Descriptive Epidemiology of Pediatric Drowning Patients Presenting to a Large Southern US Children's Hospital.

OBJECTIVES: Drowning is the leading cause of death for children ages 1 to 4, and it is among the leading causes of death for children of all ages. National data show disparities in drowning risk for certain racial groups. This study aimed to describe characteristics of patients presenting after a drowning event to guide focused drowning prevention outreach efforts. METHODS: This was a retrospective chart review study designed to analyze the epidemiologic and demographic characteristics of drowning-related injuries and deaths that presented to a large, urban, southern US pediatric hospital from 2016 to 2019. All patients aged 0 to 19 years were identified using International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision and Tenth Revision codes for drowning or submersion injuries. RESULTS: One hundred sixty-two patients met the inclusion criteria for the study. Submersion injuries were most common in the 1- to 5-year-old age group. Fifty-eight percent of patients were male. The analysis of race showed that 65% of patients were White and 33% of patients were Black. Pools were the setting for 78% of drowning events. Fifty-four percent of patients received cardiopulmonary resuscitation. Sixty-four percent of patients required hospitalization after the injury. CONCLUSIONS: Characteristics of drowning victims may vary significantly from national data, depending on the area involved. This finding highlights the need for assessing local data to better inform local outreach. Further research is necessary to understand why such variance exists. Drowning prevention education, tailored toward pool safety and preschool-age children, should be a focus of injury prevention efforts.

Dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans post basal cell carcinoma excision: A case report.

INTRODUCTION: Dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans (DFSP) is a rare, malignant, soft tissue neoplasm of the dermis. Tumor recurrence is common following resection, and can be locally devastating if not identified in a timely manner. We report a unique case of this rare tumor. This case poses the question of an association between basal cell carcinoma (BCC) and DFSP, and presents the possible need for increased awareness of DFSP for healthcare providers and patients with a history of non-melanoma skin cancers as well as surgical or burn scars. PRESENTATION OF CASE: A 77-year-old male with a history of surgical excision of BCC presented with several palpable lesions in the superficial cutaneous tissue of the right anterior abdominal wall. Most of the lesions were consistent with lipoma; however, one lesion near the excision site of the BCC was more solid in consistency. The mass was removed with wide local excision encompassing all layers down to the abdominal fascia. Subsequent pathology findings included CD34 positive spindle cells in a whorled pattern consistent with DFSP. Resection margins were positive and a wide re-excision was performed with margins being negative. DISCUSSION: DFSP comprises approximately 0.01% of all malignant tumors. There are no known precipitating factors of DFSP, but its presence in surgical and burn scars is not uncommon. An association between DFSP and basal cell carcinoma has been suggested in the literature. Dermatofibroma and rarely DFSP may demonstrate basaloid proliferation of the overlying epidermis with characteristics of BCC. One case reporting coexistent DFSP and BCC located to the ear also suggested an association, but concluded that the finding was likely incidental due to sun exposure. In our case, the lesion's location is less routinely subjected to sun exposure and points more towards a possible association. The mainstay of treatment for local DFSP is wide local excision. Negative margins with the removal of fascia and muscle tissue as necessary is essential and the most significant prognostic factor. Three-dimensional reconstructions of DFSP have shown villous finger like projections of primary tumors, which is believed to be responsible for local recurrence. Recurrence can be devastating, as several cases have demonstrated rapid growth of remaining cells with increased morbidity following further resection. CONCLUSION: Based on this case and those found in the literature, we believe an association may exist between DFSP and BCC and further study of this association is needed. DFSP is a rare malignancy unknown to many healthcare providers, but in the presence of increased awareness and physician vigilance in surgical resection and follow up, the potential morbidity of DFSP may be prevented.