to rehabilitation and 89.7% home. Mean hospital charges were $56,815 US per patient. Additionally, these sites reported 67 mass shooting fatalities. Mass shootings in the US cause substantial burden to patients, EDs, and society. For every death, there are 2.7 injury victims. Nearly one-third require hospitalization, 1 in 5 require surgeries, and 4 in 10 have functional disability. Most victims are discharged from the ED, but one-third of all patients require ED procedures. Hospital charges are substantial. These results amplify the impact of deaths, and inform public policy efforts to prevent and mitigate harm from mass shootings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]