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Risk posed to children by stationery items in the upper airways

F Foltran1, G Caruso, D Gregori

  • 1Department of Surgery, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy.

Minerva Pediatrica
|June 26, 2012
PubMed

Insights

Stationery items cause a significant number of foreign body (FB) injuries in children, with parts of pens and erasers being common culprits. Prevention strategies, including product modification and parental education, are crucial for reducing these incidents.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Emergency Medicine
  • Public Health
  • Consumer Product Safety

Background:

  • Foreign body (FB) injuries are a common pediatric concern.
  • Stationery items represent a notable, yet often overlooked, category of FB hazards.
  • Understanding the specific risks associated with stationery items is essential for targeted prevention.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To characterize the risks of complications and prolonged hospitalization from stationery item foreign body (FB) injuries in children.
  • To analyze these risks based on patient demographics, FB characteristics, location, and circumstances of injury.
  • To inform preventive strategies through the European Study of Foreign Bodies in Children (ESFBI) data.

Main Methods:

  • A retrospective analysis of 2094 foreign body (FB) injuries in children aged 0-14 years across 19 European countries (2000-2003).
  • Focus on 62 injuries specifically caused by stationery items.
  • Analysis of child characteristics, FB type and consistency, injury location, and complications.

Main Results:

  • Stationery items accounted for 3% of FB injuries, with ear (32) and respiratory tract (30) being common locations.
  • Pen parts were frequent in younger children (<3 years), while erasers were more common in older children.
  • Hospitalization was required for 39% of cases, with external ear inflammation being the most documented complication. Nearly 24% of injuries occurred during adult supervision.

Conclusions:

  • Stationery items contribute significantly to pediatric foreign body (FB) injuries, necessitating preventive measures.
  • Passive strategies like product modification by manufacturers are most effective.
  • Active strategies, including education during pediatrician visits, are vital when passive measures are insufficient.
Abstract

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