Lawnmowers cause children serious injuries of the extremities requiring surgical treatment

Background Pediatric lawnmower injuries are rare but often severe.

Methods The study included children under 13 years of age treated at Oulu university hospital between 2009 and 2023 for lawnmower-related extremity injuries requiring surgical treatment. Injury risk factors, treatment, and outcomes were analyzed, and the incidence was determined.

Results A total of 10 patients were included in the study. The majority of accidents (8/10) were caused by ride-on lawnmowers, and none of the injured children were operating the mower. Nine of the accidents occurred in home yards during the summer months. There were no adult witnesses other than the lawnmower operator; in two cases only children were mowing the lawn. The mean annual incidence was 1.1 cases per 100,000 children at risk. The median age of the patients was 4 years. All patients had multiple injuries: seven limb crush injuries, six open fractures, three tendon injuries, and one perineal laceration in addition to the extremity injury. Seven patients required limb amputation.

Conclusions Lawnmower accidents cause severe injuries to children, most of which could be prevented by following safety guidelines.

Aino Koskimäki, Juha-Jaakko Sinikumpu