Self-inflicted gunshot wounds: readmission patterns

Self-inflicted gunshot wounds (SI-GSWs) are often fatal, but roughly 20% of individuals survive. What happens to survivors after the initial hospitalization is unknown. We hypothesized that the SI-GSW survivors are frequently readmitted and that the pattern of readmission is different from that of the survivors of non-GSW self-harm (SH). We conducted a retrospective cohort analysis using the 2013 and 2014 Nationwide Readmission Database. Patients with any diagnosis indicating deliberate SH in the first 6 months of the year were included. This group was divided into those who had SI-GSW as their mechanism and those who did not. Weighted numbers are reported. A total of 1987 patients were admitted for SI-GSW in the study period. Many (n = 506, 26%) experienced at least one readmission in 6 months. When compared with non-GSW SH patients, readmission rates were not statistically different (26% versus 26%, P = 0.60). However, readmissions for repeat SH were lower for the SI-GSW cohort (3% versus 7%, P = 0.004). Readmission for the SI-GSW cohort less frequently had a primary diagnosis of psychiatric illness (28% versus 57%, P