A randomized trial of an intervention to prevent lawnmower injuries in children

[Case studies in expert review of electrical injury]

Electrical injury is quite rare in forensic practice, and situational examinations for this type of injury are even rarer. A case of an electrical injury is presented where the circumstances of the death and the conditions of injury were not obvious. As part of the commissioned examination, a repeated review of the accident scene and an examination of the alleged injuring object were conducted, which facilitated reconstruction of conditions and circumstances of the electric injury.

Pediatric Lawnmower Injuries: a 25-year Review

BACKGROUND

Despite regulations currently in place, the incidence of lawnmower injuries in children has not decreased for several decades in the United States. In fact, studies in several countries show that the incidence of riding lawnmower injuries are actually on the rise worldwide. Those injuries tend to be devastating and limb-threatening. The purpose of this study was to evaluate a pediatric trauma center's experience with those injuries over the past 25 years.

METHODS

All patients who presented to a level I pediatric trauma center with injuries from lawnmowers between 1994 and 2019 were reviewed. Date of birth, gender, date of injury, mechanism of injury, type of lawnmower, and type of injury (including whether an open fracture, soft tissue defect, and/or amputation were present) were recorded.

RESULTS

A total of 142 pediatric patients were treated over the study period. The average age was 7.5 years. The three most common mechanisms of injury were being hit by a riding lawnmower moving forward, falling off a riding lawnmower, and being hit by a riding lawnmower moving backward. Of all patients, 68.3% sustained an open fracture and 38% required an amputation. Riding lawnmowers resulted in more operative procedures, longer hospital stays, and more soft tissue defects that require reconstruction than push mowers. Younger patients were at a higher risk to sustain proximal amputations (wrist/ankle or proximal) than older patients.

CONCLUSION

Lawnmower injuries are devastating and largely avoidable. There are currently recommendations and regulations in the United States, which if followed, would prevent the vast majority of pediatric lawnmower injuries. Unfortunately, the incidence of these injuries has not decreased despite the current regulations. Broader public education is essential to decrease the incidence of serious lawnmower injuries in children.Level of Evidence: IV.

Lawnmower Injuries in Children: A National 13-Year Study of Urban Versus Rural Injuries

INTRODUCTION

Although the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgery, American Academy of Pediatrics, and Pediatric Orthopedic Society of North America have established lawnmower safety guidelines, a notable number of injuries continue to occur. We sought to elaborate on the epidemiology of lawnmower injuries in the pediatric age group and compare urban versus rural injuries.

METHODS

The Pediatric Health Information System database was queried for patients of 1 to 18 years of age from 2005 to 2017 who presented with a lawnmower injury. Results were computed using bivariate tests and multinomial regressions.

RESULTS

A total of 1,302 lawnmower injuries were identified (mean age 7.7 ± 5.1 years, range 1 to 18 years; 78.9% males). Incidence rates by region, adjusted for regional case volume, were 2.16 injuries per 100,000 cases in the South, 2.70 injuries per 100,000 cases in the Midwest, 1.34 injuries per 100,000 cases in the Northeast, and 0.56 injuries per 100,000 cases in the Western United States. After stratifying and adjusting for total case volume by locale (urban/rural), it was found that urban areas had an incidence rate of 1.47 injuries per 100,000 cases, whereas rural areas had a rate of 7.26 injuries per 100,000 cases. Rural areas had higher rates of infection and higher percentages of patients requiring inpatient stay. The surgical complication rate in rural areas was 5.5% as compared to 2.6% in urban areas. Based on urban/rural status, a significant difference was observed with the age group, length of stay, income, surgical complication, and presence of infection at the bivariate level with P < 0.05. Rural areas had an overall amputation rate of 15.5% compared with 9.6% in urban areas, with rural patients being 1.7 times more likely to undergo an amputation (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSION

The findings of this study show that numerous geographic and locale disparities exist in pediatric lawnmower injuries and reveal the need for improved safety awareness, especially in at-risk rural populations.

