Evaluation and management of pediatric near-hanging injury

Pediatric hanging and strangulation: is vascular injury a true risk?

BACKGROUND

Acute screening of pediatric strangulation and hanging injuries has evolved at many institutions to include cervical arterial vascular imaging. As current standards in pediatric imaging support less radiation exposure and increased imaging appropriateness, it is questionable whether vascular arterial injury is a true risk in this population.

OBJECTIVE

To determine the role of cervical vascular arterial imaging in the evaluation of pediatric hanging and strangulation injuries.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

This is a retrospective study of patients who present at a Level 1 pediatric trauma center with a history of hanging and strangulation injuries. All relevant studies, including computed tomography (CT) angiography of the neck, contrast-enhanced neck CT, cervical magnetic resonance (MR) angiography, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and/or CT of the brain and cervical spine and associated clinical records, were reviewed.

RESULTS

Sixty-six patients were identified, 60 with vascular arterial imaging studies. No vascular injury was identified. Soft-tissue injury was noted in 20/66 (30%) patients and craniocervical injury was suspected in 2/66 (3%), but no cervical spine fracture was identified. Only 49 patients had brain imaging, with 7/49 (14%) demonstrating changes consistent with cerebral edema, which correlated negatively with survival (P<0.01).

CONCLUSION

Vascular arterial imaging, particularly with CT angiography, performed in the pediatric population after hanging and strangulation injury resulted in no positive studies for cervical arterial injury. This study supports the need to reevaluate routine screening CT angiography in this study population.

Accidental hanging injuries in children: recognition and management

Accidental hanging is rare in childhood but is often fatal. Window blind cords pose a particular and unique risk to young children in the UK, accounting for one to two deaths annually. These accidents are frequently associated with non-adherence to the safety instructions provided by the manufacturers. Early discovery of the child and initiation of effective cardiopulmonary resuscitation at the site of the incident are likely to improve the outcome. Prolonged suspension, children who are pulseless at first contact by the emergency paramedic responder, and patients with prolonged periods of remaining in asystole before return of spontaneous circulation after starting cardiopulmonary resuscitation are unlikely to have intact neurological survival. Management in the hospital includes early airway protection by intubation, maintenance of normal oxygen saturation, normothermia, active control of clinical and sub-clinical seizures, and strict electrolyte and glucose regulation. Child safeguarding concerns should be considered when children have asphyxial injuries, and other signs of child physical abuse should be actively looked for. There is a need for stronger legislation in the UK to prevent some of these accidents, especially those relating to window blind cords.

Factors Associated With Poor Outcome in Pediatric Near-Hanging Injuries

BACKGROUND

Hanging injury is the most common method of suicide among children 5 to 11 years of age and near-hangings commonly occur. Adult studies in near-hanging injury have shown that need for cardiopulmonary resuscitation, initial blood gas, and poor mental status are associated with poor prognosis. The literature for similar factors in children is lacking.

OBJECTIVES

This retrospective, single-center study was performed to identify the clinical factors associated with neurologic outcome in children after near-hanging.

METHODS

Inclusion criteria included <18 years of age and a diagnosis of near-hanging or strangulation. All physician documentation was reviewed, and incidences of respiratory complications, seizure, and multiorgan failure were noted. Pediatric cerebral performance category score was based on information at discharge and was defined as favorable (score of 1-4) or unfavorable (score of 5-6). Comparisons were made between outcome groups and suspected clinical factors.

RESULTS

The median age was 11.5 years with a median initial Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) score of 10. Of all patients, 25% had a prehospital cardiac arrest, and 51% were admitted to the intensive care unit. Patients with unfavorable outcomes had a lower initial pH (6.9 vs. 7.3) and initial GCS score (3T vs. 14). Patients with an unfavorable outcome had significantly higher rates of intensive care unit admission, respiratory complications, anoxic brain injury, and multiorgan failure. No patient who presented with an initial GCS score of 3T and prehospital cardiac arrest had a favorable neurologic outcome.

CONCLUSIONS

This is the largest single-center study of children with near-hanging injury. An initial GCS score of 3T and prehospital cardiac arrest was uniformly associated with poor neurologic outcome.

Hanging and near hanging in children: injury patterns and a clinical approach to early management

Near hanging refers to survival following suspension by the neck. This is a devastating injury which can lead to mortality or serious long-term morbidity. Children and young people present to emergency departments following accidental or deliberate near hanging. This article describes the patterns of injury, the initial management and important prognostic factors.

Suffocation Injuries in the United States: Patient Characteristics and Factors Associated with Mortality

Introduction

Asphyxiation or suffocation injuries can result in multi-organ damage and are a major cause of morbidity and mortality among different age groups. This study aims to describe characteristics of patients presenting with suffocation injuries to emergency departments (EDs) in the United States (U.S.) and to identify factors associated with mortality in this population.

Methods

We conducted a retrospective cross-sectional study using the 2013 U.S National Emergency Department Sample database. ED visits with primary diagnoses of intentional or accidental suffocation injury, and injury by inhalation and aspiration of foreign bodies or food (ICD-9-CM codes) were included. We performed descriptive statistics to describe the study population. This was followed by multivariate analyses to identify factors associated with mortality.

Results

We included a total of 27,381 ED visits for suffocation injuries. Most suffered from either inhalation and ingestion of food causing obstruction of respiratory tract or suffocation (51.6%), or suicide and self-inflicted injury by hanging, strangulation, and suffocation (39.4%). Overall mortality was 10.9%. Over half (54.7%) of the patients were between 19 and 65 years old. Males were more common than females (59.1% vs. 40.9%). Over half of the patients (54.9%) were treated and released from the ED. Factors associated with increased mortality included male gender, young age (4-18 years), diseases of the cardiac, respiratory, genitourinary and neurologic systems, intentional self-harm, and self-payer status.

Conclusion

Mortality from suffocation injuries remains high with significant burden on children and adolescents and on patients with intentional injuries. Tailored initiatives targeting identified modifiable factors through implementation of behavioral and environmental change can reduce the risk of suffocation injury and improve clinical outcomes of affected victims.

Prehospital Management of Pediatric Hanging

OBJECTIVES

Hanging may inflict laryngotracheal injuries and increase the potential for difficult airway management. We describe the management of pediatric hangings attended by an urban physician-led prehospital trauma service to provide information on a clinical situation encountered infrequently by most acute care clinicians.

METHODS

Retrospective trauma registry-based observational study of all children younger than 16 years attended with hanging as mechanism of injury in the period between 2000 and 2014.

RESULTS

Twenty-three thousand one hundred thirty patients were attended; 2415 (10%) of which were children. Of these, 32 cases (<1%) were pediatric hanging (1 case excluded due to missing data). There were 22 (71%) boys and 9 (29%) girls. Median age was 13 years. There was suicidal intent in 23 (74%) cases, and in 8 (26%) cases, hanging was accidental. There were 17 (55%) deaths, of which 14 (82%) were suicides.The doctor-paramedic team intubated 25 (80%) patients, with a 100% success rate. One (3%) patient was managed with a supraglottic airway device, and 5 (16%) patients did not require any advanced airway management.

CONCLUSIONS

Pediatric hanging is rare, but has a high mortality rate. Attempted suicide is the leading cause of hangings in children and preventive measures should target psychiatric morbidity. Despite concerns about airway edema or laryngeal injury, experienced doctor-paramedic teams had no failed airway attempts.