(195) Facial Fractures in Emergency Departments Caused by Intimate Partner Violence

Introduction: Intimate partner violence (IPV) results in thousands of emergency department (ED) visits each year, primarily among women. The goal of this study is to better characterize epidemiologic trends of IPV-related facial fractures to help providers recognize these injuries and identify populations disproportionately affected.

Methods: The National Electronic Injury Surveillance System-All Injury Program (NEISS-AIP) was queried for fractures of the face from the years 2016 to 2020. IPV was defined as assault by a spouse or partner. Frequencies of age, race, precipitating cause of injury, location of injury, and disposition were determined. Statistical analysis was conducted to compare these variables with gender.

Results: Females were more likely to incur facial fracture because of IPV than males (n=815 vs n=102) and at a significantly younger age (32.9 vs 38.4, p< 0.001). Among males, Black men were more likely to be the victim of a facial fracture due to IPV than their white counterparts (44.1% vs 24.5%). However, among females, white women were slightly more likely to be victims of facial fracture than Black women (28.7% vs 27.7%). The most common precipitating cause of facial fracture across both genders was being struck by or against a blunt object, which made up 97.3% of injuries among women and 91.2% among men. Men and women had similar dispositions following their ED visit, with 79.4% vs 81.2% being treated and released, 11.8% vs 12.8% being hospitalized, and 2.9% vs 2.2% being held for observation.

Conclusions: Females are more likely than males to present to the ED with facial fracture caused by IPV, and at a significantly younger age than men. Men can also be victims of IPV, and the mechanism of injury often differs from that of women. Similar disposition rates between men and women suggest that these injuries may be of similar severity across genders.