Socioeconomic disparities in paediatric high-powered magnet exposures epidemiology and outcomes

Despite recent regulatory efforts, high-powered magnets are a frequent cause of injury in children. The goal of this study is to inform advocacy and prevention measures by describing socioeconomic status (SES)-associated differences among children with high-powered magnet exposures.

In this multicentre, retrospective cohort study from 25 US children's hospitals from 2017 to 2019, patients aged 0-21 years with a confirmed high-powered magnet ingestion or insertion were included. Children were grouped into SES classifications based on zip code of residence using the Childhood Opportunity Index (COI). Clinical characteristics and outcomes were compared between children with low (0-40) and high (41-100) COI scores.

Of 594 patients with a high-powered magnet exposure, 74.6% of cases occurred among children with high COI scores. Children with a low COI score were less likely to have been directly supervised by a caregiver at the time of exposure (48.6% vs 55.4%, p=0.15) but more likely to undergo both endoscopy and surgery (9.3% vs 2.9%, p=0.001), require readmission (5.4% vs 1.6%, p=0.04), and have a longer mean length of stay (4.4 days vs 3.3 days, p=0.007).

Children with a higher SES are more likely to have a high-powered magnet exposure, but children with a lower SES require more invasive procedures for treatment, longer stays in the hospital and more readmissions. As exposure risk is proportional to access, the safest way to prevent injuries is to remove high-powered magnets from any environment where children may be present.