Playing with fire and getting burnt—a retrospective analysis of injuries presenting to the emergency department during ‘firework season’ (original) (raw)
Related papers
The ten-year experience of firework injuries treated at a uk regional burns & plastic surgery unit
Annals of burns and fire disasters, 2018
Fireworks are used worldwide to celebrate national, religious, cultural festivals and holidays. However the use of fireworks is associated with preventable injuries. We aim to review cases of burns and trauma caused by fireworks presenting to a regional burns and plastic surgery unit in the United Kingdom. We hope our findings will help to guide future firework-related safety practices in the UK. A retrospective review was performed of all patients presenting to our tertiary burns and plastic surgery unit with burns and/or trauma sustained from fireworks over a ten-year period from October 2004 to October 2014. A total of 93 patients were identified. Medical case notes were reviewed, patient demographics, aetiology of injury, management and patient outcomes were recorded. A cohort of 93 patients with burn injuries caused by fireworks were identified from our database. A total of 74% injuries occurred in October and November. Mechanism of injury included contact, flash, flame burns a...
Deaths and hospitalisation from fireworks injuries
Injury Control and Safety Promotion, 2000
statement of the problem Little is known about the severity of fireworks injuries and no international reviews have been conducted. This study aimed to document and describe the severity of fireworks injuries and the implications for prevention in several countries. method This retrospective epidemiological study of fireworks-related deaths and hospitalisations obtained injury surveillance data and vital statistics from Australia, the Netherlands, New Zealand and the United States. Of three further countries approached, none was able to supply the full dataset. results From 1991 to 1995, there were 22 deaths involving fireworks in the United States, 5 in the Netherlands and none in Australia or New Zealand. Except in 1994, the Netherlands had higher admission rates from fireworks injuries than Australia, New Zealand and the United States. Overall, Australia experienced the lowest admission rates. Australian injuries may also have been less severe. Males and children <15 years of age accounted for most admissions. Fatal injuries were mostly to males aged 15-44 years. conclusions Deaths from fireworks injuries are rare in Australia and New Zealand. Differences in rates and in some characteristics of admitted cases were observed between countries. This study should serve as a benchmark and a pilot to future studies. International comparisons will require enhanced epidemiological data, possibly by collaborative prospective data collection, with appropriate quality control, rather than routinely collected data. Such studies should include developing countries, where the manufacture and use of fireworks is widespread. Since differences may relate to regulatory control and exposure, these should be documented.
Injuries associated with fireworks in Victoria: an epidemiological overview
Injury Prevention, 1998
Objectives-To determine the epidemiological features of injuries associated with fireworks. Design-A retrospective study of reported cases. Subjects-Subjects were those who attended selected Victorian hospital emergency departments (n=17) and those admitted for firework related injuries (n=16). Results-The mean (SD) age of attenders at emergency department between January 1988 and June 1996, was 8.9 (6.2) years and most (88%) were under 18 years of age. Males accounted for 71% of the cases. The most common anatomical sites and types of injury were head (47%) and burns (88%), respectively. About 53% of the injuries were caused by firecrackers, the remainder by sparklers and penny bangers. Among those admitted to hospital between July 1987 and June 1996, the mean (SD) age was 22.9 (14.8) years and 50% were under 18 years of age. Males accounted for 87% of the cases. There was a significant diVerence in mean age between those admitted and not admitted to hospital, the former being significantly older. Conclusions-Although relatively rare, injuries from fireworks still occur in Victoria after legislative restrictions on their sale in 1985. Consequently, there is a potential risk for injuries among children, particularly from firecrackers. More enforcement of the regulations, education, and parental supervision are needed to prevent injuries from fireworks.
