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Department

Emergency

Position/Job Title

Residents; Physician

Description

Background: Fishing remains a popular leisure and sporting activity in the United States. One common injury while fishing is an embedded hook in the fisherman/women or a bystander. Hooks, often barbed, are designed to not easily be removed to ensure the angler completes the catch. Studies vary on indications for antibiotic use from recommending antibiotics in all fishhook injuries, to location of injury, and/or immunocompromised status of patients.

Methods: This is a retrospective analysis of patient seen in the Emergency Department at Henry Ford Jackson Hospital after sustaining a fishhook injury. Patient characteristics, location of embedment, antibiotic usage data was collected.

Results: 51 patients were identified. Fishhook injuries primary occurred in the fingers. Antibiotics were prescribed in 51% of patients, the class of antibiotic and course varied greatly.

Conclusions: Antibiotic prescribing patterns vary widely. There were no recorded complications in the patients who did or did not receive antibiotics. Antibiotics are likely not necessary in fishhook embedment injuries.

Publication Date

4-16-2024

Freshwater Fishhook Injuries and Antibiotic Prescribing Patterns: A retrospective analysis

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