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Magnet-related injury rates in children: a single hospital experience

Chioma Agbo1, Lois Lee, Vincent Chiang

  • 1Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA.

Journal of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition
|August 21, 2013
PubMed

Insights

Emergency department visits for pediatric magnet injuries are increasing, particularly those involving multiple magnets. Mandatory toy standards have not reduced these magnet-related injuries in children.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric emergency medicine
  • Consumer product safety
  • Injury epidemiology

Background:

  • Simultaneous magnet ingestion or nasal placement can cause severe tissue injury due to magnetic attraction.
  • The effectiveness of mandatory safety standards for toys containing magnets requires further investigation.
  • Magnet-related injuries in children represent a significant public health concern.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To describe the emergency department (ED) visit rate for magnet-related injuries in children.
  • To analyze trends in magnet-related injuries over time.
  • To assess the impact of toy safety standards on magnet-related injuries.

Main Methods:

  • Retrospective study of children evaluated for magnet injuries from 1995 to 2012 in a pediatric ED.
  • Case identification via computerized text search and manual chart review.
  • Analysis of injury types, magnet numbers, management, and interventions using Poisson regression for rate analysis.

Main Results:

  • 112 magnet injury cases were identified; the median age was 6 years, with 54% males.
  • Rates of all and multiple magnet-related injuries significantly increased from 2007-2012 compared to pre-2006.
  • Swallowed magnets caused 86% of injuries; 12% required endoscopy and 4% surgery.

Conclusions:

  • Emergency department visits for pediatric magnet injuries are likely increasing and may be underreported.
  • A rise in cases involving multiple magnets was observed.
  • Mandatory toy standards did not demonstrate a mitigating effect on magnet-related injuries in this series.
Abstract

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