Snowblower Injuries to the Hand: A Longitudinal Study.

Abstract

The aim of our study is to understand the types of injuries patients experience from snowblowers, along with their treatment, and outcomes. Snowblower injuries at a level one trauma center were identified over a 10-year period. Mechanism, injury, treatment, and follow-up were recorded from the medical record, and functional outcomes via QuickDASH were collected when available. Of 52 patients, 94% were male with an average age of 50 years and 83% of patients sustained the injury by unclogging the machine. All patients required partial revision amputation and/or closure; 43% of patients underwent surgery with 18% requiring reoperation. Seven patients were interviewed and reported varying limitations. The injuries in our cohort were universally severe, often leading to amputation and surgery. Further studies are needed to better characterize the resulting degree of disability.