Patients admitted for treatment of traumatic finger amputations: Characteristics, causes, and prevention

BACKGROUND

The aim of this study was to analyze the epidemiology of patients admitted with finger amputations in the U.S., as well as to evaluate and propose prevention strategies.

METHODS

The National Electronic Injury Surveillance System was queried to obtain data on patients that presented to, and were admitted from US emergency departments for treatment of traumatic finger amputations during the period of 2002-2016. The Haddon Matrix, a framework that can be used to analyze the host, agent, and environmental factors of an injury relative to its timing, was then used to evaluate possible contributing factors of amputation events, and thereby explore plausible prevention interventions.

RESULTS

From 2002 to 2016, approximately 348,719 people were admitted from the ED for traumatic amputations. The majority were Caucasian and were male. The mean age was 42.3 years old. This was significantly older than those who were not admitted. The top five products responsible for amputations in admitted patients were power saws (40.9% of cases), doors (10.3%), lawn mowers (7.4%), snow blowers (4.3%), and bicycles (2.4%). This list included a higher proportion of powered tools than those with finger amputations who were discharged from the ED with a finger amputation.

CONCLUSION

Patients admitted with finger amputations from the ED were older, more likely to be male, and more likely to be victims of powered tools than those that were discharged. Table saws are responsible for a high proportion of the finger amputations that result in hospital admissions. The Haddon Matrix helps us identify factors (host, agent, physical environment, and social environment) to be addressed in prevention strategies. Such approaches might include championing education campaigns, policy measures, and equipment safety features. The effectiveness of such strategies warrants further investigation.

Pediatric Lawn-Mower Injuries Presenting at a Level-I Trauma Center, 1995 to 2015: A Danger to Our Youngest Children

BACKGROUND

Unintentional injuries are the leading cause of morbidity and mortality among children 0 to 18 years of age in the U.S. An estimated 9,400 to 17,000 pediatric lawn-mower injuries occur each year. The aims of this study were to better define the epidemiology of lawn-mower injuries and to identify predictors of severe lawn-mower injuries to optimize public education and injury prevention.

METHODS

All patients 0 to 18 years of age who presented to Children's Mercy Hospital (CMH), Kansas City, Missouri, during the period of 1995 to 2015 after sustaining a lawn-mower injury were identified using International Classification of Diseases, 9th Revision (ICD-9) codes. Demographic information and data regarding primary outcome measures (death, amputation, need for prosthesis, Injury Severity Score [ISS]) and secondary outcome measures were collected. Bivariate and multivariate analyses were used to identify risk factors for severe lawn-mower injuries.

RESULTS

One hundred and fifty-seven patients were identified, with a bimodal age distribution peaking at 4 and 15 years of age. Seventy-five percent of the subjects were male. Sixty-six percent of the patients were admitted to the hospital, with a mean length of stay of 6 days. An average of 3 operations were performed. Nineteen percent of the patients lived in a nonmetro/rural location. Lower-extremity injuries were most prevalent, affecting 84% of the patients. Forty percent of the patients experienced at least 1 traumatic amputation. Thirteen percent of the patients required a prosthesis after the injury. The average ISS was 8. Significant predictors of a higher ISS included an age of 0 to 9 years, a riding lawn mower, a grandparent operator, and a nonmetro/rural location. Younger children were more likely to be injured from a riding lawn mower, be the passenger of the mower or a bystander, be injured with a grandparent operator, and live in a nonmetro/rural location. Younger children also had a higher ISS and amputation rate, longer LOS, and more surgical procedures.

CONCLUSIONS

Education to protect younger patients should target parent, grandparent, and older sibling operators. Education for the older, teenage group should include safe mowing techniques. Efforts should also target nonmetro/rural populations and grandparents, specifically highlighting the severe dangers of riding lawn mowers when young children are passengers or bystanders.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE

Prognostic Level IV. See Instructions for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.

Children treated for lawn mower-related injuries in US emergency departments, 1990-2014

OBJECTIVE

Investigate the epidemiology of lawn mower-related injuries to children in the US.

