Scythe Injuries to Lower Limbs, a Preventable Health Problem

Abstract

Introduction: Scythe injuries represent a significant public health issue, with patients affected either for not using personal protective equipment or for not knowing how to use it effectively.
Objective: To characterize patients who received treatment for lower limb injuries caused by scything at a second-level hospital.
Materials and methods: A descriptive and retrospective observational study of patients seen from January 1, 2019, to August 31, 2020, was conducted.
Results: We obtained 63 patients with scythe injuries, all male and aged between 15 and 74 years, with 18.84% classified as occupational accidents. The areas most affected were the foot (63.49%), ankle (9.54%), leg (25.39%), and knee (1.58%). Of the patients, 74.62% required surgery and osteosynthesis. The most frequent complications were amputation (7.93%) and surgical site infection (1.50%); however, the remaining 92.06% had no complications. The consequences presented were limb loss, limping, and gait impairment. Only 1.72% of them had used personal protective equipment.
Conclusions: The use of personal protective equipment, education in the proper use of scythes, and instruction in the handling of scythes would reduce the traumas associated with this activity.