title: Injuries in agriculture--injury severity and mortality.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Accidents in agriculture are a problem of global importance. The hazards of working in agriculture are manifold (machines, animals, heights). We therefore assessed injury severity and mortality from accidents in farming.
  
  
  METHODS
  We retrospectively analysed all farming accidents treated over a 12-year period in the emergency department (ED) of our level I trauma centre.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Out of 815 patients 96.3% were male and 3.7% female (p <0.0001). A total of 70 patients (8.6%, 70/815) were severely injured. Patients with injuries to the chest were most likely to suffer from severe injuries (odds ratio [OR] 9.45, 95% confidence interval [CI] 5.59-16.00, p <0.0001), followed by patients with injuries to the abdomen (OR 7.06, 95% CI 3.22-15.43, p <0.0001) and patients with injuries to the head (OR 5.03, 95% CI 2.99-8.66, p <0.0001). Hospitalisation was associated with machine- and fall-related injuries (OR 22.39, 95% CI 1.95-4.14, p <0.0001 and OR 2.84 95% CI 1.68-3.41 p <0.001, respectively). Patients suffering from a fall and patients with severe injury were more likely to die than others (OR 3.32, 95% CI 1.07-10.29, p <0.037 and OR 9.17, 95% CI 6.20-13.56, p <0.0001, respectively). Fall height correlated positively with the injury severity score , hospitalisation and mortality (all p <0.0001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Injuries in agriculture are accompanied by substantial morbidity and mortality, and range from minor injuries to severe multiple injuries. Additional prospective studies should be conducted on injury severity, long-term disability and mortality.
authors.affiliation: University Department of General Internal Medicine, Inselspital, Bern, SWITZERLAND; cpfortmueller@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Carmen A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Pfortmueller
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Kradolfer
authors.forename: Mirco
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kunz
authors.forename: Beat
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Lehmann
authors.forename: Gregor
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Lindner
authors.forename: Aristomenis  K
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Exadaktylos
mesh_terms: D015998:Abbreviated Injury Scale; D000058:Accidental Falls / Q000401:mortality / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D000328:Adult; D000383:Agriculture; D004636:Emergency Service, Hospital; D005260:Female; D017052:Hospital Mortality; D006760:Hospitalization / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D015601:Injury Severity Score; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D060051:Occupational Injuries / Q000401:mortality* / Q000503:physiopathology; D016017:Odds Ratio; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012424:Rural Population; D013557:Switzerland / Q000453:epidemiology