Extremity fractures in children: a hospital based study in Tehran.

OBJECTIVE: Although long bone fracture in children is not life-threatening, it may cause major disability, loss of working days and severe psychological distress. We conducted this study to determine the pattern of extremity fracture due to trauma in children. METHODS: During one year in six general hospitals in Tehran, trauma patients who were hospitalized for more than 24 hours and sustained injuries within seven days before admission were included in the study. The records of children (< or = 16 years old) hospitalized in six general hospitals in Tehran due to trauma were reviewed prospectively. RESULTS: During the study period, 1 274 children had sustained extremity fractures. Male to female ratio was 3.6/1, with the mean age of (10.3+/-4.2) years. Falls and traffic crashes were the main causes of injuries, with the percentages of 57.3% and 37.1%, respectively. Simple fall (falling on the ground) consisted 60% of patients that sustained fall-related injuries. Pedestrians and bicycle riders comprised most of the cases that were injured due to traffic crashes. Of our cases, 56.8% sustained fractures in the upper extremities and 43.2% in the lower extremities. Forearm was the most common fracture site (34.1%). Comparing our results in preschool and school-age children, falls were the main cause of injuries in both groups, but fractures of lower extremities were significantly more common in preschool children. CONCLUSIONS: Improvement of physical condition of sidewalks and crossings in roads will be necessary for prevention of injuries. More attention to safety of home environment should be paid for control of preschools'injury at home. Education of children and adults is necessary to reduce injuries resulting from road traffic crashes.

Amputations due to landmine and unexploded ordinances in post-war Iran.

BACKGROUND: In view of lack of comprehensive data on landmine casualties that lead to amputation in Iran, we conducted this study to determine the pattern and demographic features of landmine explosions that result in amputation of the victims. METHODS: To define the pattern of landmine- and unexploded ordinances-induced amputations and to understand the most common types of underlying activities at the time of the blast, a retrospective study was conducted among the victims in 5 western provinces of Iran, West Azerbaijan, Kermanshah, Kurdistan, Ilam, and Khuzestan between 1988 and 2003. RESULTS: Of a total of 3713 victims, 1499 had undergone amputations. The mean age of the victims at the time of accident was 23 years; 92% of the victims were male, 48.4% of them were of very poor education and all were civilians. Below knee amputation was the commonest type of amputation. CONCLUSION: The occurrence of lower limb amputations from landmine injuries in Iran is a significant burden on the healthcare system; rendering allocation of more resources to provide preventative and rehabilitation measures is therefore a must.