Pediatric Hand Injuries Presenting to the Emergency Department: A 6-year Cross-sectional Study in Korea

Objective: The objective of this study was to evaluate the clinical characteristics of pediatric hand injuries presenting to the emergency department (ED) in Korea and to assess the risk factors associated with severe hand injuries requiring hospitalization or surgery.

Methods: A multicentre cross-sectional study was conducted using the emergency department (ED)-based Injury In-depth Surveillance (EDIIS) registry in Korea between 2011 and 2016. A multivariable logistic regression model was used to obtain the adjusted odds ratios (aORs) for the factors associated with severe pediatric hand injuries.

Results: Among 1,537,617 injured patients, 40,672 (26.5 per 1,000 injured patients) presented to the ED for hand injuries. The prevalence of pediatric hand injuries was highest in teenager (9.9%) and increased with age. Overall and in each age group, boys were in the majority. In infant, toddler, and pre-schooler, crushing is the most common injury mechanism, while penetrating injury were most common in schooler and teenager. Door related injuries were the most common cause in infant, toddler, and preschooler. Knife related injuries were the most common cause in schooler and teenager. A total of 2,344 (5.8%) were severe injuries requiring hospitalization or surgery.

Aging (aOR: 1.06, 95% CI: 1.06−1.07), male (aOR: 1.33, 95% CI: 1.22−1.46), finger injury (aOR: 1.26, 95% CI: 1.14−1.39), crushing injury (aOR: 1.35, 95% CI: 1.15−1.57), and injury by machine (aOR: 3.91, 95% CI: 2.66−5.75) were associated with severe hand injury.

Conclusion: This study provides a comprehensive overview of the epidemiology of hand injuries in the pediatric population. Preventive strategies are needed to prevent severe hand injuries in children.