METHODS

A retrospective analysis was conducted of children younger than 18years of age treated in US emergency departments for a lawn mower-related injury from 1990 through 2014 using data from the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System.

RESULTS

An estimated 212,258 children <18years of age received emergency treatment for lawn mower-related injuries from 1990 through 2014, equaling an average annual rate of 11.9 injuries per 100,000 US children. The annual injury rate decreased by 59.9% during the 25-year study period. The leading diagnosis was a laceration (38.5%) and the most common body region injured was the hand/finger (30.7%). Struck by (21.2%), cut by (19.9%), and contact with a hot surface (14.1%) were the leading mechanisms of injury. Patients <5years old were more likely (RR 7.01; 95% CI: 5.69-8.64) to be injured from contact with a hot surface than older patients. A projectile was associated with 49.8% of all injuries among patients injured as bystanders. Patients injured as passengers or bystanders were more likely (RR 3.77; 95% CI: 2.74-5.19) to be admitted to the hospital than lawnmower operators.

CONCLUSIONS

Lawn mower-related injuries continue to be a cause of serious morbidity among children. Although the annual injury rate decreased significantly over the study period, the number of injuries is still substantial, indicating the need for additional prevention efforts. In addition to educational approaches, opportunities exist for improvements in mower design and lawn mower safety standards.

Pediatric Traumatic Amputations in the United States: A 5-Year Review

BACKGROUND

Pediatric traumatic amputations are devastating injuries capable of causing permanent physical and psychological sequelae. Few epidemiologic reports exist for guidance of prevention strategies. The objective of this study is to review the recent trends in pediatric traumatic amputations using a national databank.

METHODS

A review of all pediatric (age, 0 to 17 y) amputee patients was performed using the National Trauma Data Bank from 2007 to 2011. Data including demographics, location of amputation, and mechanism of injury were analyzed.

RESULTS

In the analysis 2238 patients were identified. The majority of amputations occurred in the youngest (0 to 5 y) and oldest (15 to 17 y) age groups with a 3:1 male to female ratio. The most common amputation locations were finger (54%) and toe (20%). A caught between mechanism (16.3%) was most common overall followed by machinery, powered lawn mowers, motor vehicle collisions, firearms, and off-road vehicles. Males were statistically more likely to have an amputation and lawnmower injuries were statistically associated with lower extremity amputations in children 5 years old and below. Motor vehicle injuries were the most common cause of adolescent amputations. Firearm-related amputations occurred predominantly in adolescents, whereas off-road vehicle amputations occurred in all ages.

CONCLUSIONS

Common trends in pediatric amputations are relatively unchanged over the last decade. Young children sustain more finger amputations from a caught between objects mechanism, whereas adolescents sustain serious amputations from higher energy mechanisms such as firearms-related and motor vehicle-related injuries. Lawnmower-related amputations continue to most significantly affect younger children despite increased public awareness. Improved prevention strategies targeting age and mechanism-related trends are necessary to prevent these costly and debilitating injuries.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE

Level IV.

Home safety education and provision of safety equipment for injury prevention (Review)

BACKGROUND

In industrialised countries injuries (including burns, poisoning or drowning) are the leading cause of childhood death and steep social gradients exist in child injury mortality and morbidity. The majority of injuries in pre-school children occur at home but there is little meta-analytic evidence that child home safety interventions reduce injury rates or improve a range of safety practices, and little evidence on their effect by social group.

OBJECTIVES

We evaluated the effectiveness of home safety education, with or without the provision of low cost, discounted or free equipment (hereafter referred to as home safety interventions), in reducing child injury rates or increasing home safety practices and whether the effect varied by social group.

