An Unknown Cause of Agricultural Accidents: Hoeing Machine

Aim: The aim of this study was to evaluate tragic hoeing machine accidents which cause many limb amputations and disability.
Methods: Ten patients, who were gotten to the Emergency Department of Inonu University between March 2012 and September 2016 due to hoeing machine accidents, were examined retrospectively.
Results: During the four years period, ten patients admitted to the ED with a hoeing machine accident. All of them were male. The mean age of patients was 41,3 years and one patient was child(12 years old). The accidents occured in spring, summer season and in the afternoon time mostly(90%). The mean of time spent in ED was 91,9 minutes and the mean of hospitalization period was 32,6 days. The patients had many subtotal amputations or open fractures. All of the patients operated by orthopedics. Limb amputation was performed in four patients. None of the patients died but many of them disabled.
Conclusion: The hoeing machine accidents can cause serious lower extremity injuries. The accidents occur mainly because of misusage the machine by farmers. In order to prevent these accidents, farmers must use the machine according to manufacturer instructions and the patient should be gotten to equipped trauma centers.