Stationery injuries in the upper aerodigestive system: Results from the Susy Safe Project
| Authors | |
|---|---|
| Year of publication | 2012 |
| Type | Article in Periodical |
| Magazine / Source | International journal of pediatric otorhinolaryngology |
| MU Faculty or unit | |
| Citation | |
| Doi | http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ijporl.2012.02.016 |
| Field | ORL, ophthalmology, stomatology |
| Keywords | Foreign body injuries; Stationery; Children |
| Description | Rationale and aim: Foreign body (FB) injuries are a relatively frequent event in young children. Clinical picture can be evidently affected from different variables. Among those size, shape, type and FB location cover an important issue. Increased attempts have been made in order to encourage normative interventions for products devoted to children's care and entertainment, reaching acceptable safety level; on the contrary, fewer efforts have been devoted to investigate the risk associated to objects that - even if not expressly created for children - are easy accessed by children, like stationery. Conclusions: Injuries are events that in many cases can be prevented with appropriate strategies. Passive environmental strategies, including product modification by manufacturers, are the most effective. However, regulation regarding small parts of potentially dangerous objects covers products addressed to children use but objects not projected for children, such as stationary items, are excluded. Our study testifies that stationary is involved in a non-negligible percentage of FB injuries, mainly due to insertion in the ears. Frequently, injuries happen under adult supervision. These results confirm the fact that when passive preventive strategies are not practical, active strategies that promote behavior change are necessary and information about this issue should be included in all visits to family pediatricians. |