Falls from heights among children: a retrospective review

Falls are a major cause of emergency room visits and admissions in pediatric hospitals.

To better understand the epidemiology of falls from height and develop prevention strategies, the authors reviewed all admissions after a fall at a single institution from 1994 to 1997. Inclusion criteria are falls from a minimum height of 10 feet.

Of 1,410 patients admitted after a fall, 64 patients including 45 boys and 19 girls with a mean age of 7.4 years (range, 1 to 18) are included in this study. Fifty (78%) children fell from 20 feet or less (two stories) and 14 (22%) from height greater than 20 feet. Patients mainly fell from balconies (n = 15), windows (n = 13), trees (n = 9), roofs (n = 6), stairs (n = 6), diving board (n = 3) and miscellaneous (n = 12). Over 60% of falls occurred in private houses and during the summer months. Fifty-five patients (86%) sustained only one system injury, two patients had no significant injury, and seven patients had multisystem injury. Major injuries included head trauma (39%), musculoskeletal (34%), abdominal (12%), maxillofacial (8%), and spine (6%). A surgical intervention was required for 43% of intracranial trauma, 39% of musculoskeletal injuries, 60% of facial trauma, and 50% of spine fractures. Mean length of stay in hospital varied according to the injured system. The overall survival rate is 98% with only one death after a fall greater than 50 feet.

Although rarely mortal, falls from height carry a significant morbidity and are costly to the health care system. To decrease the occurrence of injuries caused by falls, strategies should include awareness campaigns, parent's education about the mechanisms of falls, increase parenteral supervision during playing activities, and legislative measures to ensure the safety of windows and balconies before the onset of summer.