LAUSR

This study aims to review the impact of agricultural trauma on a Regional Major Trauma service. In this study we identify the patient demographic most likely to be admitted with agricultural injuries, and the most common mechanisms of injury in this patient cohort. Furthermore, we outline the proportion of patients who require surgical intervention, and examine which surgical specialties were involved in the care of these patients. Finally, this study reviews the mortality associated with agricultural injuries in our Regional Major Trauma Centre. Using data from the electronic care record and the major trauma database we retrospectively identified patients admitted with agricultural trauma over a two year period from January 2019 to January 2022. 58 patients were admitted to the Major Trauma service over the two year period. 72% required surgical intervention, while 28% were managed conservatively. Of the patients that required surgical intervention, the majority required orthopaedic surgery (68%) followed by thoracic surgery (14%), general surgery (8%) neurosurgery (6%), and interventional radiology (4%). There was a 3.3% mortality rate. Median length of stay was 12 days. The average patient age was 48 years. Agricultural injuries represent a significant proportion of patients admitted to our major trauma centre. Many of these injuries are potentially avoidable, and ongoing work is required from a public health perspective to minimise the risk of injury and improve safety in this sector.