On New Year’s holidays, Russians more often than ever turn to doctors with the consequences of careless use of firecrackers, firecrackers and sparklers. The risk of injury is particularly high if instructions and safety precautions are not followed or the product turns out to be defective. At the same time, mistakes in the use of pyrotechnics can cost health. Most often, hands and eyes are injured due to an unsuccessful launch of fireworks.
“Amputated”
“Such injuries are of the type of mine blast injuries. It is conditionally possible to distinguish three stages of damage. The first is the burst moment, when major tissue damage occurs. The second is secondary tissue necrosis. When explosive kinetic energy is transferred to tissues, tissues that initially appear alive continue to “die” for several days. This can greatly increase the damage. For this reason, it is very difficult to restore the fingers that were cut off by an explosion. The third is the subsequent infection. This is especially problematic if the patient neglects the injury, fails to wash and bandage the wounds with antiseptics. There is a high risk of being disabled for life due to the holiday prank. Unfortunately, trauma centers record such cases every year, Aslanbek Ibiev, a traumatologist, orthopedist and surgeon at Lahta Clinic, told socialbites.ca.
The fingers and hands are primarily at risk. Most often due to the explosion of fireworks in the hands.
“The injuries can be so fatal that the doctor can simply cut off the lifeless remains of the fingers and create a stump. Less often there are injuries to the soft tissues of other parts of the body, including the face, for example, Ibiev noted.
He added that setting a bullet on fire from a cigarette is also dangerous – an early explosion is unlikely to lead to death, but the soft tissues of the face can be severely damaged, and if an infection joins the lesion, it will already cause complications, up to death.
Trying to impress others, some set firecrackers and firecrackers on fire and held them in their mouths. And even if these “heroes” are not in the news about the frequent deaths, the survivors have to heal their wounds for a long time.
“Sometimes a person’s fantasy surprises with all sorts of complexity, especially the fantasy of a drunk person. Such cases happen. And if fireworks go off in the mouth, the best result will be a cracked lip and perhaps a broken teeth. Situations where someone managed to get rid of fear should not inspire anyone for such tricks. The consequences of injuries can last a lifetime,” Ibiev warns.
fireworks in your eye
Eyes can also be damaged by pyrotechnics, so don’t hold them in your hands or stand close when launching fireworks.
“An eye-catching bullet will cause a burning or even tearing of the eyeball,” Alexander Kuskov, an ophthalmologist at the I See Eye Microsurgery Center, said in an interview with socialbites.ca.
“According to the International Council of Ophthalmology, people need to quit the job of launching independent fireworks and leave the job to the professionals.
And often random people suffer from fireworks – passers-by who happen to be nearby or stop to look. Between one-third and half of those affected are children, and one-third of injuries result in permanent blindness.
An explosion may occur close to the face due to improper use of fireworks. Injuries to the eye and face are the most tragic, they require surgical treatment, sometimes they are repeated, and then there is a high probability of visual impairment, ”an ophthalmologist and laser surgeon Ksenia Chinenova told socialbites.ca.
But it’s not just fireworks and fireworks that are dangerous.
“Although harmless to many, sparklers that burn very often with flying sparks cause burns to the eyes, sometimes very severe – with burning of the eyelids, cornea, sclera,” Chinenova said.
“First of all, it should be noted that sparklers are a flammable product and can only be used outdoors,” adds Kuskov. – Secondly, before using a Bengal candle, you need to carefully examine its surface. They should not have chips and obvious irregularities – it is better to set aside such candles. When a damaged product is burned, falling parts and sparks of a flammable composition can “shoot” into the eyes and cause a corneal burn. If this happens, urgent help is needed urgently.
Funniest injury ever
However, most often the eyes do not suffer from pyrotechnics, but from the careless opening of a bottle of champagne. From the outside, such an injury looks ridiculous and ridiculous, but can lead to consequences up to complete blindness.
“Traumatologists and ophthalmologists have a strange classification of New Year’s eye injuries. The most fun and at the same time serious injury is getting a champagne cork in the eye.
The most “successful” way to get rid of such an injury is a hematoma, if the blow fell on the eyebrow. But if the fungus “jumped” into the eye, and the victim had condensation in his eyes, there was loss of peripheral vision, a veil or “curtain” appeared, then you need to urgently go to the eye emergency room.
“A fungal injury can cause eyeball contusion with internal bleeding, lens shift, and even retinal detachment,” he said.
“Extremely negative changes occur during eye contusion, because a mushroom strike is a powerful shock wave transmitted to all eye structures: the lens can move, become cloudy – it will have to be removed, an artificial lens must be inserted. The retina can tear and peel off – it will need to be operated on. Bleeding occurs inside the eye – this condition requires daily and long-term treatment. The most unfavorable outcome is the separation of the optic nerve from the shock wave. With such an injury, vision cannot be restored in any way. In many countries, champagne bottles have a warning on the labels of the danger of opening and the need to move the bottle away from you,” Chinenova added.
If there is no blood in the eye, if there is a foreign body and the bruise only causes the appearance of bruising, then the eye should be covered with a clean cloth – for example, a towel – and a cold compress should be applied. But then you should still consult an ophthalmologist and have visual functions checked.
What shall we do?
If someone has been hit by a fireworks explosion, Ibiev says, the first thing to do is to assess the damage and understand how serious the situation is – whether it’s a small superficial wound or burn, or deeper tissues are affected. Then the wound should be washed with a suitable antiseptic.
“It is important to understand that you should not wash the wound with alcohol, including alcoholic beverages – this will also lead to a chemical burn.
Also, do not wash the wound with hydrogen peroxide during jet washing, as the peroxide will only complicate natural hemostasis (stop bleeding) and damage internal structures such as tendons or joints if they are “bare”. Chlorhexidine is enough for the bandage or, for starters, clean water, ”the traumatologist emphasized.
Ways to stop the bleeding depend on the extent of the damage. If this is an ordinary small wound, it is enough to bring the edges together and press with a gauze pad. If the damage is voluminous and blood vessels are affected, it is necessary to apply a tourniquet over the wound.
“A very important point – record the time when applying the tourniquet and point it out to the paramedic. Otherwise, the risks of increasing the volume of the lesion are high due to the lack of blood circulation,” he added.
If the wound is voluminous, it is impossible to reduce the edges and the bleeding does not stop, if the damaged part is dysfunctional – for example, it is not possible to move your hand – then you should consult a doctor. to the doctor as soon as possible. And if there is such an opportunity, it is better not to call an ambulance, but to go to the hospital on your own.
“Calling an ambulance is determined by the patient’s condition and the distance to the on-call hospital. For example, if the victim develops shock from blood loss, the patient is unconscious, an ambulance should be called if the damage is multiple.
For example, if the wound is limited in size, even if your finger is severed, and you can get to the hospital or emergency room with the help of others – it is better to apply a bandage, stop the bleeding and heal. yourself. This will be faster for you and ambulance crews will be able to navigate a harder call.
Unfortunately, practice shows that due to the large number of requests during the holidays, waiting for an ambulance can take several hours, ”explained Ibiev.
If the cut finger itself or another part of the body, especially if the injury occurred on the street, and the meat has come into contact with the reagents in the snow, it should be washed with water or antiseptic and put in a clean bag and another bag filled with ice water and fix the time. There should be no direct contact with the ice – this reduces the chances of recovery.