Effects of age, period, and birth cohort on fall-related mortality in older adults in Brazil from 1980 to 2019

Falls in older adults are a major public health problem. This study aimed to estimate the effects of age, period, and birth cohort on fall-related mortality in older adults in Brazil and its geographic regions, by sex, from 1980 to 2019. We conducted an ecological time-series study using data on fall-related deaths in older adults extracted from Brazilian Mortality Information System. Poisson models were adjusted for sex and geographic region to estimate age-period-cohort effects. From 1980 to 2019, Brazil recorded 170,607 fall-related deaths in older adults, with 50.1% occurring in women. More than half of these deaths occurred in the age group of 80 years or older (55%) and in the Southeast Region (52%). We observed an increase in fall-related mortality rates across all age groups and regions, regardless of sex. There was an increased risk of death in all periods after the reference period (2000 to 2004) in all geographic regions and for both sexes. We also observed a gradual increase in mortality risk for men born before 1914 and after 1935 compared to the reference cohort (1930 to 1934). In contrast, we found a protective effect across all birth cohorts for women. There was a consistent increase in fall-related mortality risk among older people in Brazil, posing a public health challenge. The findings highlight the urgent need for implementing public health policies that promotes older adults' health and prevents fall risks to improve this population's quality of life.

Unintentional poisoning exposures: how does modeling the opening of child-resistant containers influence children's behaviors?

OBJECTIVE

Unintentional poisoning in the home is a risk for children. Over-the-counter medicinal products in child-resistant containers (CRC) are common causes of pediatric poisoning. The current study examined children's abilities to open three types of CRC mechanisms (twist, flip, and push) and corresponding control containers, comparing their ability to do so spontaneously and after explicit modeling. The study also examined if inhibitory control (IC) was associated with children's overall score for spontaneous openings.

METHOD

Children 5-8 years old were randomly assigned to one of three mechanism conditions (between-participants factor): twist, flip, and push, with each child experiencing both a risk and a control container (within-participants factor) having that mechanism. Children were first left alone with a container (measures: engagement with container, spontaneous opening) for up to 2 min and subsequently observed an adult explicitly model opening the container before the child was asked to do so (measure: opening after modeling).

RESULTS

Children were more engaged with and likely to spontaneously open control containers than CRCs, though some (4%-10%) also opened CRCs. After modeling, significantly more children opened each of the three types of CRCs, with nearly all children opening the push mechanism CRC. IC positively predicted children being more engaged with and spontaneously opening more containers.

CONCLUSIONS

Implications for improving pediatric poison prevention are discussed.

Pediatric injuries and poisonings associated with detergent packets: results from the Canadian Hospitals Injury Reporting and Prevention Program (CHIRPP), 2011-2023

BACKGROUND

Detergent packets are common household products; however, they pose a risk of injuries and poisonings, especially among children. This study examined the epidemiological characteristics of pediatric injuries and poisonings related to all types of detergent packets in Canada using emergency department (ED) data from the Canadian Hospitals Injury Reporting and Prevention Program (CHIRPP) database.

METHODS

The CHIRPP database was searched for ED visit records for injuries and poisonings related to all types of detergent packets between April 1, 2011 and October 12, 2023 (N = 2,021,814) using variable codes and narratives. Data for individuals aged 17 years and younger were analyzed descriptively. Temporal trends in the number of detergent packet-related injuries and poisonings per 100,000 CHIRPP cases were assessed using Joinpoint regression and annual percent change (APC). A proportion ratio and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated to compare the proportion of detergent packet-related cases in CHIRPP during two 34-months periods, pre-COVID-19 pandemic and after the beginning of the pandemic.

RESULTS

There were 904 detergent packet-related cases among children and youth aged 17 years and younger identified in CHIRPP between April 1, 2011 and October 12, 2023, representing 59.9 cases per 100,000 CHIRPP cases. The majority (86.5%) of cases were among children aged 4 years and younger. Poisonings (58.8%) and eye injuries (30.6%) were the most frequent primary diagnoses. Unintentional ingestion (56.9%) and squeezing/breaking a detergent packet (32.3%) were the most frequent exposure mechanisms. Sixty-five patients (7.2%) were admitted to hospital. The number of detergent packet-related cases per 100,000 CHIRPP cases increased by 5.0% (95% CI 0.8, 10.2) annually between 2012 and 2022. The number of detergent packet-related poisonings per 100,000 CHIRPP cases decreased by 15.3% (95% CI - 22.3, - 10.6) annually between 2015 and 2022, whereas eye injuries showed an average annual percent increase of 16.6% (95% CI 11.2, 23.0) between 2012 and 2022. The proportion of detergent packet-related cases in CHIRPP after the beginning of the pandemic (79.9/100,000 CHIRPP cases) was 1.43 (95% CI 1.20, 1.71) times greater than pre-pandemic (55.7/100,000 CHIRPP cases).