SEARCH METHODS

We searched the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) (2009, Issue 2) in The Cochrane Library, MEDLINE (Ovid), EMBASE (Ovid), PsycINFO (Ovid), ISI Web of Science: Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED), ISI Web of Science: Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI), ISI Web of Science: Conference Proceedings Citation Index- Science (CPCI-S), CINAHL (EBSCO) and DARE (2009, Issue 2) in The Cochrane Library. We also searched websites and conference proceedings and searched the bibliographies of relevant studies and previously published reviews. We contacted authors of included studies as well as relevant organisations. The most recent search for trials was May 2009.

SELECTION CRITERIA

Randomised controlled trials (RCTs), non-randomised controlled trials and controlled before and after (CBA) studies where home safety education with or without the provision of safety equipment was provided to those aged 19 years and under, and which reported injury, safety practices or possession of safety equipment.

DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS

Two authors independently assessed study quality and extracted data. We attempted to obtain individual participant level data (IPD) for all included studies and summary data and IPD were simultaneously combined in meta-regressions by social and demographic variables. Pooled incidence rate ratios (IRR) were calculated for injuries which occurred during the studies, and pooled odds ratios were calculated for the uptake of safety equipment or safety practices, with 95% confidence intervals.

MAIN RESULTS

Ninety-eight studies, involving 2,605,044 people, are included in this review. Fifty-four studies involving 812,705 people were comparable enough to be included in at least one meta-analysis. Thirty-five (65%) studies were RCTs. Nineteen (35%) of the studies included in the meta-analysis provided IPD. There was a lack of evidence that home safety interventions reduced rates of thermal injuries or poisoning. There was some evidence that interventions may reduce injury rates after adjusting CBA studies for baseline injury rates (IRR 0.89, 95% CI 0.78 to 1.01). Greater reductions in injury rates were found for interventions delivered in the home (IRR 0.75, 95% CI 0.62 to 0.91), and for those interventions not providing safety equipment (IRR 0.78, 95% CI 0.66 to 0.92). Home safety interventions were effective in increasing the proportion of families with safe hot tap water temperatures (OR 1.41, 95% CI 1.07 to 1.86), functional smoke alarms (OR 1.81, 95% CI 1.30 to 2.52), a fire escape plan (OR 2.01, 95% CI 1.45 to 2.77), storing medicines (OR 1.53, 95% CI 1.27 to 1.84) and cleaning products (OR 1.55, 95% CI 1.22 to 1.96) out of reach, having syrup of ipecac (OR 3.34, 95% CI 1.50 to 7.44) or poison control centre numbers accessible (OR 3.30, 95% CI 1.70 to 6.39), having fitted stair gates (OR 1.61, 95% CI 1.19 to 2.17), and having socket covers on unused sockets (OR 2.69, 95% CI 1.46 to 4.96). Interventions providing free, low cost or discounted safety equipment appeared to be more effective in improving some safety practices than those interventions not doing so. There was no consistent evidence that interventions were less effective in families whose children were at greater risk of injury.

AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS

Home safety interventions most commonly provided as one-to-one, face-to-face education, especially with the provision of safety equipment, are effective in increasing a range of safety practices. There is some evidence that such interventions may reduce injury rates, particularly where interventions are provided at home. Conflicting findings regarding interventions providing safety equipment on safety practices and injury outcomes are likely to be explained by two large studies; one clinic-based study provided equipment but did not reduce injury rates and one school-based study did not provide equipment but did demonstrate a significant reduction in injury rates. There was no consistent evidence that home safety education, with or without the provision of safety equipment, was less effective in those participants at greater risk of injury. Further studies are still required to confirm these findings with respect to injury rates.

Home safety education and provision of safety equipment for injury prevention

BACKGROUND

In industrialised countries injuries (including burns, poisoning or drowning) are the leading cause of childhood death and steep social gradients exist in child injury mortality and morbidity. The majority of injuries in pre-school children occur at home but there is little meta-analytic evidence that child home safety interventions reduce injury rates or improve a range of safety practices, and little evidence on their effect by social group.

OBJECTIVES

We evaluated the effectiveness of home safety education, with or without the provision of low cost, discounted or free equipment (hereafter referred to as home safety interventions), in reducing child injury rates or increasing home safety practices and whether the effect varied by social group.

