Objective: To analyze some factors related to injuries and children and adolescents hospitalization.Methods: This is a prospective, descriptive and observational research that took place at Márcio Cunha Hospital, Ipatinga, Minas Gerais, in the period of December 1st, 1999 to November 30th, 2000. The sample included 696 children and adolescents hospitalized for injuries, ages ranging from 0 to 19 years old. The International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems (10th version) was used as a parameter to classify the types of injuries and sites where they happened.Results: The injuries represented 9.9% of children and adolescents hospitalizations, of which, 69.7% were male patients. As for the informants opinion about causes of injuries, 57.2% attributed then to human failure, 18% believed they were due to fate and 12.7% did not know how to express their opinions. Only 23.1% of the informants had received previous orientation about prevention and the main sources were media, school and work place. A total of 31.9% of the events took place at home. Transportation injuries caused 34.5% of hospitalizations; falls, 33.2%; exposure to inanimate mechanical forces, 9%; contact with poisonous animals, 5.2%; aggression, 5%; burns, 4.9%; exposure to animated mechanical forces, 3.3%; intoxication, 2.3%; and other types, 2.6%.Conclusions: Males were more affected than females. Only a low percentage of the informants had received previous orientation about injury prevention. The most affected age group was between 15 and 19 years. Transportation accidents and falls were the most frequent causes of injuries.

Males were more affected than females. Only a low percentage of the informants had received previous orientation about injury prevention. The most affected age group was between 15 and 19 years. Transportation accidents and falls were the most frequent causes of injuries.

Foram avaliados 71 pacientes com idade abaixo de 16 anos, portadores de 72 fraturas diafisárias do fêmur, ocorridas de 01/1995 a 12/1998. Os objetivos do estudo foram conhecer aspectos descritivos dessas fraturas e avaliar o tratamento empregado. A idade foi o principal critério para escolha do tratamento, sendo aqueles abaixo de 3 anos (Grupo I) tratados com gesso imediato, os de 3 a 10 anos (Grupo II) com gesso após tração e os acima de 11 anos (Grupo III) de modo conservador ou cirúrgico. A média de idade foi 6,3±3,8 anos, havendo predomínio do gênero masculino e de fraturas fechadas. Acidente de trânsito foi o mecanismo de lesão mais comum. A fratura localizou-se no terço médio, em 60,6% dos casos, no proximal em 23,9% e no distal em 15,5%. Noventa e três porcento eram fraturas de traço simples, 4,2% cominutivas e 2,8% segmentares. Lesões associadas foram identificadas em 35,2% dos pacientes. Todas fraturas nos Grupos I e II e 60% daquelas no Grupo III foram tratadas conservadoramente. As complicações observadas até a união óssea foram: discrepância, infecção no trajeto do fio, consolidação viciosa e limitação de movimento do joelho. O tempo médio de consolidação foi 8,6±3,4 semanas, variando com a idade. Concluiu-se que as características das fraturas estudadas foram semelhantes às citadas na literatura e que o tratamento empregado apresentou bom resultado.

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