CONCLUSIONS

Detergent packet-related injuries and poisonings are a persisting issue. Continued surveillance and prevention efforts are needed to reduce detergent packet-related injuries and poisonings in Canada, particularly among children and youth.

What was the impact of COVID-19 restrictions on unintentional injuries, in Canada and globally? A scoping review investigating how lockdown measures impacted the global burden of unintentional injury

Background

Injuries are among the leading causes for hospitalizations and emergency department (ED) visits. COVID-19 restrictions ensured safety to Canadians, but also negatively impacted health outcomes, including increasing rates of certain injuries. These differences in trends have been reported internationally however the evidence is scattered and needs to be better understood to identify opportunities for public education and to prepare for future outbreaks.

Objective

A scoping review was conducted to synthesize evidence regarding the impact of COVID-19 restrictions on unintentional injuries in Canada, compared to other countries.

Methods

Studies investigating unintentional injuries among all ages during COVID-19 from any country, published in English between December 2019 and July 2021, were included. Intentional injuries and/or previous pandemics were excluded. Four databases were searched (MEDLINE, Embase, Web of Science, SPORTDiscus), and a gray literature search was also conducted.

Results

The search yielded 3,041 results, and 189 articles were selected for extraction. A total of 41 reports were included from the gray literature search. Final studies included research from: Europe (n = 85); North America (n = 44); Asia (n = 32); Oceania (n = 12); Africa (n = 8); South America (n = 4); and multi-country (n = 4). Most studies reported higher occurrence of injuries/trauma among males, and the average age across studies was 46 years. The following mechanisms of injury were reported on most frequently: motor vehicle collisions (MVCs; n = 134), falls (n = 104), sports/recreation (n = 65), non-motorized vehicle (n = 31), and occupational (n = 24). Injuries occurring at home (e.g., gardening, home improvement projects) increased, and injuries occurring at schools, workplaces, and public spaces decreased. Overall, decreases were observed in occupational injuries and those resulting from sport/recreation, pedestrian-related, and crush/trap incidents. Decreases were also seen in MVCs and burns, however the severity of injury from these causes increased during the pandemic period. Increases were observed in poisonings, non-motorized vehicle collisions, lacerations, drownings, trampoline injuries; and, foreign body ingestions.

Implications

Findings from this review can inform interventions and policies to identify gaps in public education, promote safety within the home, and decrease the negative impact of future stay-at-home measures on unintentional injury among Canadians and populations worldwide.

Opioids and the Risk of Motor Vehicle Collision: A Systematic Review

Background: Opioid analgesics are among the most commonly prescribed medications, but questions remain regarding their impact on the day-to-day functioning of patients including driving. We set out to perform a systematic review on the risk of motor vehicle collision (MVC) associated with prescription opioid exposure. Method: We searched Medline, PubMed, EMBASE, Scopus, and TRID from January 1990 to August 31, 2021 for primary studies assessing prescribed opioid use and MVCs. Results: We identified 14 observational studies that met inclusion criteria. Among those, 8 studies found an increased risk of MVC among those participants who had a concomitant opioid prescription at the time of the MVC and 3 found no significant increase of culpability of fatal MVC. The 3 studies that evaluated the presence of a dose-response relationship between the dose of opioids taken and the effects on MVC risk reported the existence of a dose-response relationship. Due to the heterogeneity of the different studies, a quantitative meta-analysis to sum evidence was deemed unfeasible. Our review supports increasing evidence on the association between motor vehicle collisions and prescribed opioids. This research would guide policies regarding driving legislation worldwide. Conclusion: Our review indicates that opioid prescriptions are likely associated with an increased risk of MVCs. Further studies are warranted to strengthen this finding, and investigate additional factors such as individual opioid medications, opioid doses and dose adjustments, and opioid tolerance for their effect on MVC risk.

Tendência de mortalidade por quedas em idosos, no Brasil, no período de 2000–2019

