New year’s eve in the emergency room: Doctors reveal typical and unusual accidents

As loud and colorful: The fireworks and the Böllerei is one of many people’s new year’s eve. The other side shows each year in hospitals on new year’s day. Doctors report that typical and curious accidents.

You fire rockets out of your Hand. Firecrackers thrown out of the window. Explosive import powerful pyrotechnics from abroad. To collect for new year’s day dud. Or hold firecrackers as a test of courage extra-long in the Hand. Not only under the influence of alcohol blast-friends come and new year’s eve ideas. "The male experimentation there are no limits to gesetzt", Angela Kijewski, spokeswoman for the Accident hospital Berlin (UKB) says. She speaks from bitter experience: once a year new year’s eve provides full emergency rooms. Doctors treat not only the Amateur pyrotechnician after accidents, but also accident victims.

More than 800 eye injuries caused by pyrotechnics

The children especially, as experts reports. Their share among the new year’s eve have injured in the past few years, with eye and ear injuries increased, – said the chief doctor of the emergency Department of the Virchow-Klinikum of the Charité hospital in Berlin, Tobias Lindner. Thus, for example, hit-throws, which lead to explosions close to the face or the ear. Victims in such cases, there is no Chance, says the physician. German eye clinics have reported around new year’s eve of the previous two years, respectively, far more than 800 injuries to the eye by pyrotechnics, such as the German ophthalmological society announced.

The first accident victim to see the emergency Teams already in front of the 31. December – as soon as fireworks stands for sale, such as Lindner says. On new year’s eve, the influx of casualties, no more tears from shortly after midnight on so quickly. On new year’s day is still a lot of drag in the emergency Department, assessed their injury in the night. Double crew in the surgery and when the nurses are around the Virchow-Klinikum.

Problem: Illegal Poland Firecrackers

That people do not survive the happy New year in Germany once again, in Brandenburg alone, there were last new year’s eve, two Dead by fire. In addition to self-built fireworks are also not over-the-counter products, such as bullet-bombs, which are intended for professional fireworks have led this country to the death or serious injury in relatively young men. "The serious injuries happen almost exclusively with illegal firecrackers, the so-called Poland, firecrackers, or to put in there Feuerwerk", stresses Kijewski.

The gender of the vast majority of victims: tests of courage unites and Specify with fireworks, as well as lack of security, according to the experts it tends to be men thing. Lindner referred to the "Straßenkampf" with firecrackers and rockets in some of Berlin’s corners as a purely male domain. Of "Gehabe" especially in the case of male adolescents more doctors speak. Women would be violated, if at all, by other fired a blast that is also confirmed by the UKB.

"Yikes, Yes gezündet&quot not;

Often people come to Lindner’s experience with minor injuries such as burns in the emergency room. This can occur due to carelessness when Handling fireworks, when the reaction capacity is restricted by alcohol, and if appropriate also still cold less feeling in the fingers. To deep burns or bone fractures may occur, when the rockets face or body meet. "The people bend over the fireworks – "yikes, has not gezündet", Kijewski explains.

The President of the German society for accident surgery, Joachim Windolf, it is called injury due to firecrackers, the typical new year’s eve. Some patients may be deceiving, despite several weeks of treatment permanent damage, he says. It’s going to be a permanent limitation of movement of the Hand and broken as well as whole or in Parts, blasted fingers. Also, facial scars can remind us of the misadventures.

Pop trauma in ENT Doctors

The pressure wave from a firecracker Explosion near the Hand does not have to inevitably leave bleeding wounds or burned skin. It could also be on the inside tissue is destroyed, warns Windolf. It swelling pointed. To go in a timely manner to the experts, is important, says the Director of the clinic for trauma and hand surgery on the University hospital Düsseldorf. A part of the patients but "but then somehow Glück", he says.

In addition, so-called pop worry trauma in ENT Physicians for work: "A certain ringing in the ears, numbness, and you don’t know if it goes away in an hour or two, which is often, or whether it is a more severe injury is treated muss", explains Lindner. Usually pain pointed to in the ear, for example, on a drum-violation – up to its decay, the worse choice is to wait then.

Lindner finds that fireworks are already alone due to targeted attacks on rescue workers as in the previous year in Berlin in the hands of a wide Public. "You should focus on beautiful fireworks, which will be made available to the Public, so that it is the common experience hat", he says. The "Straßenkampf" however, you should prevent.

Physicians Windolf, however, considers fireworks ban in a "free Gesellschaft" not for goal leader: May the people be used only to dangerous illegal firecrackers, with worse consequences, he feared – and relies on reconnaissance.