Smoking is dangerous to your health — especially in hospital
Most people know the health perils of smoking.
But patients at Waikato Hospital have suffered a series of unique medical mishaps after having a puff — including a blown Achilles, facial lacerations and a patient who put their back out after stubbing out a smoke.
There have been at least seven incidents involving patients who were having a cigarette break.
One had a dizzy spell while outside smoking and fell, injuring their elbow, and another went for a cigarette in a wheelchair and fell, rupturing their Achilles tendon.
A third person was stubbing out a cigarette in an ashtray and tripped and fell, suffering a lacerated eyebrow and abrasions to both knees.
Another finished a cigarette and put their back out when standing up, while someone else left a ward for a smoke and fell in a corridor.
A sixth patient stumbled while walking up steps after a cigarette, and another suffered a seizure and grazed their chin after a smoke.
The incidents have come to light in information released to the Herald
under the Official Information Act.
Under Waikato District Health Board’s non-smoking policy, patients, visitors and staff are not allowed to smoke on any part of Waikato Hospital’s extensive Hamilton campus including outside.