RESUMO Objetivo: Analisar a tendência da mortalidade por quedas entre idosos, no Brasil, no período de 2000 a 2019. Métodos: Trata-se de um estudo epidemiológico, analítico, com delineamento ecológico de séries temporais. Realizou-se uma análise retrospectiva utilizando dados secundários em saúde, extraídos do Sistema de Informação sobre Mortalidade (SIM) no período específico. Foram calculadas taxas padronizadas de mortalidade geral e específicas por sexo e faixa etária. Para a observação da tendência de mortalidade, utilizou-se o modelo de Prais-Winsten e taxa de incremento anual (TIA). Resultados: No período de 2000 a 2019, foram identificados 135.209 óbitos decorrentes das quedas em idosos. A mortalidade por queda em geral, no período estudado, foi crescente (β=0,023; p<0,001; TIA=5,45%). Observou-se que tanto o sexo masculino (β=0,022; p<0,001; TIA=5,19%) quanto o feminino (β=0,024; p<0,001; TIA=5,72%) apresentaram tendência crescente. Com relação à faixa etária, os resultados apontaram também para tendência de mortalidade crescente em todos os estratos etários, porém maior em idosos com idade ≥80 anos (β=0,027; p<0,001; TIA=6,38%). Conclusão: Observou-se tendência crescente nas taxas de mortalidade no Brasil durante a série histórica estudada. Esses achados sugerem a importância da definição de uma linha de cuidado para esse segmento etário, tendo como foco a promoção da saúde na pessoa idosa e a prevenção dos riscos de quedas, visando a uma redução no número de óbitos por essa causa e favorecendo a qualidade de vida dos idosos.

Mortality trend from falls in Brazilian older adults from 2000 to 2019

ABSTRACT Objective: To analyze the trend of mortality from falls among older adults in Brazil from 2000 to 2019. Methods: This is an epidemiological, analytical study with an ecological time-series design. A retrospective analysis was performed using secondary health data extracted from the Brazilian Mortality Information System in the specific period. Standardized rates of general and sex- and age-specific mortality were calculated. To observe the mortality trend, the Prais-Winsten model and the Annual Increase Rate (AIR) were used. Results: We identified 135,209 deaths resulting from falls in older adults in the period from 2000 to 2019. Mortality from falls in general, during the study period, had an upward trend (β=0.023; p<0.001; AIR=5.45%). We observed that both men (β=0.022; p<0.001; AIR=5.19%) and women (β=0.024; p<0.001; AIR=5.72%) had an upward trend. Regarding age group, the results also pointed to an upward mortality trend in all age strata, although higher in older people aged ≥80 years (β=0.027; p<0.001; AIR=6.38%). Conclusion: There was an upward trend in mortality rates in Brazil during the time series studied. These findings suggest the importance of defining a line of care for this age group, focusing on promoting health in older adults and preventing the risk of falls, aiming at a reduction in the number of deaths from this cause and favoring the quality of life of this population.

Socio-demographic and substance use characteristics of unintentional injuries among Nunavik youth

This study described the distribution of unintentional injuries among Inuit youth in Nunavik, Quebec, Canada, and examined the relationship between socio-demographic factors, substance use and unintentional injuries.

A cross-sectional study design was used on data collected for the Nunavik Child Development Study (2013–2015) among eligible youth aged 16 to 21 years old. Unintentional injury occurrence and causes (last 12 months) were assessed through individual interviews. A multivariate logistic regression model tested the relationship between socio-demographic, substance use variables and unintentional injury occurrence.

Among the 199 youth who participated (94% response rate), thirty youth reported being unintentionally injured in the past 12 months , of which 50% were female. All-terrain vehicle collisions were the most frequent injuries reported (23%). The odds of being injured decreased by 62% for youth who were currently employed compared to those who were unemployed, adjusting for other socio-demographic variables (p-value = 0.04). Heavy alcohol drinking in the past 12 months was not significantly associated with unintentional injury.

This study highlights the burden of unintentional injuries among Nunavik youth and the need for future work to explore additional and diverse variables that may prevent or contribute to injuries in order to inform culturally and developmentally-appropriate injury prevention strategies.

Access to advanced-level hospital care: differences in prehospital times calculated using incident locations compared with patients' usual residence

Studies estimate that 84% of the USA and New Zealand's (NZ) resident populations have timely access (within 60 min) to advanced-level hospital care. Our aim was to assess whether usual residence (ie, home address) is a suitable proxy for location of injury incidence. In this observational study, injury fatalities registered in NZ's Mortality Collection during 2008-2012 were linked to Coronial files. Estimated access times via emergency medical services were calculated using locations of incident and home. Using incident locations, 73% (n=4445/6104) had timely access to care compared with 77% when using home location. Access calculations using patients' home locations overestimated timely access, especially for those injured in industrial/construction areas (18%; 95% CI 6% to 29%) and from drowning (14%; 95% CI 7% to 22%). When considering timely access to definitive care, using the location of the injury as the origin provides important information for health system planning.

