Three times the injuries among occasional wood cutters compared to professional loggers: sample of emergency rooms in central and northern Wisconsin.

Background: No reliable statistics exist for injury rates among occasional woodcutters as opposed to professional loggers. Study objectives were to assess woodcutting injuries seen in emergency rooms and identify risk factors.

Methods: Individuals with woodcutting related injuries were identified in 14 emergency and urgent care departments in central and northern Wisconsin.

Assessment of personal protective equipment use among Midwestern farmers.

Background: Personal protective equipment (PPE) is readily available and widely recommended, yet usage among agricultural workers is largely unknown.

Methods: A mail survey of 2,483 farmers in six Midwestern states with telephone follow-up addressed PPE usage related to sun exposure, noise abatement, chain saw usage, welding and metal work, handling of large animals in and out of confinement facilities, feed handling, manure storage facilities, and mixing and applying chemicals. Summary statistics of survey responses were compiled.

Short- and long-term survival after cardiopulmonary resuscitation.

Background: The objective was to evaluate the effect of patient characteristics and other factors on cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) survival, hospital discharge survival and function, and long-term survival.

Methods: All patients 18 years and older experiencing in-hospital CPR from December 1983 through November 1991 at Marshfield Medical Center (Marshfield Clinic and adjoining St Joseph's Hospital), Marshfield, Wis, were selected. We performed a retrospective medical record review and augmented these data with updated vital status information.

Relationship of gender to characteristics of patients referred to a Rural Wisconsin Addiction Treatment Unit.

The records of admissions to the inpatient unit of a Rural Wisconsin Addiction Treatment Unit were reviewed, in 1995, for the prior four years (January 1, 1990 through December 31, 1993). After approval by the Institutional Review Board of the Marshfield Medical Research Foundation, the combined medical records were abstracted for presenting information related to social, psychological and medical components. During the four years of observation, there were 821 unique admissions of which 555 (67.

A self-assessment of Wisconsin prehospital provider needs.

Introduction: The pressures facing emergency medical services (EMS) in Wisconsin and their effects on the delivery of prehospital emergency medical care were not known by the Wisconsin EMS Board. In an effort to assess these pressures and the needs of the emergency medical services in the State as perceived by the services, the Board undertook a survey of the EMS providers in Wisconsin.

Methods: A survey instrument was developed and approved by the EMS Board and distributed to all of the licensed emergency medical services in Wisconsin.

Case-control study of agricultural injuries to women in central Wisconsin.

A small number of women are the owner/operators of farms and women often participate in the work of production agriculture. Estimates of the percentage of females involved in agricultural injuries range from 11-45% and it is not clear if the risk factors associated with injuries to women are different from those for men. In a two year case-control study of injuries to farm residents, there were 40 injuries involving adult women.

A population based case-control study of agricultural injuries in children.

Objectives: To identify preventable risk factors related to agricultural injuries occurring to children on family farms.

Setting: A geographically defined central region of Wisconsin, USA with nearly 1800 family dairy farms.

Methods: A two year, population based incidence study of occupational injuries among farm residents was conducted.

Representativeness of trauma center registries for farm injury surveillance.

Trauma center registries are the foundation for many surveillance systems that attempt to define the frequency and spectrum of various types of injuries. To assess the representativeness of trauma center-based farm injury surveillance, we evaluated data for 1986-1991 from the Marshfield Clinic/St Joseph's Hospital, a major trauma center located in Central Wisconsin. We compared the pattern of farm injuries seen in residents of the Marshfield Epidemiologic Surveillance Area (MESA), a geographically defined, population-based surveillance area, with those from outside MESA, a nonpopulation-based mix of primary care and referral patients typical of most trauma registries.

Evaluation of agricultural rescue course by providers.

Study Objective: To assess the characteristics of rural emergency medical services providers involved in the prehospital care of victims of agricultural injuries and determine which aspects of an agricultural rescue course were perceived as most useful.

Design: A questionnaire was sent to participants of a course designed for agricultural prehospital providers who had attended a farm accident rescue course between 1986 and 1993.

Setting: A rural referral center in central Wisconsin.

Fall-related occupational injuries on farms.

We assessed risk factors for fall-related farm injuries in a population-based, case-control study. Cases had to reside in a defined geographic region served by a single medical center. Multiple sources reported cases, and a special farm census enabled random selection of controls, The annual risk of farm fall injury was 7.

