TY  - JOUR
PY  - 2006//
TI  - Pediatric lap-belt injury: A 7 year experience
JO  - Emergency medicine Australasia
A1  - Shepherd, Michael
A1  - Hamill, Joseph
A1  - Segedin, Elizabeth
SP  - 57
EP  - 63
VL  - 18
IS  - 1
N2  - Objective: To highlight the injuries that result from lap-belt use and make recommendations for prevention, the recent experience of a regional pediatric trauma centre was reviewed. Methods: Retrospective review of admissions to Starship Children's Hospital from 1996 to 2003, with significant injury following involvement in a motor vehicle crash, while wearing a lap-belt. Patients were identified from two prospectively collected databases and discharge coding data. Results: In total, 19 patients were identified over the 7 year period. The morbidity sustained includes 15 patients with hollow viscus injury, 13 laparotomies, 7 spinal fractures, 2 paraplegia and 1 fatality. A total of 11 patients required laparotomy with a median delay of 24 h. Of patients in the present series, 58% were aged less than 8 years and thus were inappropriately restrained. Conclusions: Lap-belt use can result in a range of life-threatening injuries or permanent disability in the pediatric population. The incidence of serious lap-belt injury does not appear to be decreasing. Morbidity and mortality could be reduced by the use of three-point restraints, age appropriate restraints and booster seats.
LA  - 
SN  - 1742-6731
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1742-6723.2006.00809.x
ID  - ref1
ER  -