Impact of Covid-19 on the Visit of Pediatric Patients with Injuries to the Emergency Department in Korea

The total number of pediatric emergency department (PED) visitors has decreased worldwide since the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak. We hypothesized that this might also affect the number of PED visits due to injuries. Therefore, we investigated these changes in PED visits after the COVID-19 outbreak through a long-term multicenter observational study. We assessed the changes in the proportion of injured pediatric patients’ weekly visits and the trend in the rate changes since the COVID-19 epidemic began by segmented regression analysis. We also evaluated the weekly change in the distribution of detailed diagnostic codes among pediatric patients with injuries before and after the COVID-19 pandemic. The proportion of injury-related PED visits increased when COVID-19 was first confirmed in Korea. After the COVID-19 epidemic, the proportion of foreign body ingestions and fracture patients among all pediatric patients with injuries increased significantly every week. The changes in the proportion of injured pediatric patients after the COVID-19 outbreak may have been the result of social distancing to prevent the spread of the virus. The risk of pediatric infections decreased but the risk of injury remained. Therefore, parents should take precautions to prevent infectious diseases and be careful to prevent children’s injuries at home.

Ten-Year Trend Analysis of Mortality Due to External Causes of Injury in People with Disabilities, South Korea, 2008-2017

External causes of injury are major contributors to mortality among people with disabilities. We analyzed the 10-year trend (2008-2017) of mortality attributed to external causes of injury among people with disabilities. We conducted an observational, population-based, retrospective, cross-sectional study among people with disabilities in South Korea. The database was compiled by merging two data sets: registered people with disabilities during 2008-2017 from the Ministry of Health and Welfare, and the data published by the Korea National Statistical Office. Between 2008 and 2017, the all-cause mortality among people with disabilities showed a rising trend and increased from 2641 per 100,000 in 2008 to 2751 per 100,000 in 2017. During this 10-year period, 6.5-9.2% of the total number of deaths were caused by injuries. Disabilities that were associated with a high crude mortality rate shared the same three most frequent causes of death: suicide, motor vehicle crashes, and falling. Mortality due to external causes of injury increased among older people with disabilities. Thus, effective strategies are required to decrease preventable deaths caused by unintentional injuries among people with disabilities.

Prevalence of home related injuries among children under 5 years old and practice of mothers toward first aid in Buraidah, Qassim

BACKGROUND

Unintentional injuries are reported to be the most common mechanism of childhood injuries; large proportion of these occur in or around home. Quick response and appropriate first aid is vital in saving life and preventing negative outcomes.

OBJECTIVES

The aim of this study was to determine prevalence of home injuries among children five years old and younger and to explore their mothers' knowledge, attitude and practice toward first aid.

METHODS

A cross-sectional study was conducted among 250 mothers attending well baby clinics at primary health care centers (PHCC) in Buraidah city. The survey was conducted from February to June 2020. Simple random sampling was used to select PHCCs and systematic random sampling was used for participant selection. A self-administered, semi-structured questionnaire was used to collect data.

RESULTS

A history of home-related injury to the youngest child was reported by 114 (46.3%) mothers. The common home injuries were falls (50%), cut wounds (15.2%) and burns (10.7%). Among less than one-year age, injuries were more prevalent among males (41.4%) as compared to females (27.6%). Majority (58.2%) of mothers had fair knowledge about first aid. Internet websites (53.6%) followed by social media (47.6%) were the main sources of their knowledge. Mothers showed appropriate practice in dealing with suspected fracture (85.9%) and foreign body ingestion (80%) while burn (55.5%) and choking (43.2%) had the lowest appropriate practice.

CONCLUSION

Home injuries are common among children. However, mothers' knowledge and practice of first aid is inadequate. To reduce the injuries' related morbidity and mortality, increasing awareness and organizing first aid training courses are recommended.

Postmortem Analysis of Fall Victims According to Age Groups: A Comparative Study

Fall represents an important cause of death and its relation with the population aging evidences the need of a broad analysis considering different aspects associated with its occurrence. The objective of this study was to compare fatal victims due to unintentional fall among adults, young olds, olds, and oldest olds, according to sociodemographic data, characteristics, and severity of the trauma. This study is a cross-sectional, comparative study analyzing autopsy reports of fatal victims due to fall, admitted to the Medical Legal Institute of Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, Brazil, in 2015. The following age groups were: adults (≥18 and <60 years), young olds (≥60 and <70 years), olds (≥70 and <80 years), and oldest olds (≥80 years). The Pearson's χ, Fisher's exact, Kruskal-Wallis, and Dunn tests were applied to compare the groups, with a significance level of 5%. Regarding the 469 fatalities analyzed (57.8% males, mean age: 71.3 ± 18.2 years), there was a higher frequency of oldest olds (43.5%), ground-level falls (70.1%), femoral fractures (35.0%), and delayed deaths (79.6%) due to posttraumatic complications (57.2%). Adults, young olds, olds, and oldest olds differed significantly (p ≤ .005) in relation to the total of analyzed variables, with a special remark on the differences between the age extremes. High frequencies of femoral fractures and delayed deaths due to complications of treatment in low-severity fall victims, especially those older than 70 years, make it necessary to improve fall prevention programs in the older adults and to create a line of care for this population.

