Abstract

On the last Wednesday of every year Iranians celebrate the sanctity of fire in the annual festival of Chaharshanbeh Soori. Each year many cases of firecracker-related injuries (FRI) are reported during this festival. The aim of this study was to assess the pattern of injuries and the frequency of disabilities during this period.

In 2011, a cross-sectional study was conducted at the emergency departments (EDs) of three educational hospitals in Tehran, to assess the extent and demographics of FRI. The age and sex of the patient, type of referral to the hospital, type of injury, its region and treatment process were recorded for each patient by the physicians. Data were analyzed by SPSS version 20. Thirty-five patients suffering from FRI were admitted to the hospitals during the festival. The majority of patients were under 30 years-old and most of them were male (83% male and 17% female). The injuries were mostly lacerations and cuts (n = 17, 49%) and scratches (n = 12, 34%). One patient suffered amputation. The most common site of the injuries were the hands (n = 13, 37%) followed by the face (n = 10, 29%). There were 10 patients (29%) with more than one site of injury. Twenty-one patients were hospitalized, 12 patients (34%) received outpatient treatment and two patients were referred to other hospitals. There are still many victims during Chaharshanbeh Soori festival despite efforts and legislations by the government. Education and raise of awareness among people especially for youth are the most important ways to prevent and reduce Red Wednesday injuries.