Health

High-pressure water can cause injury

NEWS IN BRIEF — Posted July 24, 2006

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The strong spray from a pressure washer can cause serious wounds that might, at first, appear to be minor, according to a new fact sheet from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The use of high-pressure water to clean debris in flood-damaged areas has become more common in recent years, said the CDC, and the potential for serious injury also increases as these machines often emit streams of water at more than 100 pounds of pressure per square inch.

The agency recommends that the injured area be x-rayed to check for the presence of subcutaneous air or a foreign body, a tetanus vaccination and antibiotics be administered and the patient referred to a surgeon for possible wound debridement.

Note: This item originally appeared at http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2006/07/24/hlbf0724.htm.

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