E-cigarettes: A new hazard for children and adolescents

Objectives

Electronic cigarettes and fluid (e-cigarettes, e-fluid) are hazardous materials that when inhaled or ingested may pose significant health risks to children and adolescents. The objective of this work was to explore the spectrum of injury related to e-cigarette exposure among Canadian children and adolescents.

Methods

A one-time survey was sent to all paediatricians in Canada. Information was collected on children and adolescents who presented with e-cigarette exposure (inhalation and ingestion cases) in the previous 12 months. Questions included the number of injuries and symptoms, in addition to age, sex, treatment setting, intentional e-cigarette use, and how the products were accessed.

Results

A total of 520 surveys were completed and returned, identifying 35 cases. Symptoms related to inhalation were present in 30 cases and in 5 ingestion cases (5 unintentional, 0 intentional). For inhalation cases, most were male, ages 15 to 19 years, who sought treatment for nausea/vomiting, cough, throat irritation, or acute nicotine toxicity in an outpatient clinic/office. Most inhalation cases reported e-cigarette use 2 to 3 days/week, and e-cigarettes purchases from a mall kiosk/store. For ingestion cases, most were male, ages 1 to 4 years presenting to an emergency department with nausea/vomiting, cough, or respiratory irritation. Younger cases accessed e-fluid at home, older cases purchased in a mall kiosk/store. E-fluid flavours reported consumed were fruit, candy, and tobacco.

Conclusions

E-cigarettes, recently introduced into the North American market are hazardous to children and adolescents. Given the low response rate to the survey, further investigation into the true burden of injury, as well as the risks that e-cigarettes pose, together with ways to reduce exposure, is needed.

Helicopter Emergency Medical Service (HEMS) Response in Rural Areas in Poland: Retrospective Study

The aim of the study was to identify the characteristics of missions performed by HEMS (Helicopter Emergency Medical Service) crews and the analysis of health problems, which are the most common cause of intervention in rural areas in Poland. The study was conducted using a retrospective analysis based on the medical records of patients provided by the HEMS crew, who were present for the emergencies in rural areas in the period from January 2011 to December 2018. The final analysis included 37,085 cases of intervention by HEMS crews, which accounted for 54.91% of all the missions carried out in the study period. The majority (67.4%) of patients rescued were male, and just under a quarter of those rescued were aged between 50-64 years. Injuries (51.04%) and cardiovascular diseases (36.49%) were the main diagnoses found in the study group. Whereas injuries were significantly higher in the male group and patients below 64 years of age, cardiovascular diseases were higher in women and elderly patients (p < 0.001). Moreover, in the group of women myocardial infarction was significantly more frequent (30.95%) than men, while in the group of men head injuries (27.10%), multiple and multi-organ injuries (25.93%), sudden cardiac arrest (14.52%), stroke (12.19%), and epilepsy (4.95%) was significantly higher. Factors that are associated with the most common health problems of rural patients are: gender and age, as well as the seasons of the year and the values of the Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS), Revised Trauma Score (RTS), and National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) used to assess the clinical status of patients.

Unintentional injury mortality among children under age five in urban and rural areas in the Sichuan province of west China, 2009-2017

This study analysed trends in the unintentional injuries specific mortality rates among children under age five (UI-specific U5MRs) in urban and rural areas in the Sichuan province of western China. Data were obtained from the National Health Statistics Survey System. The Cochran-Armitage trend test was used to analyse the trends in UI-specific U5MRs and the proportion of unintentional injury deaths to total deaths. The Poisson regression model was used to compare the UI-specific U5MRs between rural and urban areas. The overall UI-specific U5MRs decreased from 3.8 to 1.7 per 1,000 live births from 2009 to 2017, with an average annual decline in the rates of 8.78% and 10.05% in urban and rural areas, respectively. The UI risk of death in rural areas was approximately 1.95 times that in urban areas (95% CI: 1.73-2.18; p < 0.01). A total of 49.9% of all the children in the study did not receive any treatment before death caused by UI. The UI-specific U5MRs significantly declined in Sichuan province from 2009 to 2017, but large disparities in UI-specific U5MRs in urban and rural areas still exist. Reducing the U5MRs due to UI should be a major public health concern in western China.

Poisoning deaths in China, 2006-2016

Objective

To provide a comprehensive overview of poisoning mortality patterns in China.

Methods

Using mortality data from the Chinese national disease surveillance points system, we examined trends in poisoning mortality by intent and substance from 2006 to 2016. Differences over time between urban and rural residents among different age groups and across external causes of poisoning were quantified using negative binomial models for males and females separately.