SEARCH METHODS

We searched the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) (2009, Issue 2) in The Cochrane Library, MEDLINE (Ovid), EMBASE (Ovid), PsycINFO (Ovid), ISI Web of Science: Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED), ISI Web of Science: Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI), ISI Web of Science: Conference Proceedings Citation Index- Science (CPCI-S), CINAHL (EBSCO) and DARE (2009, Issue 2) in The Cochrane Library. We also searched websites and conference proceedings and searched the bibliographies of relevant studies and previously published reviews. We contacted authors of included studies as well as relevant organisations. The most recent search for trials was May 2009.

SELECTION CRITERIA

Randomised controlled trials (RCTs), non-randomised controlled trials and controlled before and after (CBA) studies where home safety education with or without the provision of safety equipment was provided to those aged 19 years and under, and which reported injury, safety practices or possession of safety equipment.

DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS

Two authors independently assessed study quality and extracted data. We attempted to obtain individual participant level data (IPD) for all included studies and summary data and IPD were simultaneously combined in meta-regressions by social and demographic variables. Pooled incidence rate ratios (IRR) were calculated for injuries which occurred during the studies, and pooled odds ratios were calculated for the uptake of safety equipment or safety practices, with 95% confidence intervals.

MAIN RESULTS

Ninety-eight studies, involving 2,605,044 people, are included in this review. Fifty-four studies involving 812,705 people were comparable enough to be included in at least one meta-analysis. Thirty-five (65%) studies were RCTs. Nineteen (35%) of the studies included in the meta-analysis provided IPD.There was a lack of evidence that home safety interventions reduced rates of thermal injuries or poisoning. There was some evidence that interventions may reduce injury rates after adjusting CBA studies for baseline injury rates (IRR 0.89, 95% CI 0.78 to 1.01). Greater reductions in injury rates were found for interventions delivered in the home (IRR 0.75, 95% CI 0.62 to 0.91), and for those interventions not providing safety equipment (IRR 0.78, 95% CI 0.66 to 0.92).Home safety interventions were effective in increasing the proportion of families with safe hot tap water temperatures (OR 1.41, 95% CI 1.07 to 1.86), functional smoke alarms (OR 1.81, 95% CI 1.30 to 2.52), a fire escape plan (OR 2.01, 95% CI 1.45 to 2.77), storing medicines (OR 1.53, 95% CI 1.27 to 1.84) and cleaning products (OR 1.55, 95% CI 1.22 to 1.96) out of reach, having syrup of ipecac (OR 3.34, 95% CI 1.50 to 7.44) or poison control centre numbers accessible (OR 3.30, 95% CI 1.70 to 6.39), having fitted stair gates (OR 1.61, 95% CI 1.19 to 2.17), and having socket covers on unused sockets (OR 2.69, 95% CI 1.46 to 4.96).Interventions providing free, low cost or discounted safety equipment appeared to be more effective in improving some safety practices than those interventions not doing so. There was no consistent evidence that interventions were less effective in families whose children were at greater risk of injury.

AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS

Home safety interventions most commonly provided as one-to-one, face-to-face education, especially with the provision of safety equipment, are effective in increasing a range of safety practices. There is some evidence that such interventions may reduce injury rates, particularly where interventions are provided at home. Conflicting findings regarding interventions providing safety equipment on safety practices and injury outcomes are likely to be explained by two large studies; one clinic-based study provided equipment but did not reduce injury rates and one school-based study did not provide equipment but did demonstrate a significant reduction in injury rates. There was no consistent evidence that home safety education, with or without the provision of safety equipment, was less effective in those participants at greater risk of injury. Further studies are still required to confirm these findings with respect to injury rates.

Lawnmower injuries in children

OBJECTIVE

Power lawnmowers can pose significant danger of injury to both the operator and the bystander, from direct contact with the rotary blades or missile injury. Our objective was to review our experience with paediatric lawnmower-associated trauma, and the safety recommendations available to operators of power lawnmowers.

