Epidemiology, treatment, costs, and long-term outcomes of patients with fireworks-related injuries (ROCKET); a multicenter prospective observational case series

Abstract

ObjectivePeople 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. MethodsA 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. Results54 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 PLOS ONEPLOS ONE | https://doi.org/10.

Injuries, treatment, and impairment caused by different types of fireworks; results of a 10 year multicenter retrospective cohort study

“…Whether this impairment also results into a functional impairment has not been investigated extensively. Previous research found limited reduced quality of life and functional outcome 1 year after trauma the reported [ 3 ].…”

“…Worldwide fireworks are used to invigorate joyful events, such as New Year's Eve. However, despite their spectacular visible and audible effects, they can cause severe injuries, such as burns, eye injuries, and amputations [1][2][3]. These injuries can have devastating effects, with lifelong consequences as a result.…”

“…This number has been decreasing since 2012, to approximately 400 patients in 2019-2020 [4]. Most of them were young males, with in particular burns of the upper extremity or eye injuries [1,3,[5][6][7].…”

Verletzungen, Behandlung und bleibende Schäden durch verschiedene Arten von Feuerwerkskörpern; Ergebnisse einer 10-jährigen multizentrischen retrospektiven Kohortenstudie

“…Auf der ganzen Welt werden Feuerwerkskörper eingesetzt, um der Freude über frohe Ereignisse, wie etwa Silvester, Ausdruck zu verleihen. Sie können jedoch trotz ihrer spektakulären visuellen und akustischen Effekte schwere Verletzungen wie Verbrennungen, Augenverletzungen und Amputationen verursachen [1-3]. Derartige Verletzungen können verheerende Auswirkungen und lebenslange Schäden zur Folge haben.…”

“…Seit 2012 ist diese Zahl auf etwa 400 Patienten in 2019–2020 zurückgegangen [4]. Meist handelte es sich um junge Männer vor allem mit Verbrennungen der oberen Extremitäten oder Augenverletzungen [1, 3, 5-7].…”