Results

In 2016, there were 4936 poisoning deaths in a sample of 84 060 559 people (5.9 per 100 000 people; 95% confidence interval: 5.6–6.2). Age-adjusted poisoning mortality dropped from 9.2 to 5.4 per 100 000 people between 2006 and 2016. Males, rural residents and older adults consistently had higher poisoning mortality than females, urban residents and children or young adults. Most pesticide-related deaths (34 996 out of 39 813) were suicides among persons older than 15 years, although such suicides decreased between 2006 and 2016 (from 6.1 per 100 000 people to 3.6 for males and from 5.8 to 3.0 for females). In 2016, alcohol caused 29.3% (600/2050) of unintentional poisoning deaths in men aged 25–64 years. During the study period, unintentional fatal drug poisoning by narcotics and psychodysleptics in individuals aged 25–44 years increased from 0.4 per 100 000 people to 0.7 for males and from 0.05 to 0.13 for females.

Conclusion

Despite substantial decreases in mortality, poisoning is still a public health threat in China. This warrants further research to explore causative factors and to develop and implement interventions targeting at-risk populations.

An interprovincial comparison of unintentional childhood injury rates in Canada for the period 2006-2012

OBJECTIVES

To perform an interprovincial comparison of unintentional population-based injury hospitalization and death rates for Canadian children ages 0-19 years and compare trends between 2006 and 2012.

METHODS

Annual population-based hospitalization rates per 100,000 from unintentional injuries were calculated for children/youth (< 19 years) using data from the Discharge Abstract Database between 2006 and 2012. Annual mortality rates were analyzed using provincial coronial data. The mean annual change in the rate of hospitalizations due to unintentional injuries was reported for each province.

RESULTS

The average annual rate of hospital admissions for unintentional injuries was 305.10 per 100,000 population between 2006 and 2012, and this decreased by - 11.91 over time (p < 0.01, - 15.85; - 7.77). Saskatchewan had the highest average annual morbidity rate (550.76 per 100,000) from all unintentional causes, and Ontario had the lowest average annual rate (238.89 per 100,000). Saskatchewan had the highest average annual rate for all subcauses except for drowning. Ontario was the only province with an average annual injury morbidity rate that was consistently below the Canadian average. The average annual mortality rate from all unintentional injury was highest in Saskatchewan (17.51 per 100,000) and lowest in Ontario (5.99 per 100,000) when compared to Canada (7.97 per 100,000).

CONCLUSION

Injury prevention policies vary considerably among provinces. Although the unintentional injury hospitalization rate is decreasing over time, some subcauses such as choking/suffocation have shown an increase in certain provinces. Evidence-based childhood injury prevention policies, such as playground equipment safety and four-sided pool fencing among others, should be standardized across Canada.

E-cigarettes: A new hazard for children and adolescents

OBJECTIVES

Electronic cigarettes and fluid (e-cigarettes, e-fluid) are hazardous materials that when inhaled or ingested may pose significant health risks to children and adolescents. The objective of this work was to explore the spectrum of injury related to e-cigarette exposure among Canadian children and adolescents.

METHODS

A one-time survey was sent to all paediatricians in Canada. Information was collected on children and adolescents who presented with e-cigarette exposure (inhalation and ingestion cases) in the previous 12 months. Questions included the number of injuries and symptoms, in addition to age, sex, treatment setting, intentional e-cigarette use and how the products were accessed.

RESULTS

A total of 520 surveys were completed and returned, identifying 220 cases. Symptoms related to inhalation were present in 135 cases (43 unintentional, 92 intentional) and in 85 ingestion cases (35 unintentional, 50 intentional). For inhalation cases, most were male, aged 15 to 19 years, who sought treatment for nausea/vomiting, cough, throat irritation or acute nicotine toxicity in an outpatient clinic/office. Most inhalation cases reported e-cigarette use 2 to 3 days/week, and e-cigarettes purchases from a mall kiosk/store. For ingestion cases, most were male, aged 1 to 4 years presenting to an emergency department with nausea/vomiting, cough or respiratory irritation. Younger cases accessed e-fluid at home, older cases purchased in a mall kiosk/store. E-fluid flavours reported consumed were fruit, candy, and tobacco.

CONCLUSIONS

E-cigarettes, recently introduced into the North American market are hazardous to children and adolescents. Further investigation into the risks that e-cigarettes pose and ways to reduce exposure is needed to minimize injury.

Near-Real-Time Surveillance of Illnesses Related to Shellfish Consumption in British Columbia: Analysis of Poison Center Data

Background

Data from poison centers have the potential to be valuable for public health surveillance of long-term trends, short-term aberrations from those trends, and poisonings occurring in near-real-time. This information can enable long-term prevention via programs and policies and short-term control via immediate public health response. Over the past decade, there has been an increasing use of poison control data for surveillance in the United States, Europe, and New Zealand, but this resource still remains widely underused.

