When PHARM meets the Farm: Rescue, Resuscitation & Retrieval in the Agrarian Environment
Summary by: Mike Abernethy
The farm is a dangerous workplace. Accidents have a unusually high morbidity and mortality not only for the worker, but also his/her family members. The reasons are multi-factorial but are the result of a complex interaction of environment, equipment and human factors. Tractors are involved in the vast majority of agricultural deaths. No other industry uses 70 year old machinery operated by workers whose age ranges from 10 to 90. How can we prevent such incidents? Today’s presentation is from my viewpoint as a prehospital physician (who is a wannabe farmer & tractor mechanic) and longtime resident of an agricultural community. We will examine the details of a life threatening accident involving one of my neighbors which perfectly illustrates the multifaceted nature of agricultural trauma.
