Characteristics of hand injuries caused by powered wood splitters

Accidents with powered wood splitters cause a distinct group of hand injuries in which the injury spectrum ranges from a minor lesion to mutilating defects. We studied these injuries in order to assess the consequences and estimate the associated costs. A 2-year cohort of patients was retrospectivel...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:The Journal of hand surgery, European volume European volume, 2017-02, Vol.42 (2), p.121-126
Main Authors: Jokihaara, J., Ranta, T. K. P., Leppänen, O. V., Hellevuo, C.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Accidents - statistics & numerical data
Adolescent
Adult
Aged
Aged, 80 and over
Child
Child, Preschool
Cohort Studies
Female
Forestry - instrumentation
Hand Injuries - economics
Hand Injuries - epidemiology
Hand Injuries - pathology
Health Care Costs - statistics & numerical data
Humans
Infant
Male
Middle Aged
Wood
Young Adult
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Accidents with powered wood splitters cause a distinct group of hand injuries in which the injury spectrum ranges from a minor lesion to mutilating defects. We studied these injuries in order to assess the consequences and estimate the associated costs. A 2-year cohort of patients was retrospectively identified from medical records. The details of the injuries and the treatment were collected, and estimates of the resources used were based on hospital billing and the average costs of sick leave and disability. A total of 67 patients were identified and seven of those were children. Most patients sustained a major hand injury and an emergency microsurgical operation was indicated in 40% of patients. The total cost associated with the injuries was estimated at €3.33 million (£2.56 million, US$3.62 million). The treatment of this relatively small number of injuries demands substantial medical resources, and most of the costs are due to sick leave and disability. Level of evidence IV
ISSN:1753-1934
2043-6289
DOI:10.1177/1753193416653282