Objective

The British Columbia (BC) Drug and Poison Information Centre (DPIC) is one of five such services in Canada, and it is the only one nested within a public health agency. This study aimed to demonstrate how DPIC data are used for routine public health surveillance in near-real-time using the case study of its alerting system for illness related to consumption of shellfish (ASIRCS).

Methods

Every hour, a connection is opened between the WBM software Visual Dotlab Enterprise, which holds the DPIC database, and the R statistical computing environment. This platform is used to extract, clean, and merge all necessary raw data tables into a single data file. ASIRCS automatically and retrospectively scans a 24-hour window within the data file for new cases related to illnesses from shellfish consumption. Detected cases are queried using a list of attributes: the caller location, exposure type, reasons for the exposure, and a list of keywords searched in the clinical notes. The alert generates a report that is tailored to the needs of food safety specialists, who then assess and respond to detected cases.

Results

The ASIRCS system alerted on 79 cases between January 2015 and December 2016, and retrospective analysis found 11 cases that were missed. All cases were reviewed by food safety specialists, and 58% (46/79) were referred to designated regional health authority contacts for follow-up. Of the 42% (33/79) cases that were not referred to health authorities, some were missing follow-up information, some were triggered by allergies to shellfish, and some were triggered by shellfish-related keywords appearing in the case notes for nonshellfish-related cases. Improvements were made between 2015 and 2016 to reduce the number of cases with missing follow-up information.

Conclusions

The surveillance capacity is evident within poison control data as shown from the novel use of DPIC data for identifying illnesses related to shellfish consumption in BC. The further development of surveillance programs could improve and enhance response to public health emergencies related to acute illnesses, chronic diseases, and environmental exposures.

Standardized error severity score (ESS) ratings to quantify risk associated with child restraint system (CRS) and booster seat misuse

OBJECTIVE

Although numerous research studies have reported high levels of error and misuse of child restraint systems (CRS) and booster seats in experimental and real-world scenarios, conclusions are limited because they provide little information regarding which installation issues pose the highest risk and thus should be targeted for change. Beneficial to legislating bodies and researchers alike would be a standardized, globally relevant assessment of the potential injury risk associated with more common forms of CRS and booster seat misuse, which could be applied with observed error frequency-for example, in car seat clinics or during prototype user testing-to better identify and characterize the installation issues of greatest risk to safety.

METHODS

A group of 8 leading world experts in CRS and injury biomechanics, who were members of an international child safety project, estimated the potential injury severity associated with common forms of CRS and booster seat misuse. These injury risk error severity score (ESS) ratings were compiled and compared to scores from previous research that had used a similar procedure but with fewer respondents. To illustrate their application, and as part of a larger study examining CRS and booster seat labeling requirements, the new standardized ESS ratings were applied to objective installation performance data from 26 adult participants who installed a convertible (rear- vs. forward-facing) CRS and booster seat in a vehicle, and a child test dummy in the CRS and booster seat, using labels that only just met minimal regulatory requirements. The outcome measure, the risk priority number (RPN), represented the composite scores of injury risk and observed installation error frequency.

RESULTS

Variability within the sample of ESS ratings in the present study was smaller than that generated in previous studies, indicating better agreement among experts on what constituted injury risk. Application of the new standardized ESS ratings to installation performance data revealed several areas of misuse of the CRS/booster seat associated with high potential injury risk.

CONCLUSIONS

Collectively, findings indicate that standardized ESS ratings are useful for estimating injury risk potential associated with real-world CRS and booster seat installation errors.

Anti-inflammatory and Wound Healing Activities of Aloe vera, Honey and Milk Ointment on Second-Degree Burns in Rats

The aim of the present study was morphological and morphometric investigation of burn healing impacts of an honey, milk, and Aloe vera (HMA) ointment on experimentally induced second-degree burns, to approve the medicinal basis of its use in Iranian traditional medicine. A total of 21 male Albino rats weighing 200 to 300 g were divided into 3 groups of 7, including (1) control group, (2) positive control group, and (3) the treatment group that were treated with eucerin, silver sulfadiazine 3% and HMA ointment 5% respectively.After anesthetizing, the second-degree burns (1 cm2 areas) were made on the back of the animals using a digital controlled hot plaque, and each group was treated topically, based on the time scheduled. Then, skin punch biopsies were obtained on the 1st, 14th, and 28th days of post–burn induction; processed; and stained using hematoxylin and eosin and Masson’s trichrome methods. The results showed that HMA ointment induces cell proliferation, increasing the wound closure rate, blood vessel counts, and collagen fiber density in treated animals. It also reduced the wound secretions, inflammation, and scar formation. According to the obtained morphological, morphometric results, we concluded that the traditional HMA ointment, which is rich in therapeutic biomaterials and minerals, has multiple healing effects on burn wounds in rats.

