Avoid serious hand injuries by using proper tools

Louisville, Ky.—Carving pumpkins is a fall tradition in many families, but as Halloween approaches, hand surgeons from Kleinert Kutz Hand Care Center warn parents and children to use caution and the appropriate tools when carving pumpkins to avoid potentially serious hand injuries.

Every year, surgeons at Kleinert Kutz treat patients with injuries related to pumpkin carving.  According to the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS), pumpkin-carving can result in lacerations to the hand and also injuries to bones and tendons.

“Most hand injuries occur when children and adults try to use kitchen knives to carve pumpkins,” said Tuna Ozyurekoglu, M.D. with Kleinert Kutz.  “Pumpkins have a very tough outer skin and usually require a sharp blade to cut.  Most knives used, including kitchen knives, lack a safety guard to protect the hand from slipping down the blade, increasing the risk of serious injury.”

Hand injuries from pumpkin carving can be so severe that nerve or tendon damage may occur and the function of the hand may be affected.  Parents can prevent painful or serious hand injuries by providing alternative decorating activities allowing children to be a part of creating a Halloween pumpkin.

Dr. Ozyurekoglu recommends decorating a pumpkin with paints, stickers, or markers, or dressing the pumpkin in costumes as a way for small children to safely participate in Halloween activities. For older children and adults, a pumpkin carving knife should be used. Pumpkin carving kits are commercially available and feature tools that are specially designed for use in the creation of Jack-O-Lanterns.  A sawing motion, rather than a sharp cutting action, should be used to help prevent serious hand injuries.

When carving pumpkins, keep the following safety tips in mind:

• Never leave children unattended with carving tools.
• Let adults do the carving. Children can draw designs on the pumpkin or help remove the pulp.
• Sharper knives are not necessarily better for carving. Pumpkin carving saws are the safest tools for carving.
• When carving, cut away from your body in small and controlled strokes.
• Cuts and injuries can occur even when you put safety first.  Apply pressure to minor cuts using a clean cloth to stop bleeding.  If bleeding, stiffness or numbness persists for more than 15 minutes, or if the injury is visibly serious, seek medical attention immediately from a hospital emergency department.

If an injury does occur, Dr. Ozyurekoglu recommends the following steps be taken:

• Elevate the hand above the heart and apply pressure to the wound with a clean cloth.
• If after applying continuous pressure for 15 minutes does not stop the bleeding, seek emergency care
• If any numbness or inability to move the fingers occurs, seek emergency care.

“Immediate medical attention is important,” said Dr. Ozyurekoglu.  “The longer a patient waits to seek medical attention, the more difficult the repair will be.”

Kleinert Kutz hand specialists are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.  Call (502) 561-4263 for hand emergencies or to schedule an appointment.

About Kleinert Kutz

Kleinert Kutz is one of the largest hand care programs in the world, pioneering achievements in hand and microsurgery, research, therapy and orthotics. The 12 physicians of Kleinert Kutz offer expertise in orthopedic and plastic surgery and provide comprehensive upper extremity care – from major trauma and replantations to less serious problems such as minor injuries. Kleinert Kutz's World “firsts” include:

• First reported repair of a digital artery
• First reported successful technique for primary flexor tendon repair in “No Man’s Land”
• First vascularized epiphyseal transfer
• First bilateral forearm replantation
• One of the world’s first cross-hand replantations
• Pioneered work in primary reconstruction using free tissue transfer
• First bilateral upper arm replantation
• National award for research in blood flow to the nerves
• World’s Most Successful hand transplant