Injuries among infants treated in emergency departments in the United States, 2001-2004.

OBJECTIVE

The objective of this study was to present a detailed examination of unintentional injuries in infants < or = 12 months of age treated in emergency departments.

METHODS

We conducted a retrospective analysis of data for infants < or = 12 months of age from the National Electronic Surveillance System-All Injury Program for 2001-2004. Sample weights provided by the National Electronic Surveillance System-All Injury Program were used to make national estimates.

RESULTS

An estimated 1,314,000 injured infants were treated in US emergency departments for nonfatal unintentional injuries during the 4-year period of 2001-2004, approximately 1 infant every 1.5 minutes. Falls were the leading cause of nonfatal unintentional injuries for infants. Overall, the patients were more likely to be male (55.2%) than female (44.8%). Contusions/abrasions were the leading diagnosis overall (26.7%). Contusion/abrasion, laceration, hematoma, foreign-body, and puncture injuries occurred most frequently to the head or neck region. More than one third of fractures (37.2%) were to the arm or hand. Bed was the product most frequently noted as being involved in the injury event for every age except 2 and 12 months (car seat was the most frequently noted product at 2 months of age, and stairs were top ranked at 12 months). Product rank changed markedly as age increased.

CONCLUSIONS

The influences of the social environment, the physical environment, and products change as infants mature in the first year of life; this was substantiated in our study by the shift in the relative importance of products involved in injuries according to month of age. The concept that aspects of safety must adapt in anticipation of developmental stage is critical.