Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
Fireworks are just explosives.. that’s how they do damage ..they heat up & they blow up
Surgeon’s Halloween alert as four kids hurt
They’re not a good idea for your home & definitely not a good idea this year ALASTAIR BROWN YESTERDAY
FOUR children have been treated for blast injuries from fireworks at the Ulster Hospital in the past four days.
The youngsters aged 12 and 13 have been left with serious injuries to their hands.
Consultant plastic surgeon Alastair Brown said of one of the boys: “He has been horribly injured but a tiny bit closer and the blast could have blinded him. He was lucky the injuries were not worse.
“People tend to assume fireworks are harmless fun and while most people think they’re spectacular to watch, they have the potential to maim and even kill.
“We talk about blast injuries and severe burns because fireworks are explosives, that’s how they work and that’s how they do the damage – they heat up and they blow up. Even sparklers can cause horrendous injuries.
“The devastating consequences of damage from a firework can lead to multiple surgeries over many hours and result in lifelong implications for the function, appearance and the psychology of living with the scars and injuries can be profound. At any other time people would be avoiding things that explode, but coming into Halloween the situation changes.
“But the injuries can be devastating and life-changing. I have operated on people who have suffered so much damage from an exploding firework that they’ve lost some or all of their hand, people lose fingers and suffer serious burns.
“If there is so little left to work with that we can’t put them back together again, there’s little we can do but make their wounds safe and clean.
“Adult s and children chi l dren handling fireworks risk a lot, from minor burns urns on their hands to the he loss of fingers and d thumbs, to th e destruction of an entire hand , to blowing up in their r face and blinding g them or potentially lly even killing them m if th e bl ast is close ose enough to someeone’s face or head to cause catastrophic d a m a g e .” Mr Brown has been a consultant plastic surgeon for the past 13 years.
He also spent time in Africa and obtained the British Society of Surgery of the Hand Travelling Fellowship to allow him to attend the Kleinert Institute for Hand and Microsurgery in the US. As someone with such expertise he says his heart sinks when dealing with the consequences of a firework s accident that could easily have been prevented.
Mr Brown added: “As surgeons we love our jobs and we all al love a challenge but there are s so many unavoidable accid accidents that just sho shouldn’t happen.”
And h e said th e e effects of fireworks b blast injuries can last a lifetime both physic cally and emotionally w with plastic surgeons o often carr ying out rep repeated surgeries on a pati patient over a number of year years.
Mr Brown sai d: “Children in particular may not understand the consequences of their injury when they’re young but the mental and practical impact of a blast injury can affect people for years, a lifetime in many cases.
“My message is clear – these injuries, these risks are entirely avoidable.
“And this year more than most, we’re asking people to steer clear of fireworks. In the midst of this pandemic if the risks and injuries can avoided or limited, then they should be.
“This year with the public fireworks displays cancelled we’re fearing many more people than usual will hold displays at home.
“Most people love fireworks and I understand the attraction but they’re not a good idea for your home and they’re definitely not a good idea this year in particular.
“The NHS is under immense pressure and everyone can make a real contribution to helping to maintain the precious resources for those in most need.
“Injuries from fireworks are preventable and you can be assured of this by simply not using them this year.”