@article{ref1,
title="Head and neck injuries associated with cell phone use",
journal="JAMA otolaryngology: head and neck surgery",
year="2019",
author="Povolotskiy, Roman and Gupta, Nakul and Leverant, Adam B. and Kandinov, Aron and Paskhover, Boris",
volume="ePub",
number="ePub",
pages="ePub-ePub",
abstract="IMPORTANCE: As cell phones gain more influence in daily life, they also become potentially more hazardous. Injuries resulting from cell phone use have long been reported largely in the context of driving-related incidents, but other mechanisms of injury have been underreported. <br><br>OBJECTIVE: To assess the incidence, types, and mechanisms of head and neck injuries associated with cell phone use. <br><br>DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: Retrospective cross-sectional study using data from a national database of individuals with head and neck injuries related to cell phone use who presented to emergency departments in the United States between January 1998 and December 2017. <br><br>MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: Incidence, types, and mechanisms of injury related to cell phone use in the US population. <br><br>RESULTS: A reported total of 2501 patients (1129 [55.0%] female, 795 [38.8%] white, and 772 [37.6%] aged 13-29 years) presented with injuries of the head and neck related to cell phone use; the estimated weighted national total was 76 043 patients (42 846 females [56.3%], 34 894 [45.9%] white, and 29 956 [39.4%] aged 13-29 years). The most commonly reported subsites of injuries in the head and neck region included the head (33.1% of estimated total); face, including eyelid, eye area, and nose (32.7%); and neck (12.5%). The most common injury diagnoses included laceration (26.3% of estimated total), contusion/abrasion (24.5%), and internal organ injury (18.4%). Age group distributions showed that most injuries associated with cell phone user distraction occurred among individuals aged 13 to 29 years (60.3%; Cramer V = 0.29). In addition, those younger than 13 years were significantly more likely to sustain direct mechanical injury from a cell phone (82.1%) than to have a cell phone use-associated injury (17.9%) (Cramer V = 0.305), whereas a cell phone use-associated injury was more likely than a direct mechanical injury to occur among those aged 50 to 64 years (68.2% vs 31.8%; Cramer V = 0.11) and those older than 65 years (90.3% vs 9.7%; Cramer V = 0.29). <br><br>CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: Cell phone-related injuries to the head and neck have increased steeply over the recent 20-year period, with many cases resulting from distraction. Although the disposition of most cases is simple, some injuries bear a risk of long-term complications. Many of these injuries occurred among those aged 13 to 29 years and were associated with common activities, such as texting while walking. These findings suggest a need for patient education about injury prevention and the dangers of activity while using these devices.<p /> <p>Language: en</p>",
language="en",
issn="2168-6181",
doi="10.1001/jamaoto.2019.3678",
url="http://dx.doi.org/10.1001/jamaoto.2019.3678"
}