ABSTRACT

Objective:

We investigated cases of preschool childhood injuries, an important subgroup of pediatric trauma patients.

Materials and methods:

Charts were reviewed of children less than 8 years old who presented to a regional tertiary university hospital emergency department between January 2004 and June 2004.

Results:

During the survey period, 235 children (52% female) less than 8 years old presented to the emergency department. The most common causes of injuries were falls (53%), impact of a mass (18%), and traffic accidents (14%). Most (46%) of the injuries happened at home and the most common injured part of the body was the head (44%). The mean pediatric trauma score was 10 (range: 4-12). Most (77%) patients were discharged from the emergency department.

Conclusion:

Falls and impact of a mass composed the most important etiologies of preschool childhood injuries. In the preschool period, as children spend most of their time at home, most injuries occurred there as well. Injury prevention efforts in the home may decrease accidents in this age group.