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Objectives: Improving knowledge on the epidemiology and analysing the prognostic factors of severity for injuries caused by fighting bulls in Spain, Portugal and southern France.
Methods: Observational retrospective study including 1239 patients with a reported history of bull horn injuries between January 2012 and November 2019 in Spain, Portugal or southern France.
Results: The mean accident rate was 9.13% and the mortality rate was 0.48%. The most frequent mechanism of trauma was goring, and the commonest locations of the lesions were thigh and groin. Vascular lesion was found in 20% of thigh/groin gorings. Prognostic factors of severity were vascular lesion, head trauma, fracture, goring injuries and age of the animal. The most reliable prognostic factors of mortality were vascular lesion and goring in the back.
Conclusion: Lesions caused by fighting bulls are common in the bullfighting events held in Spain, Portugal and southern France. Although the mortality rate is low, there is a higher morbidity rate, which is conditioned by vascular lesion. All medical teams should include a surgeon experienced in vascular surgery and an anaesthesiologist.
