Traumatic Injuries From Sheep Sacrifice During the Eid Al-Adha Holiday: A Prospective Multicentered Study

Abstract

Objective: We sought to describe injuries related to the sacrificial slaughtering of animals during the Eid holiday.

Methods: We conducted a centered prospective observational cohort study during the Eid (August 21-24, 2018) at 5 emergency departments in Gaziantep, Turkey. Descriptive statistics of injuries collected included the injury location, involvement of dominant or non-dominant hand, cause of injury (instrument vs animal), type of instrument causing injury, surgical interventions performed, and professional occupations of patients.

Results: We included two hundred seventy-seven patients with injuries who fulfilled the criteria and excluded injuries not related to animal slaughter. Most injuries (91%) occurred in people who were not professional butchers (n=252) and simple laceration (not involving vessels or tendons) was the most common injury type (95.3%; n=265). Those who were injured and had no experience were mostly injured during the processing of the meat (butchering) and while helping others. Lacerations were most commonly observed in the upper extremity (83.4%; n=231), on the non-dominant side (67.5%; n=187), in the hand (78.7%, n=218), and specifically in the index finger (23.1%; n=64). A surgery was performed on 8 patients.

Conclusion: The first day of Eid is associated with an increase in mostly non-dominant upper extremity injuries among inexperienced people slaughtering animals. Further education and safety measures may reduce such injuries. Emergency departments serving larger Muslim communities may benefit from anticipating an uptick in these injuries.