PLOS ONE, 2020
Objective People in the Netherlands are legally allowed to celebrate New Year's Eve with consumer fireworks. The aim of this study was to provide detailed information about the patient and injury characteristics, medical and societal costs, and clinical and functional outcome in patients with injuries resulting from this tradition. Methods A multicenter, prospective, observational case series performed in the Southwest Netherlands trauma region, which reflects 15% of the country and includes a level I trauma center, a specialized burn center, a specialized eye hospital, and 13 general hospitals. All patients with any injury caused by consumer fireworks, treated at a Dutch hospital between December 1, 2017 and January 31, 2018, were eligible for inclusion. Exclusion criteria were unknown contact information or insufficient understanding of Dutch or English language. The primary outcome measure was injury characteristics. Secondary outcome measures included treatment, direct medical and indirect societal costs, and clinical and functional outcome until one year after trauma. Results 54 out of 63 eligible patients agreed to participate in this study. The majority were males (N = 50; 93%), 50% were children below 16 years of age, and 46% were bystanders. Injuries were mainly located to the upper extremity or eyes, and were mostly burns (N = 38; 48%) of partial thickness (N = 32; 84%). Fifteen (28%) patients were admitted and 11 (20%) patients needed
Injuries Associated with Fireworks – a Real Threat Among Children Population
Jurnalul Pediatrului, 2020
People use fireworks to celebrate religious and other holidays in many countries around the world. Fireworks have been banned in a lot of countries but still pose a high potential risk of injuries, especially among male children. Hands and fingers sustain the largest number of injuries followed by legs, then eye injuries. In addition, the lesions from fireworks can be "life-changing" if it occurs on someone's dominant hand, which may never regain its original function if the injury is very severe, or if it produces loss of vision.
US emergency department visits for fireworks injuries, 2006-2010
The Journal of surgical research, 2014
Keywords: Emergency department Fireworks NEDS Injury a b s t r a c t Background: Most literature regarding fireworks injuries are from outside the United States, whereas US-based reports focus primarily on children and are based on datasets which cannot provide accurate estimates for subgroups of the US population. Methods: The 2006e2010 Nationwide Emergency Department Sample was used to identify patients with fireworks injury using International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification external cause of injury code E923.0. International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification diagnosis codes were examined to determine the mechanism, type, and location of injury. Sampling weights were applied during analysis to obtain US population estimates. Results: There were 25,691 emergency department visits for fireworks-related injuries between 2006 and 2010. There was no consistent trend in annual injury rates during the 5-y
International Journal of Forensic Medical Investigation, 2016
Firecrackers are explosives that differ in types and potency. They have the potential to cause devastating hand injuries. Blast related injuries from firecrackers have become increasingly frequent in our practice. The study involved a series of hand injury cases that had been managed in two hospitals from Jan. 1, 2015 to Dec. 31, 2015 and was aimed at highlighting the patterns of devastating hand injuries to the dominant hands of young patients who might have sustained these injuries in the euphoria of celebrations.Commercially available fireworks are often erroneously regarded as harmless, compared to combat ammunition, but our experience demonstrates their real potential for devastating hand injuries.
Firework-related hand injuries: A novel classification system
The American journal of emergency medicine, 2017
The other authors declare that they have no conflict of interest. ★ This study was approved by the Institutional Review Board at the University of Southern California (reference number HS-15-00257). All procedures followed were in accordance with the ethical standards of the responsible committee on human experimentation (institutional and national) and with the Helsinki Declaration of 1975, as revised in 2008 (5). ★★ Informed consent was obtained from all patients for being included in the study.
Profile and management of the firework-injured hand
Background: Numerous studies internationally highlight the devastating effects of firework-related injuries and the costs involved in treating these injuries, in addition to the calls to alter legislation to prevent these injuries from occurring. There has, however, been a paucity of research studies in the South African context that describes the complexity of the injuries sustained. The aim of this study was thus to profile the firework-injured hand and to review the management from a surgical and rehabilitation perspective. Methods: A retrospective file audit was conducted on patients who had sustained firework injuries between 2009 and 2014 (n = 65) in two hospitals in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN), South Africa. Results: The firework-injured hand has a varied profile, which appears to be dependent on the blast capacity. The thumb, index and middle fingers were predominantly affected at the level of the distal phalanges and distal interphalangeal joints resulting in amputation due to severe soft tissue injury and resultant fractures. Hand Injury Severity Scores indicated a large percentage of cases within the severe category. Medical and surgical interventions occurred within the first three to six hours post-injury and involved washout, cleaning, debridement and suturing. Formalisation of amputation was the predominant course of action. Rehabilitation was focused on assessment and hand therapy to ensure functional outcomes. Conclusions: From this study, the authors conclude that the firework-injured hand should be managed according to the resultant diagnosis, be it an amputation, fracture, or soft tissue injury, whilst managing the symptoms of oedema, pain and stiffness, which will all impact on hand function outcomes.