Magnetic FB injuries: an old yet unresolved hazard.

RATIONALE AND AIM

Among foreign bodies causing injuries in children, magnets have been reported to cause serious complications and being life-threatening. The aim of this study is to design a risk profile and an epidemiological figure of such injuries, for being used for prevention.

METHODS

Data on 366 injuries have been collected from public surveillance databases and from published scientific literature, and compared with the data of the Susy Safe registry, which is a pan-European registry of foreign bodies injuries co-funded by the European Commission.

RESULTS

A median age of 48 months was observed, with a 63% prevalence of males is characterizing the injuries. Magnets have a median volume of 87.9 mm(3) vs the median volume of 41.86 mm(3) of the overall foreign bodies of the Susy Safe registry). Only 43% of the magnets were involving only on piece or objects, with a median number of two objects per injury, up to a maximum of 32 objects. Children are referred to the medical care system with a median delay of 3 days after onset of symptoms. Median length of stay in the hospital was 7 days with respect to 1 day as in the Susy Safe registry.

CONCLUSION

Most of complications, and event the death of a child can be eventually re-conducted to either or both a delay in patient referral or appropriate diagnosis. Thus, it is an absolute priority that an information initiative is taken toward families and emergency doctors to avoid unnecessarily delays respectively in patient referral and in diagnosis.