Increases in Firework-Related Upper Extremity Injuries Correspond to Increasing Firework Sales: An Analysis of 41,195 Injuries Across 10 Years

• Published in: Journal of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons Vol. 29; no. 13; p. e667
• Main Authors: Morrissey, Patrick J, Scheer, Ryan C, Shah, Neil V, Penny, Gregory S, Avoricani, Alba, Koehler, Steven M
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States 01.07.2021
• Subjects: Blast Injuries; Burns; Emergency Service, Hospital; Facial Injuries; Hand; Hand Injuries - epidemiology; Hand Injuries - etiology; Humans; Male; United States - epidemiology; United States
• ISSN: 1940-5480
• DOI: 10.5435/JAAOS-D-20-00201

Between 2008 and 2017, the American Pyrotechnics Association reported a 41% increase in revenue from firework sales, with 2017 showing $885 million US dollars in consumer sales. We sought to evaluate the epidemiology of firework-related upper extremity injuries during this 10-year period, hypothesizing that hand/upper extremity injuries from fireworks were increasing in the United States. Observational epidemiologic assessment of a weighted cohort of patients via the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System from 2008 to 2017. The National Electronic Injury Surveillance System provides a nationwide probability sample of injuries related to consumer products based on emergency department visits collected from a cohort of about 100 US hospitals. A total of 1,079 patients representing an estimated 41,195 firework-related upper extremity injuries presented to US emergency departments from 2008 to 2017. The number of injuries increased significantly from 2,576 in 2008 to 5,101 in 2017 (R2 = 0.85, R = 0.92, P < 0.001). A Spearman rank-order correlation determined that there was a strong, positive correlation between the increase in firework sales and the increase in injuries (rs = 0.939, P < 0.01). The overwhelming majority of firework-related injuries were seen in males (77%) aged 11 to 29 years (48%). The hand and fingers accounted for 85.8% of injuries, with the thumb being the most commonly injured body part (51.3%). Burns were the most common injury across all body sites except the wrist, where fractures were most common. Ten-year firework-related upper extremity injuries increased, corresponding to increased consumer sales across the same period. This study provides previously absent population-level data to provide a framework for discussion among policy makers and physicians alike in an attempt to mitigate the use of fireworks and their associated upper extremity injuries. Level III.