TY - JOUR
T1 - Injuries when children reportedly fall from a bed or couch
AU - Hennrikus, William L.
AU - Shaw, Brian A.
AU - Gerardi, Joseph A.
PY - 2003/2/1
Y1 - 2003/2/1
N2 - One-hundred-fifteen patients with orthopaedic injuries resulting from a reported fall from a piece of furniture at home were studied to define the relationship of suspected child abuse associated with this mechanism of injury. One hundred-thirteen patients sustained fractures or dislocations and two patients were impaled with a pencil and a needle. Each patient was evaluated by a primary care physician or an emergency room physician and by an orthopaedic surgeon. In six of 115 patients (5%), a treating physician filed a child abuse report. In 109 patients (95%) the purported mechanism of injury was considered sufficient to produce the resulting injury. Two of four children younger than 1 year (50%), four of 83 children 1 to 5 years (5%), and none of the 28 children older than 5 years were investigated for potential child abuse. Orthopaedic injuries reportedly attributable to a child falling from a bed or couch at home usually are accidental unless the child is younger than 1 year.
AB - One-hundred-fifteen patients with orthopaedic injuries resulting from a reported fall from a piece of furniture at home were studied to define the relationship of suspected child abuse associated with this mechanism of injury. One hundred-thirteen patients sustained fractures or dislocations and two patients were impaled with a pencil and a needle. Each patient was evaluated by a primary care physician or an emergency room physician and by an orthopaedic surgeon. In six of 115 patients (5%), a treating physician filed a child abuse report. In 109 patients (95%) the purported mechanism of injury was considered sufficient to produce the resulting injury. Two of four children younger than 1 year (50%), four of 83 children 1 to 5 years (5%), and none of the 28 children older than 5 years were investigated for potential child abuse. Orthopaedic injuries reportedly attributable to a child falling from a bed or couch at home usually are accidental unless the child is younger than 1 year.
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U2 - 10.1097/00003086-200302000-00022
DO - 10.1097/00003086-200302000-00022
M3 - Article
C2 - 12567141
AN - SCOPUS:0037316686
SN - 0009-921X
VL - 407
SP - 148
EP - 151
JO - Clinical orthopaedics and related research
JF - Clinical orthopaedics and related research
ER -