Head injury from fan blades among children.
OBJECTIVE
Head injury caused by fan blades is rare among children. We analysed 14 cases of such injury and discuss the causes, type of injury and preventive measures.


METHODS
A retrospective analysis of 14 cases of children who were admitted to the Pediatric Neurosurgical Unit of Hospital Kuala Lumpur after sustaining head injuries caused by fan blades between January 2000 and December 2002 was performed.


RESULTS
The causes of fan-blade head injury included jumping on the upper bunk of a bunk-bed, climbing on a ladder, climbing up onto a table, and being lifted by an adult. Thirteen patients were injured by ceiling fans and one by falling onto an uncovered table fan. School-aged boys were the predominant victims. Mean patient age was 7.9 years (range, 1.0-12.2 years). There was a twin peak incidence of when the accidents occurred: just before lunch in the afternoon and bedtime at night. The types of injury were scalp lacerations, compound depressed fractures and multiple intracranial haemorrhages. Two patients had the complication of wound infection, and one of these patients developed cerebral spinal fluid leak. One patient died from severe head injuries.


CONCLUSIONS
Safety awareness among parents and caretakers are important as fan-blade head injury among children is preventable.
Alias
Azmi
A
Department of Neurosurgery, Hospital Kuala Lumpur, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. azmidr@hotmail.com
Krishnapillai
Ravi
R
Teng
Hong Wah
HW
Abd Latif
Ahmad Zubaidi
AZ
Adnan
Johari Siregar
JS
D000061:Accidents, Home / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D017677:Age Distribution; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D015331:Cohort Studies; D006259:Craniocerebral Trauma / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology* / Q000628:therapy; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D015601:Injury Severity Score; D020198:Intracranial Hemorrhage, Traumatic / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology / Q000628:therapy; D008296:Malaysia / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D017678:Sex Distribution; D012887:Skull Fractures / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology / Q000628:therapy; D015996:Survival Rate