TY  - JOUR
PY  - 2001//
TI  - Metal lawn and garden edging: the hidden knife?
JO  - Pediatric emergency care
A1  - Rittichier, K. K.
A1  - Bassett, K. E.
SP  - 28
EP  - 31
VL  - 17
IS  - 1
N2  - OBJECTIVE: Lacerations account for many visits to the pediatric emergency department. We observed children presenting to local emergency departments in a large metropolitan area with lacerations incurred from metal lawn and garden edging, a landscaping tool. We sought to describe the severity of lacerations caused by metal edging, the characteristics of wound repair, and the need for subspecialty consultation. DESIGN: A retrospective chart review including all pediatric patients (< 18 years) presenting with lacerations caused by metal lawn and garden edging from January 1995 to October 1997 was performed. Patients were seen at one of three emergency departments in Colorado. RESULTS: One hundred twenty-six patients were enrolled (76% male, 24% female), with a median age of 9 years. The most frequent location of laceration was the foot (40%), followed by the knee (26%). The median length of laceration was 3 cm (range 1-22 cm). Sixteen patients (13%) received either intravenous or oral antibiotics, and six patients (5%) received orthopedic evaluation. CONCLUSIONS: Metal lawn and garden edging in landscaped neighborhoods presents a previously undescribed laceration danger to children. Some lacerations sustained from the metal lawn edging are extensive, receiving either multiple layer closure and/or the need for subspecialty consultation.<p /> <p>Language: en</p>
LA  - en
SN  - 0749-5161
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/
ID  - ref1
ER  -