Myers John, Lehna Carlee
From the Department of Pediatrics, University of Louisville, Kentucky.
J Burn Care Res. 2017 Jan/Feb;38(1):e79-e82. doi: 10.1097/BCR.0000000000000435.
Changes in U.S. fireworks laws have allowed younger children to purchase fireworks. In addition, the changes have allowed individuals to purchase more powerful fireworks. The purpose of this study is to examine the epidemiology of pediatric firework-related burn injuries among a nationally representative sample of the United States for the years 2006 to 2012. We examined inpatient admissions for pediatric firework-related burn patients from 2006 to 2012 using the nationwide inpatient sample and examined emergency department admissions using the nationwide emergency department sample. Both data sources are part of the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project. Trajectories over time were evaluated. A total of 3193 injuries represented an estimated 90,257 firework-related injuries treated in the United States from 2006 to 2012. A majority of injuries were managed in the emergency department (n = 2008, 62.9%). The incidence generally increased over time; increasing from 4.28 per 100,000 population in 2006 to 5.12 per 100,000 population in 2012, P = .019. However, the proportion of injuries requiring inpatient admission (28.9% in 2006 to 50.0% in 2012, P < .001) and mean length of stay in the hospital (3.12 days in 2006 to 7.35 days in 2012, P < .001) significantly increased over time, while the mean age decreased over time (12.1-year-old in 2006 to 11.4-year-old in 2012, P = .006). The relaxing of U.S. fireworks laws may have had a modest effect on incidence of related injuries and the age of purchaser. However, it has had a dramatic effect on the severity of the related injuries, resulting in more inpatient admissions and longer length of stay in the hospital. Preventative methods should be taken to reduce the rate and severity of firework-related injuries among U.S. youths.
美国烟花法规的变化使得年龄更小的儿童也能够购买烟花。此外，这些变化还让个人可以购买威力更大的烟花。本研究的目的是在美国具有全国代表性的样本中，调查2006年至2012年期间与烟花相关的儿童烧伤伤害的流行病学情况。我们使用全国住院患者样本，研究了2006年至2012年期间与烟花相关的儿童烧伤患者的住院情况，并使用全国急诊科样本研究了急诊科就诊情况。这两个数据源都是医疗成本和利用项目的一部分。对随时间变化的轨迹进行了评估。2006年至2012年期间，美国共有3193例伤害代表了估计90257例与烟花相关的伤害。大多数伤害在急诊科得到处理（n = 2008，62.9%）。发病率总体上随时间增加；从2006年每10万人中的4.28例增加到2012年每10万人中的5.12例，P = 0.019。然而，需要住院治疗的伤害比例（从2006年的28.9%增加到2012年的50.0%，P < 0.001）和平均住院时间（从2006年的3.12天增加到2012年的7.35天，P < 0.001）随时间显著增加，而平均年龄随时间下降（从2006年的12.1岁降至2012年的11.4岁，P = 0.006）。美国烟花法规的放宽可能对相关伤害的发生率和购买者年龄产生了一定影响。然而，它对相关伤害的严重程度产生了巨大影响，导致更多的住院治疗和更长的住院时间。应采取预防措施以降低美国青少年中与烟花相关伤害的发生率和严重程度。
