With fronds like these
YOU may think you’re safe watering the azaleas but think again – Gold Coast doctors have warned of one of the biggest risks locals face in their gardens.
In the last five years, doctors at the Coast’s largest public emergency department (ED) have treated 45 people with injuries from palm frond spike injuries – many of which required surgery.
Gold Coast University Hospital Department of Orthopaedics Doctor Anthony Silva said when he first started investigating the problem 12 months ago, he was surprised to note there was little medical literature about palm frond injuries.
Dr Silva said the problem was pertinent to the Gold Coast because of the abundance of the plant and said in many cases, injuries were compounded by patients not seeking medical help soon enough.
“Usually the problem was people were delaying the presentation to hospital, taking up to 49 days in one case to actually show up to hospital and get looked after,” he said.
“Then there were people who ended up with really nasty infections.
“Most people we saw actually had injuries to the hand … the majority of them needed an operation to get them removed.”
Dr Silva said patients with eye injuries could be blinded, while those with frond injuries to the hand could do damage to nerves or blood vessels.
“It’s something that’s not talked about a lot even in the medical literature,” he said
“Palm fronds actually have really nasty inflammatory reactions.
“Especially because we have so many palm trees down here, it’s actually very topical for us.
“There’s always a risk when you get a penetrating injury to the hand that you’re going to damage the structure underneath.
“We didn’t actually find anyone in our series that had damaged any nerves or blood vessels.”
Dr Silva urged Gold Coasters to use leather or latex-coated gloves to prevent further strain on the medical system.
He added that those who had been injured with a palm frond should see a doctor quickly.