Injuries to amateur participants in traditional bullfighting festivals.

Introduction: To identify the different types of injuries occurred during activities for the general public involving bulls. We analyze the conditions in which these injuries occurred, radiological examinations performed, treatment and complications.

Method: We present a 10-year retrospective study examining 107 patients who came to the Emergency Department of our hospital with pathologies associated with bulls or bull calves over a period of 10years. We evaluated patient age and sex, exposure to toxic substances, period of the year in which the lesions occurred, type of injury (open, closed or mixed lesions), hospital stay, transfer to another hospital, treatment and complications.

Results: A total of 107 patients (98 males and 9 females), with a mean age of 41.68years, were treated for injuries in popular bull festivals. 77.57% of the injuries occurred during the months of July, August and September. 95 out of the 107 patients (88.78%) were hospitalized. The total number of injuries included: 91 open wounds, 10 bruises, 27 fractures and 5 traumatic brain injuries. 83 injuries (62.40%) affected the lower limbs and perineum. The treatment received was: suture (2), Friedreich (69), hematoma drainage (1), orthopedic surgery (5), exploratory laparotomy (6) and neurosurgery (1). Two patients died.

Conclusions: Injuries occurring during traditional bull-related festivals are different in patients with open wounds from patients who suffer blunt trauma. The pathogenesis of these injuries must be understood in order to improve patient survival.