The median duration of hospital stay in this study was found to be longer than that reported by other authors [3,9]. This can be explained by large number of patients with postoperative complications which usually need long duration of hospitalization. The present study had a mortality rate of 11.2%, which is higher than the rate quoted by Manilal Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical et al. [9]. Factors responsible for the high mortality rate in our study were associated co-morbidities, delayed presentation and presence of complications. In our study, the cut throat injuries were successfully without complications in 89.7% of cases which is similar to other studies reported elsewhere [9,11]. Self discharge by

patient against medical advice is recognized problem in our setting and this is rampant, especially Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical amongst surgical patients. Similarly, poor follow up visits

after discharge from hospitals remain a cause for concern. In the present study, only 36.8% of survivors were available for follow up which is in keeping with other studies done in developing countries [3,9,11]. The potential limitation of this study is the fact that information about some patients was incomplete in view of the retrospective nature of the study. This might have introduced some bias in our buy BIBR 1532 findings. Conclusions Cut throat injuries have become a major cause of morbidity and mortality among young Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical males in our society where resources for prehospital and hospital trauma care Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical are limited. High rates of unemployment, poor socio-economic status, poor education, poverty and substance abuse have been reported to be responsible for these injuries in our society. Addressing the root causes of violence such as poverty, unemployment, Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical and substance abuse will reduce the incidence of cut throat injuries in our environment. Establishment of efficient emergency health

care services for pre-hospital care and effective ambulance system for rapid transport of injured victims to hospital will reduce morbidity and mortality associated with these injuries. Competing interests The authors declare that they have no competing interests. Authors’ contributions JMG conceived the study, participated in the design and coordination of the study and drafted the manuscript. KAH and PLC of contributed in study design, literature search, data analysis, manuscript writing and editing. In addition PLC submitted the manuscript. All the authors read and approved the final manuscript. Pre-publication history The pre-publication history for this paper can be accessed here: http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-227X/14/1/prepub Acknowledgements We are grateful to the Senior House Officers in the department of Surgery for their support in data collection. We also like to thank all members of staff in Medical Record department for their cordial help and support in data collection during this study.