Clinical analysis of 1 379 children hospitalized for unintentional injuries: Case series from a single center / 中国小儿急救医学

ABSTRACT

Objective:To prevent the occurrence of children′s unintentional injuries, clinical characteristics were analyzed for 1 379 children hospitalized for unintentional injuries over a 5-year period at the First Affiliated Hospital of Xiamen University.Methods:We searched the First Affiliated Hospital of Xiamen University Pediatric Refined Management Database for all cases of children aged 0-14 years who were hospitalized for unintentional injuries from January 1, 2015 to December 31, 2019.Descriptive statistics were calculated for age, gender, season of injury, location of residence, education level of the child′s parents/guardians, injury etiology and outcome, and cost of treatment.Results:Of 1 379 cases, 894 children(64.8%) were boys and 485(35.2%) were girls.The majority of cases were 1-5 years old(61.6%, n=849). The top three causes of unintentional injuries were foreign bodies(38.1%, n=526), falls(27.0%, n=372), and burns(17.1%, n=236). Children′s unintentional injuries occurred most frequently during the summer(29.0%). More children came from rural locations(56.3%, n=777). Approximately half of the parents/guardians had attained an education level of junior high school or below(50.5%, n=696). There were 47 cases(3.4%) resulting in death or permanent injury and 292 cases(21.2%) resulting in disability.Children injured in traffic accidents had the longest average length of hospital stay [11(7, 18)d] and incurred the highest healthcare costs per case[11 130.32(5 389.69, 24 216.90)RMB]. Conclusion:Children′s unintentional injuries are concentrated among rural boys aged 1-5 years, foreign bodies are the most common cause of unintentional injuries.Children from families with low parental/guardian education levels may be at heightened risk of unintentional injuries.