Television-Related Injuries to Children in the United States, 1990–2011

Abstract

WHAT'S KNOWN ON THIS SUBJECT:Previous research has demonstrated that pediatric injuries associated with television (TV) tip-overs are increasing, children aged #4 years are at highest risk for injury, and the head and neck are most commonly injured. WHAT THIS STUDY ADDS:We analyzed a nationally representative sample comprising 22 years of data. On average, 17 313 children receive emergency treatment of a TV-related injury annually in the United States. The rate of injury attributable to falling TVs increased by 95% over 22 years. abstract OBJECTIVE: To investigate the epidemiology of television (TV)-related injuries to children in the United States.METHODS: Using data from the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System, children aged ,18 years treated in United States hospital emergency departments for an injury associated with a TV from 1990 through 2011 were investigated. RESULTS:An estimated 380 885 patients aged ,18 years were treated in emergency departments for a TV-related injury during the 22-year study period, which equals an annual average of 17 313 children. The median age of patients was 3 years; children ,5 years represented 64.3% of patients, and boys comprised 60.8%. The average annual injury rate was 2.43 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 2.07-2.80) injuries per 10 000 children aged ,18 years, with a range of 2.15 (95% CI: 1.64-2.66) to 2.90 (95% CI: 2.31-3.49). Although the overall injury rate was steady, the number and rate of injuries associated with falling TVs increased significantly by 125.5% and 95.3%, respectively, during the study period. In addition, there was a significant 344.1% increase in the number of injuries associated with a TV falling from a dresser/bureau/chest of drawers/armoire during 1995-2011.

A Hidden Household Danger: Television

“…As a result, accidents caused by these dangerous "toys" are increasing, and studies show that accidents related to falling TVs are on the rise. [13][14][15] The present male:female ratio and mean age were comparable, with most patients aged between 1-4 years. However, the number fractures was higher among boys, possibly due to them being more physically active.…”

“…[16] Each of the present patients was a small child, and 55-inch and 72-inch screens were more commonly associated with injury. Güloğlu et al and De Roo et al reported similar findings regarding screen size, [1,13] which may be due to the popularity of these sizes.…”

The Outcome and Patterns of Traumatic Brain Injury in the Paediatric Population of a Developing Country Secondary to TV Trolley Tip-Over

“…It was first taken into consideration by Bernard et al [14] when the data from the US Consumer Product Safety Commission (USCPSC) was reported to describe significant morbidity and mortality due to fallen TV trolleys. A few articles have been published from the developed world regarding TV trolley tip-over injury [13,[15][16][17] ; however, very few have focused specifically on head injury [18] . To the best of our knowledge, this is the largest series of clinically significant traumatic brain injury (TBI) reported.…”

“…The average hospital stay was 8.9 days compared to 4.4 days in our study. Three other studies [15][16][17] looked at systemic injuries that related to TV trolley tip-overs, but they did not discuss TBI separately. These studies had significantly high mortality.…”

A Case of acquired Ondine's curse secondary to television injury

“…The rate of paediatric injuries caused by falling TVs is increasing, which emphasises the need for increased preventive strategies. 4 Dr Kamakshya P Patra Assistant Professor Department of Pediatrics Section of Hospital Pediatrics West Virginia University Children's Hospital Morgantown, West Virginia United States…”