METHODS

The patient cohort comprised paediatric (<16 years of age) patients treated for lawnmower-associated trauma, by the plastic surgery service, between 1996 and 2003. These patients were identified retrospectively. Age at the time of injury, location and extent of bony and soft tissue injuries sustained, treatment instituted and clinical outcome were recorded. Brochures and instruction manuals of six lawnmower manufacturers were reviewed, and safety recommendations noted.

RESULTS

Fifteen patients were identified. The majority of injuries occurred from direct contact with the rotary blades (93%); the remaining child sustained a burn injury. Fourteen children (93%) required operative intervention. Seven patients (46%) sustained injuries resulting in amputation, two of whom had major limb amputations. All children, except the burns patient, underwent wound debridement and received antibiotic therapy. Reconstructive methods ranged from primary closure to free tissue transfer. Many patients required multiple procedures. In all instruction manuals, instructions to keep children and pets indoors or out of the yard when mowing were found.

CONCLUSIONS

Lawnmower injuries can be devastating, particularly in children. Many victims have lasting deformities as a result of their injuries. Awareness of and stringent adherence to safety precautions during use of power lawnmowers can prevent many of these accidents.

Home safety education and provision of safety equipment for injury prevention

BACKGROUND

In industrialised countries injuries are the leading cause of childhood death and steep social gradients exist in child injury mortality and morbidity. The majority of injuries in pre-school children occur at home, but there is little meta-analytic evidence that child home safety interventions improve a range of safety practices or reduce injury rates and little evidence on their effect by social group.

OBJECTIVES

We evaluated the effectiveness of home safety education, with or without the provision of low cost, discounted or free equipment in increasing home safety practices or reducing child injury rates and whether the effect varied by social group.

SEARCH STRATEGY

We searched The Cochrane Library, MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, DARE, ASSIA, Psychinfo and Web of Science, plus a range of relevant web sites, conference proceedings and bibliographies. We contacted authors of included studies and surveyed a range of organisations.

SELECTION CRITERIA

Randomised controlled trials (RCTs), non-randomised controlled trials and controlled before and after studies where home safety education with or without the provision of safety equipment was provided to those aged 19 years and under, which reported safety practices, possession of safety equipment or injury.

DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS

Two authors independently assessed study quality and extracted data. We attempted to obtain individual participant level data (IPD) for all included studies and summary data and IPD were simultaneoulsy combined in meta-regressions by social and demographic variables.

MAIN RESULTS

Eighty studies were included; 37 of which were included in at least one meta-analysis. Twenty-three (62%) were RCTs and 12 (32%) included in the meta-analysis provided IPD. Home safety education was effective in increasing the proportion of families with safe hot tap water temperatures (OR 1.35, 95% CI 1.01 to 180), functional smoke alarms (OR 1.85, 95% CI 1.24 to 2.75), storing medicines (OR 1.58, 95% CI 1.18 to 2.13) and cleaning products (OR 1.63, 95% CI 1.22 to 2.17) out of reach, syrup of ipecac (OR 3.34, 95% CI 1.50 to 7.44) and poison control centre numbers accessible (OR 3.66, 95% CI 1.84 to 7.27), fitted stair gates (1.26, 95% CI 1.05 to 1.51), socket covers on unused sockets (OR 3.73, 95% CI 1.48 to 9.39) and storing sharp objects out of reach (OR 1.52, 95% CI 1.01 to 2.29). There was a lack of evidence that interventions reduced rates of thermal injuries, poisoning or a range of injuries. There was no consistent evidence that interventions were less effective in families whose children were at greater risk of injury.

AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS

Home safety education provided most commonly as one-to-one, face-to-face education, in a clinical setting or at home, especially with the provision of safety equipment is effective in increasing a range of safety practices. There is a lack of evidence regarding its impact on child injury rates. There was no consistent evidence that home safety education, with or without the provision of safety equipment was less effective in those at greater risk of injury.

