Television tip overs and head traumas in childhood: Results of 36 children from a reference center in central anatolia, Turkey

Abstract

AIm: Television tip overs and head traumas in children showed an increase in the recent years in Turkey and throughout the world. In this study, the injury types, the surgical interventions and the children exposed to head trauma due to an accident caused by a falling television were investigated retrospectively. Some cautions were suggested in order to prevent these injuries. Mater Ial and Methods: The gender, age, Pediatric Glasgow Coma Scale (PGCS) score, radiologic findings, the need for intensive care unit, the time period spent in the hospital, the applied surgical treatments, the accompanied treatment and pathology of 36 children who were treated in the department of neurosurgery at Erciyes University School of Medicine were evaluated. Results: Eighteen of the patients were male and 18 were female. The number of cases younger than 3 years was 21 while the number of cases over the age of 3 years was 15. Thirty-two of the cases had full head trauma. Three female patients died. The mean PGCS score at admission was 12.7. While surgical treatment was applied to four of the patients in our department, facial nerve exploration was performed in the Ear Nose and Throat Department to the patient who suffered facial nerve damage. ConclusIon: Each year, many children are injured or even die due to this trauma that can be easily prevented. The parents, television producers, doctors, health personnel, academic institutions, governments, legislators, national and international organizations are responsible for this trauma.