Epidemiological Analysis of Upper Extremity Amputations From Lawn Mower-Related Injuries

Abstract

Background: Lawn mower-related injuries (LMIs) represent a complex spectrum of pathology with significant public health ramifications. The purpose of this study was to analyze the epidemiological factors associated with lawn mower upper extremity amputations.

Methods: The National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (NEISS) database was queried from 2014 to 2023. National case estimates were established for upper extremity amputation events secondary to lawn mowers using diagnostic and injury-specific coding parameters. Documented cases from NEISS-participating hospitals were evaluated and injury data surrounding individual amputation events were analyzed.

Results: An estimated 17 509 upper extremity amputations occurred from 2014 to 2023 secondary to LMI in the United States. Annual case estimates and incidence rates remained relatively uniform across the 10-year study period. Most injuries were estimated to occur in 50- to 59-year-old patients. Case record review from pooled participating NEISS hospitals yielded 469 cases of upper extremity amputation directly associated with LMI from 2014 to 2023. Ninety-one percent of cases occurred in men, and most events involved the amputation of a finger (97%). Most cases of lawn mower-associated injury involved the amputation of the middle digit (41.6%) in isolation (64% of cases involved amputation of 1 digit).

Conclusions: Despite advances in product safety and consumer education, the estimated frequency and incidence rate of upper extremity amputations secondary to LMI has remained largely unchanged over the past 10 years. When these events did occur, 40- to 60-year-old men were most often involved, most commonly leading to amputation of the third finger in isolation.

Keywords: amputation; diagnosis; epidemiology; finger amputation; lawn mower; public health; research and health outcomes; trauma; upper extremity.

Figure 1.

Ten-year National Electronic Injury Surveillance System data on lawn mower–associated upper extremity amputations in the United States from 2014 to 2023. Note. (a) Yearly estimates of national cases during the study duration. (b) Case estimates broken down by 10-year age cohorts. (c) Incidence rates across 2014-2023, using population estimates from United States Census Data. ^aUnstable estimates, secondary to national estimates below 1200, case numbers less than 20, or coefficient of variation exceeded 33%.

Figure 2.

Demographic data acquired from recorded cases from National Electronic Injury Surveillance System–participating hospital systems on lawn mower upper extremity amputations from 2014 to 2023. Note. (a) Most injuries occurred in men over this time and (b) trends in median ages of patients remained relatively constant over this time.

Figure 3.

Injury-specific epidemiological data from participating National Electronic Injury Surveillance System hospital cases. (a) Most amputations (97%) involved the finger (92), whereas hands (82), wrists (34), lower arms (33), and upper arms (80) were less common. (b) Most amputations led to injury of a single digit (64%), and (c) the third digit was most involved (41.6%).