Epidemiology of lawn-mower-related injuries to children in the United States, 1990-2004

OBJECTIVE

Our objective for this study was to describe the epidemiology of lawn mower-related injuries among children in the United States.

METHODS

A retrospective analysis was conducted of data from children who were 20 years and younger in the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System of the United States Consumer Product Safety Commission for 1990-2004.

RESULTS

There were an estimated 140700 lawn mower-related injuries to children who were 20 years and younger and treated in hospital emergency departments in the United States during the 15-year period of 1990-2004. This yielded an average of 9400 injuries annually, or 11.1 injuries per 100000 US children per year. The mean age was 10.7 (SD: 6.0) years, and 78% were boys. The leading type of lawn mower-related injury sustained by patients was a laceration (41.2%), followed by soft tissue injury (21.4%), burn (15.5%), and fracture (10.3%). The most common body region injured was the hand/finger (34.6%), followed by lower extremity (18.9%) and foot/toe (17.7%). The eyeball/face and upper extremity accounted for 10.6% and 7.4% of injuries, respectively. Burns accounted for 34.5% of injuries to the hand/finger compared with 5.5% to other body regions. Ninety-seven percent of amputation injuries occurred to the foot/toe (49.5%) and hand/finger (47.5%) compared with 3% of amputations to other body regions. Burns accounted for 41.8% of injuries among children who were < or = 5 years of age compared with 6.5% of injuries to children who were older than 5 years. Foreign body injuries accounted for 4.8% of injuries among children who were > or = 12 years of age compared with 1.6% of injuries to children who were younger than 12 years. Amputations (31.9%), lacerations (28.8%), and fractures (26.0%) accounted for almost 87% of injuries among children who were admitted or transferred to another hospital. In contrast, lacerations (42.3%), soft tissue injuries (23.3%), and burns (16.9%) predominated among children who were treated and released to home from the emergency department. Children with amputations were more likely to be admitted than children with other types of injury.

CONCLUSIONS

Injuries related to lawn mowers are an important cause of pediatric morbidity. The relative consistency of the number of lawn mower-related injuries to children during the 15-year study period is evidence that current prevention strategies are inadequate. Passive protection that is provided by safer product design is the strategy with the highest likelihood of success in preventing these ongoing injuries. The lawn mower voluntary safety standard American National Standards Institute/Outdoor Power Equipment Institute B71.1-2003 should be revised to include more rigorous performance provisions regarding prevention of penetration of feet and toes under the mower and into the path of the blades, shielding of hot mower parts from access by young children, and equipping all ride-on lawn mowers with a no-mow-in-reverse default feature with location of its override switch behind the seating position of the ride-on mower operator. By locating the no-mow-in-reverse override switch behind the ride-on mower operator, the operator would be required to look behind the mower before mowing in reverse.

Lawnmower Injuries in the United States: 1996 to 2004

STUDY OBJECTIVE

We update the epidemiology of lawnmower injuries, together with leading mechanisms of lawnmower injury in the United States, for the entire age range by using nationally representative data.

METHODS

Data were obtained from the National Hospital Discharge Survey 1996-2003 and the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System 1996-2004.

RESULTS

Individuals in the 60- to 69-year age group had the highest push mower injury incidence in 2004, whereas those in the 70 years and older age group had the highest riding mower injury incidence. Children younger than 15 years also had a substantial injury incidence. Individuals in the 15- to 19-year age group had the highest rate of hospitalizations caused by lawnmower injuries from 1996 through 2003, with 0.72 per 100,000 person-years (95% confidence interval 0.07 to 1.36). Debris from under the mower hitting a body part or entering the eye was the most common mechanism for lawnmower injury. The second most common mechanism of injury was nonspecific pain onset after the ordinary operation of the mower. Fracture of 1 or more phalanges of the foot was the most common diagnosis among lawnmower injury hospitalizations, with 34.4%, followed by traumatic amputation of the toe, with 32.4%. There is an increasing trend of lawnmower injuries in the United States during the last 9 years.

