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Injuries from falling out of bed in infants under 1 year of age: a systematic review
Camile Lima Barros Ourem Campos1, Gabriela Carneiro de Farias Evangelista1, Lucas Victor Alves2
1Faculdade Pernambucana de Saude, Recife, Brazil.
Insights
Infant bed falls are common, usually causing minor injuries. However, serious harm like skull fractures can occur in about 5% of cases, highlighting the need for prevention and better clinical guidelines.
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Injury Prevention
- Public Health
Background:
- Bed falls are a primary cause of unintentional injuries in infants under one year.
- While most infant bed fall injuries are minor, severe outcomes like skull fractures and intracranial hemorrhages are possible.
- Existing literature lacks a systematic review focused on infant bed fall injuries.
Purpose of the Study:
- To systematically review the risk and severity of injuries resulting from bed falls in infants under one year of age.
Main Methods:
- Searched PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, and Lilacs Scielo for studies from 1984 to December 2024.
- Included observational studies reporting infant bed fall injuries.
- Extracted data on study details, sample size, and outcomes; assessed quality using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale.
Main Results:
- Three observational studies involving 2034 infants met the inclusion criteria.
- The majority of infant bed falls resulted in minor or no injuries.
- Serious injuries, including skull fractures and intracranial hemorrhages, occurred in approximately 5% of infants.
Conclusions:
- Infant bed falls are frequent, with most having minor consequences.
- A notable percentage of infants experience severe injuries, necessitating enhanced prevention strategies.
- Further research is crucial for refining understanding and improving management of infant bed fall injuries.
Context:
Falls from beds are a leading cause of unintentional injuries in infants under 1 year of age. While most cases result in mild outcomes, the potential for severe injuries, such as skull fractures or intracranial haemorrhages, exists. Despite the prevalence of these incidents, no systematic review has focused specifically on injuries from bed falls in this specific age.
Objective:
To evaluate the risk and severity of injuries caused by falls from beds in infants under 1 year of age through a systematic review.
Data Sources:
We searched in PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library and Lilacs Scielo for studies published between 1984 and December 2024.
Study Selection:
We included observational studies that reported injuries from falls from beds in infants under 1 year.
Data Extraction:
We extracted the relevant data from the included study details, recruitment setting, study design, sample size and outcome measures. We conducted a quality assessment using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale.
Results:
Out of 297 initially identified studies, three met inclusion criteria, comprising a total of 2034 infants under 1 year of age. Most falls resulted in minor or no injuries. Warrington et al reported <1% of cases leading to concussion or fractures. Samuel et al identified two cases of intracranial haemorrhage and linear skull fractures without intervention. Kolulu et al observed significant injuries, including skull fractures and cerebral contusions, in 10.2% of infants.
Conclusions:
Falls from beds are frequent in infants under 1 year, with most resulting in minor outcomes. However, serious injuries occur in around 5% of infants below 1-year old, emphasising the need for prevention strategies and clinical guidelines for managing post-fall assessments. Further research is required to refine understanding and improve prevention and management practices.
Prospero Registration Number:
CRD42024626255.
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