Pediatric water bead-related visits to United States emergency departments

To evaluate the characteristics and trends of pediatric water bead-related visits to US emergency departments (EDs) using a large national database.

Data from the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System regarding ED visits by individuals <20 years old associated with water beads from January 1, 2007, through December 31, 2022, were retrospectively analyzed.

Based on 307 reported cases, there were an estimated 8159 visits (95% CI: 4447-11,870) to US EDs from 2007 through 2022 involving water beads among <20-year-olds, and more than half (55.0%) of the 307 ED cases involved <5-year-olds. Most cases were treated and released (92.2%), which was consistent across all age groups. The proportion of cases admitted was highest among children <5 years old (10.1%), and this age group accounted for 17 of the 19 admissions (89.5%) in this study. All admissions among children <5 years old involved ingestions. Ingestion was the most common mechanism of injury (45.9%), followed by ear canal insertion (32.6%), nasal insertion (11.7%), and eye injury (8.8%). Although ingestions occurred most frequently among children one (28.4%) and two (23.4%) years of age, children 3 and 4 years old accounted for one-fifth of ingestions. The number of ED cases increased rapidly by 130.9% from 55 cases in 2021 to 127 in 2022.

The number of pediatric water bead-related ED visits is increasing rapidly. Children <5 years old are most commonly involved, usually via water bead ingestion. Increased prevention efforts are needed.