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Published on: September 11, 2018

Increase in pediatric magnet-related foreign bodies requiring emergency care

Jonathan A Silverman1, Julie C Brown, Margaret M Willis

  • 1Department of Pediatrics, University of Washington, Seattle, WA.

Annals of Emergency Medicine
|August 10, 2013
PubMed

Insights

Pediatric magnet ingestions and other magnetic foreign body injuries are a growing public health concern. Increased awareness and safety standards are needed to protect children from these dangerous incidents.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Emergency Medicine
  • Public Health Surveillance
  • Consumer Product Safety

Background:

  • Magnetic foreign body injuries in children represent a significant and increasing public health issue.
  • These injuries can occur through ingestion, nasal insertion, or other routes, posing risks to various age groups.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To analyze national estimates of magnetic foreign body (MFB) injury incidence among children in the United States.
  • To examine trends in MFB injuries over a 10-year period (2002-2011).

Main Methods:

  • Utilized the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (NEISS) to identify MFB cases in individuals under 21 years old.
  • Analyzed MFB cases by anatomical location, including the alimentary tract, respiratory tract, nasal cavity, ear canal, and genital area.

Main Results:

  • Identified 22,581 estimated MFB cases between 2002 and 2011, with ingestions (74%) and intranasal cases (21%) being most common.
  • Observed a significant increase in pediatric magnet ingestions from 0.57 to 3.06 cases per 100,000 children annually between 2002-2003 and 2010-2011.
  • Multiple magnet ingestions, more common in later years, led to higher hospitalization rates (15.7%) compared to single magnet ingestions (2.3%).

Conclusions:

  • Magnet-related injuries are an escalating public health problem affecting both young children and older children.
  • Educational initiatives and enhanced magnet safety standards are crucial to mitigate the risks associated with small magnets for children.
Abstract

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