Fatal Penetrating Injuries Sustained by High-pressure Water Jet Unit

Fatal injury by high-pressure water jet unit - A case report

Herein, we report a fatal case of high-pressure water-inflicted femoral injury. A male worker in his twenties was found at the construction site with significant bleeding from the left femoral region. At three hours after discovery, his death was confirmed in an emergency hospital. The deceased was noted to be 182 cm in height, 62.5 kg in weight, and postmortem rigidity strongly appeared in his whole joints. Externally, there was a large, 28-cm laceration in the left medial femoral region, wherein the subcutaneous muscle layer was drastically contused and transected, and both the femoral artery and vein were completely disrupted. This injury also penetrated into the left popliteal region similar to an impalement injury, producing a small, circular, 1.5-cm wound exit site. Moreover, two lacerations in the right anterior femoral region were presented in an inverse "U"-like shape, with injury lengths of 14 cm and 26 cm. Internally, every organ was apparently anemic, given that the water jet lance produced pressures ranging from 10,000-40,000 psi. Thus, the cause of his death was diagnosed as hemorrhagic shock secondary to femoral artery and vein disruption caused by a high-pressure water jet unit.

A Rare Non-penetrant Abdominal Wall Injury Caused by High-pressure Water: A Case Report

BACKGROUND

High-pressure water jet injuries are an uncommon cause of trauma. Highpressure water injuries are usually seen at the extremities and less often in the thorax and abdominal areas. A review of the literature reveals a few case reports describing intraabdominal injuries due to penetrating trauma. İn this paper, we present the radiological findings of a rare case of abdominal wall injury without penetration of peritoneum caused by high-pressure water jet due to the Coanda effect. The Coanda effect is the tendency of a fluid jet to stay attached to a curved. In our case, the peritoneum also functions as flat and curved surface, causing non-penetrant abdominal wall injury.

CASE REPORT

A 28-year-old male working at a hydroelectric terminal presented to the emergency department with abdominal pain and a two-centimeter cutaneous gap in the left lower quadrant of the abdomen caused by high-pressure water. The CT findings revealed a small entrance to left lower quadrant of the abdominal wall and extensive subcutaneous injury. There was no internal injury. The cutaneous gap was managed by primary surgical closure. Subcutaneous emphysema was diminished on the follow up physical examination. The patient was recovered without sequelae.

CONCLUSION

The water jet can cause a wide subcutaneous injury by following the peritoneum even though there is a small entrance. Therefore radiological imaging can help to determine their severity and planning treatment.

Management of industrial high-pressure fluid injection injuries (IHPFII): the Water Jetting Association (WJA) experience with water driven injuries

Background

Industrial high-pressure fluid injection injuries (IHPFII) are largely occupational in nature, where these injuries are most often sustained by male manual workers. Such traumatic injuries are largely sustained with water, grease, paint, gasoline or paint thinner. IHPFII are extremely serious injuries with life and limb-threatening potential carrying the risk of life-long disability.

Methods

We reviewed the Water Jetting Association© adverse incident database of advisory alerts detailing cases from around the world that have been brought to the association’s attention and the English-language literature on high-pressure hydrostatic injuries from 1937 to 2018.

Results

Accidents involving high-pressure water jets in the industry are uncommon. The clinical impact in all of the cases reviewed and the effects of water jet impacts range from instant fatalities at scene to loss of limb function and amputation. The majority of observed fatalities are due to major hemorrhage (exsanguination) secondary to the direct dissection of great vessels or high-energy blunt soft tissue injury and traumatic brain injury.

Conclusions

As with any other trauma, IHPWJI commonly result in amputation or death. Nonetheless, a lack of comprehension of the potential severity of injuries and range of infective complications appears to be largely due to the apparent benignity of the initial presentation of the wound. This in turn leads to delays (both avoidable and unavoidable) in the transfer to appropriate medical facilities and definitive care. There is an identifiable need for education (including for health care providers across multiple levels), training and the availability of personal trauma kits for the timely and effective management of IHPWJI from the initial jet impact on the scene, as well as a need for an established referral system.