Fishhook injury in Eastern Newfoundland: Retrospective review

Abstract

Introduction: The Canadian island of Newfoundland has a long history of fishing; however, no study to date has developed a regional profile of fishhook injuries on its east coast. Methods: To this end, we conducted a retrospective review of fishhook injuries at all Newfoundland East coast emergency departments from 2013 to 2015. Patient presentations were reviewed for the date of arrival, sex of the patient, location of fishhook injury, tetanus immunisation status, anaesthetic utilisation, diagnostic imaging, antibiotic management and technique of removal. Results: Information was retrieved for 165 patients. Most injuries occurred to the hand (80.6%), and out of five documented techniques, 'advance and cut' was the most common extraction method (55.5%). There was a high percentage of prophylactic oral antibiotics prescribed (57%) and X-ray imaging (20%) utilised. Consultation was required for 4.2% of the fishhook injuries including consultation to a local fire department service. Conclusions: On the east coast of Newfoundland, fishhook injuries are addressed inconsistently, with potentially suboptimal methods for removal, coupled with unnecessary imaging and antibiotics. We believe that there is a role for education and other initiatives to improve the care delivered.