Explosion injuries in Finland 1991-1995

Background and aims: Explosion injuries have been considered an increasing problem in many countries. This study describes the incidence and significance of injuries of this kind in Finland. Material and Methods: All explosion injuries in the Finnish hospital records from January 1991 to December 1995 were studied. Results: A total of 493 persons (2.0 cases per 100 000 person-years) required hospital treatment for injuries caused by explosions. In addition to the injured, 14 persons died. Causes of the accidents were the following: various unspecified explosions in 32 % of the cases, fireworks in 29 %, explosive materials in 25 %, and explosions of pressure vessels in 13 %. The male to female ratio was 9:1, and the average age of the injured was 30 years. The injury profile showed soft tissue wounds in 26 %, burns in 25 %, ear and eye injuries in 23 %, crush and traumatic amputations in 14 %, fractures in 10 %, and neurological in 2 %. The average in-patient time was 11 days corresponding to altogether 5640 hospital days. Conclusions: Explosion injuries are epidemiologically not a great problem in comparison with all accidents, but neither can they be considered nowadays as a negligible medical problem in Finland.