Grinder Injury of the Hand: A Rare but Devastating Occupational Hazard

Abstract

Food handlers and workers are exposed to several occupational hazards not frequented by the general population. Grinder injuries of the hand present a devastating consequence of industrial food processing that is infrequently described. Herein, we describe two cases that presented to our department with meat grinder injuries of the hand.

Meat grinder hand injury; case report

“…Our hands are an integral part of our existence. They are not only crucial for physical and psychological growth but also for our appearances and professional careers [4] . Meat grinder hand injuries are uncommon, but when they do occur, they cause gruesome and possibly irreversible injuries in young active patients [5] .…”

“…The most important aspect in the treatment of these injuries is the safe removal of the trapped hand from the grinder without causing further damage. The most typical way used to extract the hand in the literature review is to reverse spin the grinder using an adjustable wrench or Rongeur until the damaged hand is freed [1] , [4] , [5] , [7] . In our case, a metal cutting circular saw was used to cut the meat grinder into two parts, normal saline was used to keep to saw from overheating, an osteotome was inserted just above hand within the meat grinder to prevent additional injury to the hand, this technique is less time consuming and less likely to inflict further hand injuries.…”

Handy extrication methods for meat grinder injuries: a case series

“…1a and 2a). Case reports describe the extrication of affected limbs by reversing the ‘worm’ mechanism within the grinder, 2,3 by turning the handle or shank counter‐clockwise with an appropriate tool (e.g., adjustable wrench) 4,5 . Often this is not possible due to the degree of insertion of the limb into the grinder mechanism.…”

“…Ultimately, prevention of these injuries is critical. Training is essential to ensure hands are not used in lieu of appropriately safe plungers 5 …”

“…Training is essential to ensure hands are not used in lieu of appropriately safe plungers. 5 Meat grinder injuries can have severe functional consequences. This case series describes an alternative means to extrication of limbs trapped in meat grinders for use when traditionally described methods are not effective.…”