The American journal of orthopedics
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We retrospectively reviewed the records of 62 patients who sustained serious hand injuries caused by snowblowers between 1981 and 1990. Frequency of injuries to digits tended to correlate with length (i.e., middle, index, ring, or small finger or thumb). Damage to tendons did not seem to follow any particular pattern. ⋯ When patients were further questioned regarding the circumstances and events leading to their injury, a recurring pattern was found. Most patients described a wet, heavy snow having recently fallen. The majority of the patients who were injured by placing their hands into the exit chute admitted that they were aware the machine was running, but thought that they had a greater clearance to the rotating impeller blade.