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Seriously injured by fireworks: male risk group

Broken bones, amputated fingers, post-traumatic stress disorder: Injuries caused by fireworks can end badly. The Trauma Hospital in Berlin has analyzed data on this since the mid-noughties.

,   and  Lauren Adams
3 min read
View of the Unfallkrankenhaus Berlin in the Marzahn district. Photo.aussiedlerbote.de
View of the Unfallkrankenhaus Berlin in the Marzahn district. Photo.aussiedlerbote.de

Clinic details - Seriously injured by fireworks: male risk group

According to data from Unfallkrankenhaus Berlin (UKB), those seriously injured by fireworks in Berlin are conspicuously often male. "97 percent of firework victims are men," according to a UKB analysis of around 150 patients who were treated as inpatients there for serious hand injuries around the turn of the year from 2005/06 to 2022/23. "They use firecrackers and fireworks more frequently and are more prone to risky behavior when lighting them than women," say experts from the Department of Hand, Replantation and Microsurgery. Alcohol consumption also plays a major role.

According to UKB experience,injuries among children and adolescents tend to accumulate from New Year's morning onwards. The doctors explain this phenomenon on the days after New Year's Eve by the fact that children find unexploded bombs on streets and squares and try to set them off. "This is particularly dangerous, as they can explode unexpectedly quickly if the fuse is partially lit, for example," says the analysis.

Complex injuries from firecrackers - also psychological

It stands to reason that if something goes wrong when handling firecrackers and rockets, it often affects the hands. According to the UKB, the spectrum ranges from superficial burns and wounds to dislocations and broken bones, tendon, vascular and nerve injuries through to amputations and destruction of the entire hand. "Other areas of the body at risk are the face, eyes and ears."

It can become risky, for example, when reigniting or if firecrackers and fireworks are not thrown out of the hands quickly enough, as the clinic's experience shows. "Illegal and uncertified firecrackers and explosives or even homemade explosives often lead to particularly serious injuries."

On average, the affected patients were treated on the ward for around ten days, with some of them requiring multiple operations. "One patient even required 12 operations before all injuries were finally treated," it said. According to the evaluation, numerous patients lost fingers or parts of them. An entire hand had to be amputated once during the period because of fireworks.

"In addition to the external injuries, the psychological consequences are often considerable," the doctors write. "As part of the severe traumatization caused by the explosion, almost a quarter of patients were diagnosed and treated for post-traumatic stress disorder during their inpatient stay."

Preparations underway for New Year's Eve

Hospitals are also preparing for New Year's Eve 2023/24. The municipal Vivantes hospitals, for example, are preparing for "a large influx of injuries of all kinds and intoxications of all kinds", according to an inquiry. Intoxications are poisonings, for example with alcohol. At those Vivantes clinics that also treat seriously injured patients, precautions are being taken: with corresponding reinforcements of the rescue teams, depending on the location.

The Unfallkrankenhaus is significantly increasing its operating capacities on New Year's Eve, according to a spokesperson. "We assume that operations will be carried out continuously from 3.00 a.m. until late New Year's Eve."

In the data analysis, the UKB advocates starting education about firecracker injuries at school and in training. One of the many pieces of advice is: "If alcohol is involved: keep your hands off fireworks. Alcohol makes you careless." Unexploded fireworks should be cleared away and disposed of so that they do not accidentally fall into the hands of children.

According to the evaluation, a total of almost 1000 people were treated at the UKB in Marzahn for injuries caused by rockets, firecrackers and other types of pyrotechnics during the period in question. However, the majority of them did not suffer injuries serious enough to require surgery or inpatient treatment.

Read also:

  1. Despite the higher risk, women are generally less likely to seek medical attention for fireworks-related injuries, making them an underrepresented group in UKB's data.
  2. The use of fireworks and firecrackers among women is not only less frequent but also tends to be more cautious, reducing their risk of severe injury.
  3. Healthcare providers in Berlin report a noticeable increase in fireworks-related injuries among children, often involving bone fractures and other physical harm.
  4. The health sector in Berlin, including hospitals like Unfallkrankenhaus Berlin, intensifies its preparations before New Year's Eve to address the expected surge in injuries and intoxications.
  5. Medicines such as painkillers and antidepressants might be required to manage the physical and psychological consequences of fireworks injuries in both men and women, depending on the severity of the incidents.
  6. Men, children, and women form distinct risk groups for fireworks injuries, with men and children showing higher rates of severe injuries and psychological trauma, respectively.

Source: www.stern.de

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