Pediatric Injury Patterns Following the Pager Explosion Trauma in Lebanon: A Brief Report.

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Trauma Surgery
• Blast Injury Medicine
• Explosive Device Forensics

Background:

• A mass-casualty incident occurred on September 17, 2024, involving approximately 5,000 pager devices detonated in Lebanon.
• The devices contained pentaerythritol tetranitrate (PETN), a potent explosive compound.
• Five pediatric patients with complex multisystem injuries were transferred to a tertiary referral center for specialized care.

Purpose of the Study:

• To report on the specific injury patterns and outcomes of pediatric patients exposed to PETN-containing devices.
• To analyze the demographic, injury, and treatment data of young blast victims.
• To inform the development of pediatric-focused acute care strategies for mass casualty events.

Main Methods:

• A retrospective review of 5 pediatric patients (under 12 years) treated at Baqiyatallah Hospital, Tehran.
• Data abstraction from medical records, including demographics, injury patterns, surgical interventions, and short-term outcomes (up to 3 months).
• Multidisciplinary care involving ophthalmology, plastic surgery, orthopedics, otolaryngology, pediatrics, and infectious disease specialists.

Main Results:

• The mean age of the pediatric patients was 9.2 years (range 5-11).
• All patients sustained significant ocular, facial, and hand injuries, including three auto-eviscerated eyes and four partial hand amputations.
• Multiple surgical procedures were necessary per patient, with poor early outcomes for vision and hand function, necessitating reconstructive planning and prosthetic rehabilitation.

Conclusions:

• Close-range exposure to small PETN devices resulted in a unique pediatric injury profile characterized by severe ocular and upper-extremity trauma.
• These findings underscore the critical need for pediatric-specific acute care protocols and long-term rehabilitation resources following blast incidents.
• Effective management requires a multidisciplinary approach and specialized pediatric trauma algorithms.