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AI-DRAFTED — PHYSICIAN REVIEW IN PROGRESSThe citation for this entry was checked against Crossref and PubMed, but its summary and interpretation were drafted by an AI model from the published abstract and have not yet been individually read by a physician. Read the linked source before relying on this operationally.
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Pediatric firework-related upper extremity injuries: A 10-year review of cases presented to United States emergency departments, 2015-2024[1]

Zediker CR, Crowl KE, Krul JS, Megafu M, Li X, Parisien RL, Cusano A · 2026 · Injury

Summary

Descriptive retrospective epidemiological study using the US National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (NEISS) for pediatric firework-related upper-extremity injuries treated in emergency departments 2015-2024. 434 cases were captured (national weighted estimate NE = 16,872). The injured were predominantly male (77.9%) and adolescents aged 12-17 (48.4%); injuries most often involved the hand (48.8%) and fingers (32.7%). Thermal burns were the leading diagnosis (74.0%), followed by amputations (9.0%) and lacerations (6.0%). Most patients (78.8%) were treated and released from the ED, while 13.8% required hospitalization; injuries peaked during holiday periods. The authors call for strengthened regulation and targeted prevention.

So what

A quantified, US-national picture of the injury the Purple Guide Fireworks chapter exists to prevent - and it lands squarely on the dependent-populations/pediatric axis: adolescent males, hands and fingers, mostly burns but a non-trivial ~9% amputation share, clustered on holiday dates an event medical plan can predict. For a public firework display the numbers argue two things: keep the public (especially teens) out of the firing/fallout area the guide's exclusion zones define, and stock the medical plan for hand burns and traumatic finger amputations, not just crowd faints. The 13.8% hospitalization / 78.8% treated-and-released split is a useful on-site-vs-transfer expectation. NEISS is ED-presenting and product-coded, so it undercounts scene-treated and on-fatal injuries; cite for pattern and demographic, not total incidence.

Key findings

  • NEISS 2015-2024; 434 pediatric firework upper-extremity ED injuries (NE=16,872)
  • 77.9% male; 48.4% adolescents 12-17; hand 48.8% / fingers 32.7%
  • Thermal burns 74.0%, amputations 9.0%, lacerations 6.0%
  • 78.8% treated-and-released, 13.8% hospitalized; peaks on holiday dates
  • Stock the display medical plan for hand burns + finger amputations; enforce exclusion zones for teens (cf. Purple Guide Fireworks chapter)

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