Application of data for prevention of foreign body injury in children.

BACKGROUND: To develop design criteria for consumer products, based on foreign body injury and fatality data, to prevent airway obstruction injuries to children. METHOD: Beginning in 1988, RAM Consulting has created a worldwide database of foreign body injuries. This ongoing project now includes approximately 7000 data points from 51 children's hospitals in 15 countries located on five continents. Statistical analysis of these data, especially in terms of size, shape and consistency of the object and obstruction location and severity of injury for the patient has allowed the creation of an injury prevention criterion. RESULTS: Analysis of these data reveals that adoption of an injury prevention criteria based on the use of a 1.50 in. (38.10 mm) diameter gauge for non-spherical objects and a 1.75 in. (44.50 mm) diameter gauge for spherical objects would greatly reduce airway obstruction injuries to children. Furthermore, the data show that this criterion is independent of country and culture. However, the data suggest that a child's exposure to the "mix" of objects that may cause airway obstruction varies with the country and culture of the child. For example, coins are well represented in the database, however, some countries make more coins than other countries and the exposure level may have made the difference in the occurrence of incidents. CONCLUSIONS: Airway obstruction injuries from consumer products could be greatly decreased by the adoption of the presented injury prevention criteria that is founded in a statistical analysis of known objects that have caused injury. This criteria is dependent on object characteristics and is independent of the country or culture of the child.