Injuries associated with... CRIBS, CRADLES and BASSINETS

Entire CHIRPP database, as of February 1996, under 5 years of age

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SUMMARY (896 records)

Injuries associated with cribs or cradles were most common among one-year-old children (43.9%), and infants under one year old (35.2%). Boys sustained 53.5% of these injuries. Almost all the crib-related injuries (96.5%) occurred in the patient's own home. Falls from cribs caused 46.3% of injuries, and falls while climbing or jumping in or out of cribs accounted for 34.9%. Injuries requiring advice only or minor treatment accounted for 68.9% of patients, 25.2% of patients needed medical follow-up after leaving the emergency department, and 5.4% were admitted to hospital. Abrasions, bruises and inflammation accounted for 36.5% of injuries, and the head or neck was the body part injured involved most frequently (66.2%).

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SPECIFICATIONS OF THE SEARCH

A January 1996 search of the entire CHIRPP database (503,994 records) was conducted. Records were selected if i) the injury was sustained by a person under 5 years of age; ii) cribs, cradles, cots, bassinets, or mattresses (codes 1542, 1543, 1545, 1537, 4010) were a factor in the injury; iii) the text fields contained any of the following text strings; "CRIB," "CRADLE," or "BASSINET." Selected records were then scanned and included in the final set only if the injury was associated with a crib, cradle or bassinet. Excluded were injuries associated with i) children tripping or falling against a crib from the outside, ii) toys or other objects in the crib, iii) bed linens, iv) arm injuries to children lifted out of crib by the arms and v) children being pushed or thrown out of crib by another child. The total number of records identified was 896.

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OVERALL OCCURRENCE

The proportion of records in the CHIRPP database for children less than 5 years accounted for by injuries associated with cribs was 0.62%. These injuries occurred with slightly more frequency in the summer months of June to August (28.2%) and slightly less during the winter months of December to February (20.8%). There was no particular pattern of injury by day of the week. Slightly more injuries involving cribs (26.4% of injuries for which time of day was reported) occurred in the early afternoon between noon and 4 p.m. and fewer injuries (9.6%) occurred overnight between midnight and 8 a.m.

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AGE AND SEX DISTRIBUTION OF INJURED PERSONS

	NUMBER	PERCENT OF INJURIES	% MALE*	INJURIES/ 100,000**
<1 year	315	35.2	55.9	1651
1 year	393	43.9	51.7	964
2 years	154	17.2	50.7	413
3 years	22	2.5	68.2	76
4 years	12	1.3	58.3	50
Total	896	100.0	53.5	597

^* Of all injuries to children less than 5 years of age in the CHIRPP database, 57.0% were to males.

^** Number of injuries of this specific type per 100,000 CHIRPP injuries of all types within the age group indicated.

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WHERE THE INJURY OCCURRED

		NUMBER		PERCENT OF INJURIES
Own home		865		96.5
Living/sleeping area		849
Kitchen		2
Bathroom		2
Basement		1
Area not specified		11
Other home		21		2.3
Living/sleeping area		20
Area not specified		1
Hotel		2		0.2
Church nursery		1		0.1
Unknown		7		0.8
Total		896		100.0

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CIRCUMSTANCES OF INJURY

Note: The following is a list of frequently occuring circumstances and factors in injuries related to baby cribs, cradles and bassinets. Each patient has been assigned to only one category and percentages are based on 896 persons injured. Category assignment is based on the level of detail available in the description of the injury.

	NUMBER	PERCENT OF INJURIES
Fell out of crib	415	46.3
Climbing/jumping in or out of crib and fell	313	34.9
Fell or hit against inside of crib	83	9.3
Caught (a body part) in the crib	39	4.4
Injured while in the crib (e.g., with toys, pulled something into crib, pushed by other child in crib)	15	1.7
Injured when lifted in/out of crib	13	1.5
Crib broke, collapsed or malfunctioned	9	1.0
Child ate wood or other pieces of crib or was injured by splinters of wood	3	0.3
Small crib or cradle fell over with infant inside	3	0.3
Unspecified circumstances	3	0.3
Total	896	100.0

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NATURE OF INJURY AND BODY PART INJURED

		NUMBER*		PERCENT OF INJURIES
Abrasion, bruising or inflammation		306		36.5
eye		7
mouth		10
other head or neck		232
arm or hand		26
leg or foot		26
trunk		5
Fracture		179		21.4
arm or hand		139
leg or foot		25
head		15
Minor head injury		120		14.3
Cut, laceration or puncture		108		12.9
eye		5
mouth		52
other head or neck		48
arm or hand		1
leg or foot		2
Concussion		45		5.4
Sprain or strain		32		3.8
head or neck		6
arm or hand		10
leg or foot		16
Dislocation or subluxation		22		2.6
arm (elbow)		21
head (jaw)		1
Dental		12		1.4
Asphyxiation or difficulty		4		0.5
Multiple system trauma		1		0.1
Haemorrhage		1		0.1
head (nose)
Foreign body		1		0.1
head (nose)
Other or unspecified		7		0.8
No injury detected		(120)
Total		838		100.0

^* Up to three injuries may be specified for each record. Fifty-nine patients (6.6%) sustained more than one injury.

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TREATMENT PROVIDED IN THE EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT

	NUMBER	PERCENT OF INJURIES
Left without being seen	5	0.6
Advice only, or treatment with no need for follow-up	617	68.9
Treated, follow-up required	226	25.2
Admitted to hospital	48	*5.4
Fatal injury	**0
Total	896	100.0

^* The percentage of all CHIRPP injuries that resulted in hospital admission for patients under 5 years of age was 5.4%.

^** Fatalities counted by CHIRPP include only those patients who were dead on arrival at the emergency department or who died in the emergency department. They do not include people who died before they could be taken to hospital or those who died after hospital admission.

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PROFILE OF PATIENTS ADMITTED TO HOSPITAL

Forty-eight patients were admitted to hospital with injuries associated with cribs. Seventeen were under one year old, 16 were one year olds, 12 were two years old, one was 3 years old and two were four years old. Twenty-five of these patients were girls. All but one of the injuries occurred in the patient's own home (one at another residence). Twenty-eight of these young children fell out of cribs, ten fell while climbing or jumping in or out of the crib, six caught a body part in the crib (two caught their head or neck between the bars, three caught arms or legs and one caught his eye on a hook), three fell or hit against the inside of the crib and one was injured when he fell inside the crib and bit his tongue. For 30 admitted patients the most serious injury was fracture (14 arm, 9 skull and 7 leg). Five patients suffered concussions, four had serious abrasions or bruising, three sustained cuts and lacerations, two experienced asphyxiation or difficulty breathing, one had a serious sprain (neck), one had a minor head injury, one suffered multiple system trauma and one had unspecified injuries.

1997-3e