TY - JOUR PY - 2024// TI - Pediatric traumatic injuries due to agrarian hay-hole falls JO - Curēus A1 - Yang, Ae Lim A1 - Mrowczynski, Oliver D. A1 - Jafrani, Ryan J. A1 - Zhu, Junjia A1 - Dias, Mark A1 - Rizk, Elias SP - e51892 EP - e51892 VL - 16 IS - 1 N2 - Hay-holes are a design feature in many traditionally built barns that serve as a portal through which stored hay is passed to the lower level where animals are fed. Unfortunately, children sometimes fall through the hay-hole to the concrete or packed earth below. Available data on the frequency and types of hay-hole injuries is limited. The purpose of this study was to better characterize the resultant injuries and identify prognostic factors that predict outcomes from them. We performed a retrospective review of 53 children admitted to the Penn State Hershey Children's Hospital at the Penn State Hershey Medical Center with injuries due to a fall through a hay-hole over 15 years. Compared to urban trauma, hay-hole falls more frequently involve younger children and craniofacial injuries. Although they may result in significant injuries, they are rarely fatal. Greater fall height is associated with longer length of stay (LOS) but not with a greater frequency of intubation, intracranial hemorrhage, or skull fracture. A re-examination of barn design may help to reduce the frequency of this injury type.
Language: en
LA - en SN - 2168-8184 UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.7759/cureus.51892 ID - ref1 ER -