CONCLUSION

Lawnmower injuries increase with age, with peaks in persons older than 59 years. Given the high incidence of projectile-related injuries, improved protective apparel and eyewear could lower the rate of injury for all age groups. The increasing trend of lawnmower injuries in the United States suggests that more must be done to prevent lawnmower injuries.

Lawnmower injuries in children: a 10-year experience

Approximately 77,800 annual lawnmower-related injuries are treated in the USA, with 9,300 involving children. This work reviews the literature and reports our 10-year experience with lawnmower injuries. We retrospectively reviewed patients with lawnmower injuries admitted to the Women and Children's Hospital of Buffalo from 1995 to 2005 and reviewed the literature. Sixteen patients with mower-related injuries were admitted to our institution, with three due to walk-behind mowers and 13 due to riding mowers. The mean age was 7.5 years. Riding mower injuries had a higher average injury severity score (14.3 vs. 9) and a longer average length of hospital stay (15 vs. 2 days). All of the walk-behind mower injuries were extremity injuries, with two requiring amputations. Eleven of the riding mower injuries had extremity injuries alone, one had isolated torso injuries, and one had both extremity and torso injuries. Three required amputations, and the two patients with torso injuries required extensive surgical reconstructions. Pediatric lawnmower injuries, particularly due to riding mowers, are a highly preventable cause of morbidity and mortality. Increased public safety awareness and further manufacturer safety modifications should be strongly encouraged in order to limit this cause of pediatric trauma.

Characteristics of pediatric traumatic amputations treated in hospital emergency departments: United States, 1990-2002

OBJECTIVE

To examine the characteristics of children with traumatic amputations and the products associated with these injuries.

METHODS

Data regarding amputation injuries to children younger than 18 years treated in US emergency departments from 1990 to 2002 were obtained from the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System. Data included demographics, product involved, and body region injured.

RESULTS

An estimated 111,600 children younger than 18 years with amputation injuries were treated in US emergency departments from 1990 to 2002. The average age was 6.18 years (median: 4 years; mode: 1 year old). Males experienced 65.5% of these injuries. Finger amputations accounted for 91.6% of all amputations, ranging from 95.2% among 0- to 2-year-olds to 87.9% among 13- to 17-year-olds. Complete amputations accounted for 70.2% of all amputations among 13- to 17-year-olds compared with 52.6% of amputations among 0- to 2-year-olds. Adolescents also had the highest proportion of amputations resulting in hospital admission (26.6% for 13- to 17-year-olds compared with 11.9% for 0- to 2-year-olds). Adolescents had the highest proportion of amputation injuries involving lawn mowers (14.1% for 13- to 17-year-olds compared with 1.4% for 0- to 2-year-olds) and the highest proportion of amputations involving tools (29.3% for 13- to 17-year-olds compared with 2.5% for 0- to 2-year-olds). The percentage of amputations involving doors peaked in the youngest age group and decreased as age increased (65.8% of all amputations for 0- to 2-year-olds compared with 14.1% for 13- to 17-year-olds).

CONCLUSIONS

To our knowledge, this is the first study to use a nationally representative sample to broadly investigate amputation injuries among children. The majority of traumatic amputation injuries occur to young children, to males, and to fingers and the majority involve doors. Adolescents experience a higher proportion of more serious amputation injuries. Effective interventions exist but are inadequately used to prevent many of these injuries, including door stops and modifications, bicycle-chain and spoke guards, wearing closed-toe footwear while bicycling, a no-mow-in-reverse default feature on ride-on lawnmowers with the override switch located behind the mower operator, and a SawStop system on power saws. Use of these technical countermeasures and changes in relevant product standards to promote their implementation and use could lead to a decrease in pediatric traumatic amputations.

Ankle injuries in the pediatric population

Ankle injuries occur with considerable frequency in the pediatric population, although diagnosis is rarely straightforward. In this paper, we highlight the more common pitfalls in diagnosis and management, calling upon classic and contemporary literature and our own combined 30-year experience in managing pediatric lower extremity problems.