Pattern of presenting complaints recorded as near-drowning events in emergency departments: a national surveillance study from Pakistan

Background

Drowning is a heavy burden on the health systems of many countries, including Pakistan. To date, no effective large-scale surveillance has been in place to estimate rates of drowning and near-drowning in Pakistan. The Pakistan National Emergency Department Surveillance (Pak-NEDS) study aimed to fill this gap.

Methods

Patients who presented with a complaint of "near-drowning" were analyzed to explore patterns of true near-drowning (unintentional) and intentional injuries that led to the "near-drowning" complaint. Bivariate analysis was done to establish patterns among patients treated in emergency departments, including socio-demographic information, injury-related information, accompanying injuries, and emergency department resource utilization.

Results

A total of 133 patients (0.2% of all injury patients) with "near-drowning" as presenting complaints were recorded by the Pak-NEDS system. True near-drowning (50.0%) and intentional injuries that led to "near-drowning" complaints (50.0%) differed in nature of injuries. The highest proportion of true near-drowning incidents occurred among patients aged between 25-44 years (47.5%), and among males (77.5%). True near-drowning patients usually had other accompanying complaints, such as lower limb injury (40.0%). Very few patients were transported by ambulance (5.0%), and triage was done for 15% of patients. Eleven (27.5%) true near-drowning patients received cardiopulmonary resuscitation.

Conclusion

There was major under-reporting of drowning and near-drowning cases in the surveillance study. The etiology of near-drowning cases should be further studied. Patients who experienced non-fatal drownings were more commonly sent for medical care due to other accompanying conditions, rather than near-drowning event itself. There is also need for recognizing true near-drowning incidents. The results of this study provide information on data source selection, site location, emergency care standardization, and multi-sector collaboration for future drowning prevention studies.

Diverging trends in the incidence of occupational and nonoccupational injury in Ontario, 2004-2011

OBJECTIVES

We describe trends in occupational and nonoccupational injury among working-age adults in Ontario.

METHODS

We conducted an observational study of adults aged 15 to 64 over the period 2004 through 2011, estimating the incidence of occupational and nonoccupational injury from emergency department (ED) records and, separately, from survey responses to 5 waves of a national health interview survey.

RESULTS

Over the observation period, the annual percentage change (APC) in the incidence of work-related injury was -5.9% (95% confidence interval [CI] = -7.3, -4.6) in ED records and -7.4% (95% CI=-11.1, -3.5) among survey participants. In contrast, the APC in the incidence of nonoccupational injury was -0.3% (95% CI=-0.4, 0.0) in ED records and 1.0% (95% CI=0.4, 1.6) among survey participants. Among working-age adults, the percentage of all injuries attributed to work exposures declined from 20.0% in 2004 to 15.2% in 2011 in ED records and from 27.7% in 2001 to 16.9% in 2010 among survey participants.

CONCLUSIONS

Among working-age adults in Ontario, nearly all of the observed decline in injury incidence over the period 2004 through 2011 is attributed to reductions in occupational injury.

Traumatic and other non-natural childhood deaths in Manitoba, Canada: a retrospective autopsy analysis (1989-2010)

OBJECTIVE

The goals of analyzing all non-natural childhood deaths in Manitoba for the 22-year period (1989-2010) are to highlight preventable causes of death and to document temporal trends that might be influenced by changes in society.

METHODS

The 1989 to 2010 pediatric autopsy database at the Winnipeg Health Sciences Centre and records from the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner were searched for all non-natural deaths ≤ 18 years age. All files were reviewed in detail. Data collected included demographic characteristics, manner of death, details of cause and circumstances leading to death, and survival time after the event.

RESULTS

For the 22-year period, the total number of non-natural childhood deaths after which autopsy was performed in Manitoba was 581 for males and 409 for females in a population of approximately 1.23 million (2010 estimate). This represents 22.1% of the total childhood deaths in Manitoba during the study period. A higher proportion of children living in rural and northern communities died from non-natural causes. Of all accidents, which peaked in 1999, road traffic incidents accounted for the majority. Of suicides, which peaked in 2005, hanging in the 15-18 year group accounted for almost all cases. Of homicides, child abuse deaths at <3 years age was the most frequent cause. For all causes, most individuals were dead at the scene or died shortly thereafter.

CONCLUSIONS

Most non-natural childhood deaths in Manitoba might be avoidable through education about prevention strategies and by correction of social inequities. Improved transportation to hospital from remote locations would likely have little impact on survival.