Accidents in agriculture involving muscle skeletal system in children. Analysis based on hospitalization in the Paediatric Orthopaedics and Rehabilitation Department University Children’s Hospital in 2010-2019

Abstract

Introduction. Accidents in agriculture involving children happen every year. They are attributable to a lack of safety and low awareness of caretakers, who oftentimes don’t pay enough attention to the little ones. Injuries in agriculture involve mainly falls from great heights: ladders, trailers, tractors; crushing by various types of agricultural machinery; partial or complete amputations within the regions of upper and lower limbs: amputations of feet or fingers. Those cases often include multi-tissue damages, which means that in addition to bone fractures, there might also occur other concurrent injuries like interstitial infections, crushing, neurovascular damages, or soft tissue damage. Material and Methods. In the years 2010-2019 there were 207 patients hospitalized in the Paediatric Orthopaedics and Rehabilitation Department of University Children’s Hospital in Lublin due to accidents in agriculture. Patients who suffered bone injuries, either caused by falling from heights or falling from agricultural machines, constitute the majority of the total 207 cases. The second case in terms of frequency, were the children whose limbs got stuck, or struck, by moving parts of agricultural machines and devices, which resulted in amputations at different levels. The third group consisted of patients crushed by agricultural machines or livestock. Results. The following data indicate a gradual decrease in the number of children requiring hospitalization. Between 2010 and 2019 there was a year-onyear decrease of 38.4%. Conclusions. After the analysis of causes and mechanisms of the injuries mentioned before, we conclude that the vast of these accidents could have been avoided if the caretakers looked after children with due attention, and the children were not allowed in the vicinity of currently functioning agricultural machines.