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Assessment of injury potential in pediatric bed fall experiments using an anthropomorphic test device
Angela Thompson1, Gina Bertocci, Mary C Pierce
1Mechanical Engineering, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY, USA. angela.thompson@louisville.edu
Insights
Short falls from furniture can cause injuries in young children. Linoleum over concrete poses the highest risk for head and neck injuries, though severe injuries are generally low.
Area of Science:
- Biomechanics
- Pediatric Injury Assessment
- Child Safety
Background:
- Falls from furniture are common in young children.
- Distinguishing accidental from abusive falls is challenging for clinicians.
- Understanding injury potential in short-distance falls is crucial.
Purpose of the Study:
- Investigate biomechanical outcomes of short-distance falls.
- Assess injury potential for head, neck, and extremities.
- Compare injury risk across different impact surfaces.
Main Methods:
- Utilized an anthropomorphic test device (ATD) simulating a 12-month-old child.
- Simulated falls from beds and horizontal surfaces.
- Evaluated various impact surfaces including linoleum, wood, carpet, and foam.
Main Results:
- Linoleum over concrete presented the highest risk for head and neck injuries.
- Severe head and extremity injuries were generally low across most surfaces.
- Concussion and humerus fractures are possible outcomes.
- Falls onto linoleum over concrete may lead to more serious head injuries.
Conclusions:
- Impact surface significantly influences pediatric fall injury potential.
- Further research is needed on pediatric neck injury biomechanics.
- Improving ATD biofidelity and injury thresholds is essential for accurate assessment.
Abstract:
Falls from beds and other furniture are common scenarios provided to conceal child abuse but are also common occurrences in young children. A better understanding of injury potential in short-distance falls could aid clinicians in distinguishing abusive from accidental injuries. Therefore, this study investigated biomechanical outcomes related to injury potential in falls from beds and other horizontal surfaces using an anthropomorphic test device representing a 12-month-old child. The potential for head, neck, and extremity injuries and differences due to varying impact surfaces were examined. Linoleum over concrete was associated with the greatest potential for head and neck injury compared to other evaluated surfaces (linoleum over wood, carpet, wood, playground foam). The potential for severe head and extremity injuries was low for most evaluated surfaces. However, results suggest that concussion and humerus fracture may be possible in these falls. More serious head injuries may be possible particularly for falls onto linoleum over concrete. Neck injury potential in pediatric falls should be studied further as limitations in ATD biofidelity and neck injury thresholds based solely on sagittal plane motion reduce accuracy in pediatric neck injury assessment. In future studies, limitations in ATD biofidelity and pediatric injury thresholds should be addressed to improve accuracy in injury potential assessments for pediatric short-distance falls. Additionally, varying initial conditions or pre-fall positioning should be examined for their influence on injury potential.