An assessment of prehospital provider needs in Wisconsin.

The Emergency Medical Systems Advisory Board assessed via questionnaire the needs of Wisconsin prehospital providers. Overall, 323 out of 453 (71.3%) of the services responded to the query.

Machine-related occupational injuries in farm residents.

Farm machinery is an important contributor to the high rates of occupational injury in agriculture. As part of a population-based case-control study, we studied risk factors for machine-related farm injuries. Case patients were farm residents residing in a geographically defined area of central Wisconsin who experienced a farm injury associated with a tractor, farm implement, or other machine which required medical or chiropractic care from May 1990 through April 1992.

Incidence of farm-work-related acute injury in a defined population.

To determine occurrence and sources of farm-work-related injury, we conducted a population-based, prospective study in a large clinic and hospital serving a defined rural area. The population at risk was identified through a unique demographic and medical records linkage system and a special agricultural census. Cases were 510 individuals who sought inpatient or outpatient care from May 1990 through April 1992 from a physician or chiropractor for harm resulting from acute exposure to energy.

Summary of hunting injuries in central Wisconsin: a 4-year experience at a rural referral center.

Surveillance of hunting-associated injuries was performed over a 4-year period at a rural Emergency Department in central Wisconsin. Over that period of time, 125 individuals sought treatment for hunting-related injuries. The majority of injuries were related to autumn deer hunting and included both gun and bow and arrow hunting.

The relationship of farm residency status to demographic and service characteristics of agricultural injury victims in central Wisconsin.

This study performed a surveillance of a defined population in central Wisconsin during a two-year period that included six months of follow-up. The study included those who worked and lived on farms and those who only worked on farms. The injury rate for farm residents was 3.

Recreational injuries and deaths in northern Wisconsin: analysis of injuries and fatalities from snowmobiles over 3 years.

Snowmobiles represent the second most common cause of trauma related to motorized vehicles in northern Wisconsin. The epidemiology of these injuries is evaluated. Specific comparisons between snowmobiles and other vehicles are made.

Prehospital care of agricultural injuries.

In the United States, farming has become one of the most dangerous occupations. There are unique challenges for the providers of prehospital care to victims of agricultural trauma. The machinery and the work environment associated with agricultural trauma are different from those encountered in other occupations.

Posterior hip dislocation in a rural emergency department.

Traumatic posterior dislocation of the hip is an infrequent but potentially severe injury. A commonly recognized cause of such injuries is motor vehicle accidents. There is increasing recognition, however, that this injury can be associated with other activities including several sports.

Agricultural injuries in children in central Wisconsin.

Agriculture is widely recognized as one of the most dangerous occupations in the United States. The risk of agricultural trauma extends beyond the adult work force to include farm children. During a 2-year study of agricultural trauma conducted at the Marshfield Clinic/St.

All-terrain vehicle injuries in central Wisconsin: a continuing problem.

All-terrain vehicles (ATVs) have become well recognized as associated with injuries. This recognition has resulted in attempts at education and regulation to reduce the number and severity of injuries and number of deaths. The Marshfield Clinic and St.

The spectrum of emergency care of agricultural trauma in central Wisconsin.

Agriculture is among the most dangerous occupations in the United States. When injuries do occur, the emergency department (ED) is the primary source of care. Over a 2-year period, the emergency medicine section of the Marshfield Clinic/St Joseph's Hospital, cared for 913 victims of agricultural trauma.

Bilateral humeral fractures from electrically induced muscular spasm.

Various injuries have been attributed to electrical injury. Low voltage current, especially alternating current, can lead to sustained muscular contraction and subsequent fracture of adjacent bones or dislocation of affected joints. We present the case of a 57-year-old male who suffered electrical injury from hand to hand.

Hearing loss among high school farm students.

To study the prevalence of hearing loss among teen-aged farm children in central Wisconsin, audiometric threshold testing of 872 vocational agriculture students was carried out over a three-year period. The results indicate an increased prevalence of hearing loss among students actively involved in farm work, as compared to their peers not involved in farm work. Findings also suggest that use of hearing protection may reduce the risk of hearing loss among students who work on the farm, although few students report the use of such devices.