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Fingertip Injuries in Children: Epidemiology, Financial Burden, and Implications for Prevention
Rachel R Yorlets1, Kathleen Busa1, Kyle R Eberlin2
11 Boston Children's Hospital, MA, USA.
Insights
Pediatric fingertip injuries are common, often occurring at home, and represent a significant health and financial burden. Increased awareness and education are key to preventing these injuries.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Emergency Medicine
- Trauma Epidemiology
- Health Services Research
Background:
- Fingertip injuries are frequent in children, but data on their epidemiology and associated hospital costs are limited.
- This study addresses the gap by analyzing clinical features and financial charges for pediatric fingertip injuries at a major children's hospital.
Purpose of the Study:
- To describe the epidemiology of fingertip injuries in a large pediatric population.
- To determine the hospital charges associated with treating pediatric fingertip injuries.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective analysis of 1807 pediatric fingertip injury cases from Boston Children's Hospital (2005-2011).
- Data extracted using International Classification of Diseases, Revision 9 (ICD-9) codes and medical records.
- Analysis included injury mechanisms, demographics, emergency department (ED) length of stay, surgical needs, follow-up, and financial charges.
Main Results:
- The study identified 1807 pediatric patients, with a mean age of 8 years; 59% were male.
- Crush injuries (46%) from doors/windows were most common, occurring primarily at home.
- Average ED charge was $1195 (2014 dollars), totaling approximately $320,430 annually for the institution; 25% required surgery.
Conclusions:
- Pediatric fingertip injuries are common, preventable, and impose substantial health, time, and financial burdens.
- Most injuries occur in domestic settings (doors/windows), highlighting the need for targeted prevention strategies.
- Increased public awareness and educational initiatives are recommended to reduce the incidence of these injuries.
Background:
Although fingertip injuries are common, there is limited literature on the epidemiology and hospital charges for fingertip injuries in children. This descriptive study reports the clinical features of and hospital charges for fingertip injuries in a large pediatric population treated at a tertiary medical center.
Methods:
Our hospital database was queried using International Classification of Diseases, Revision 9 (ICD-9) codes, and medical records were reviewed. Frequency statistics were generated for 1807 patients with fingertip injuries who presented to the emergency department (ED) at Boston Children's Hospital (BCH) between 2005 and 2011. Billing records were analyzed for financial data.
Results:
A total of 1807 patients were identified for this study; 59% were male, and the mean age at time of injury was 8 years. Most commonly, injuries occurred when a finger was crushed (n = 831, 46%) in a door or window. Average length of stay in the ED was 3 hours 45 minutes, 25% of cases needed surgery, and, on average, patients had more than 1 follow-up appointment. About one-third of patients were referred from outside institutions. The average ED charge for fingertip injuries was $1195 in 2014, which would amount to about $320 430 each year (in 2014 dollars) for fingertip injuries presenting to BCH.
Conclusion:
Fingertip injuries in children are common and result in significant burden, yet are mostly preventable. Most injuries occur at home in a door or window. Although these patients generally heal well, fingertip injuries pose a health, time, and financial burden. Increased awareness and education may help to avoid these injuries.
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