Accidental Injuries

MONDAY, Sept. 16, 2024 -- The risk for firearm reinjury among children who present with acute nonfatal firearm injury is 6 and 14 percent at one and five years, respectively, after initial injury, according to a study published online Sept. 17 in the Annals of Internal Medicine . Zoe M. Miller, M.P.H., from the Brown School of Social Work at Washington University in St. Louis, and colleagues examined the factors associated with recurrent firearm injury among children who presented with acute (index) nonfatal firearm injury in a multicenter, observation cohort study conducted at two adult and two pediatric level I trauma hospitals. Participants included 1,340 pediatric patients aged 0 to 17 years presenting with an index firearm injury between 2010 and 2019. The researchers found that most patients were Black and non-Hispanic (87 and 99 percent, respectively), male (84 percent), and aged 15 to 17 years (67 percent). At one and five years after initial injury, the estimated risk for firearm reinjury was 6 and 14 percent, respectively. Increased risk for reinjury was seen for male children and those seen at an adult hospital. "This study highlights the high cumulative incidence of children experiencing recurrent firearm injuries in St. Louis and identifies racial and social vulnerability disparities in this group," the authors write. Abstract/Full Text Whatever your topic of interest, subscribe to our newsletters to get the best of Drugs.com in your inbox.

A federal government grant-backed trial in Queensland will be testing an intravenous treatment monitoring system on hospitalised babies. The monitoring system involves attaching a near-infrared sensor to a baby's skin near the IV site to monitor continuously the surrounding tissues. It sets off alarms when it detects a volume change in those tissues. WHY IT MATTERS In Australia, over 18,000 infants below age 1 are admitted to hospitals each year with about 60% of them requiring drip treatments, such as for rehydration and antibiotics. Citing studies, Amanda Ullman, professor at the University of Queensland School of Nursing, Midwifery and Social Work, said between 33%-45% of these IV treatments in babies stop working before they are completed. "The vein where the IV is placed can be damaged during treatment, resulting in the fluid pooling in the tissue rather than being administered into the bloodstream," explained Prof Ullman. "Even with the best care and monitoring, unintentional injuries from IVs can occur because by the time signs of injury appear such as pain, redness and swelling, the damage has already happened." The trial, which started last year, targets to recruit over 500 babies in three years. It aims to enhance the delivery of IV treatments to babies in hospitals by detecting issues in IV treatments early. The IV monitoring device is being trialled at Queensland Children’s Hospital, Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital Neonatal Unit, and the Neonatal and Child and Adolescent Units at Sunshine Coast University Hospital. The trial has received funding from the federal government's Medical Research Future Fund. THE LARGER TREND Remote infant monitoring technologies have also been developed and tested in recent years in neighbouring state, South Australia. For example, an AI-powered computer vision system was used as an alternative to ECG to remotely monitor the vital signs of babies in the NICU of Flinders Medical Centre in Adelaide. Meanwhile, a foetal monitoring system powered by AI is now part of the standard of care across public maternity sites in Western Australia. This comes after successfully trying out the AI-powered system in 2021. The Gold Coast Hospital and Health Service in Queensland is also trialling a remote pregnancy monitoring platform, which is being eyed as a standard in caring for high-risk pregnancies at its Women Newborn and Children Services.

WEDNESDAY, Aug. 21, 2024 -- From 2020 to 2021, life expectancy at birth declined for 39 U.S. states and increased for 11 states, according to the Aug. 21 National Vital Statistics Reports , a publication from the National Center for Health Statistics. Elizabeth Arias, Ph.D., from the National Center for Health Statistics in Hyattsville, Maryland, and colleagues present complete period life tables for each of the 50 states and the District of Columbia by sex based on age-specific death rates in 2021. The researchers found that Hawaii had the highest life expectancy at birth of all 50 states and the District of Columbia, and Mississippi had the lowest (79.9 and 70.9 years, respectively). From 2020 to 2021, life expectancy at birth decreased and increased for 39 and 11 states, respectively, and remained unchanged for the District of Columbia. In 2021, life expectancy at age 65 years varied from 16.1 to 20.6 years in Mississippi and Hawaii, respectively. Females in all states and the District of Columbia had higher life expectancy at birth. Between males and females, the difference in life expectancy ranged from 3.9 to 7.6 years in Utah and New Mexico, respectively. "Overall, life expectancy in the United States declined by 0.6 years from 2020 to 2021, mostly due to the COVID-19 pandemic and increases in unintentional injuries (mainly drug overdose deaths)," the authors write. Abstract/Full Text Whatever your topic of interest, subscribe to our newsletters to get the best of Drugs.com in your inbox.