Injuries from objects: 1- 2 years

Injuries from Objects

 

How big a problem is it?

It’s the second leading cause of non-fatal injury among children 0-14. The age of 1-2 years is, sadly among the most prone to injury with around 5 children per week hospitalised between 2013 and 2017.


Who does it affect?

The youngest of children, from birth through to four years are the most likely to be affected. Between 2013 - 2017 children aged four years and under were hospitalised with what we call mechanical force injuries at around 1.5 times the rate of older children. Nearly half were caused by being caught, crushed, jammed or pinched between objects. Male children were notably more at risk than female.

Injuries range across crushing, to piercing and cutting from glass and trauma from kitchen equipment. A big focus should be on safety checks in the home that lead to prevention measures like the installation of safety glass and furniture straps.

You can’t stop your kids from climbing, but you can make sure that the things they climb are stable and the most risky are not accessible. Barriers such as gates in the doorways to the rooms with the hazards. Straps to prevents TV and furniture tip-over, which are a lot more common than you may think and can lead to serious injuries and even death.

Here are a few things you can do to keep your kids safe from TV and furniture tip-overs.


Top Tips

  • Firmly mount TVs to a wall or a piece of furniture, or place older models onto low, stable furniture that is able to hold the weight. You can secure the base with screws for extra stability. 

  • Use brackets, braces or wall straps to secure unstable or top-heavy furniture to the wall such as dressers, bookcases and mirrors. It’s also a good idea to put stops on dresser drawers to prevent them from being fully pulled out. 

  • It’s common to place items such as iPads, DVDs and remotes up high on furniture where you think they can’t be reached. Most children are creative and will find a way to get to them. That often involves climbing on furniture. It’s best to place them out of reach and sight. Somewhere they can’t be seen such as in a lockable cupboard.

 

Around the house

  • Rearrange drawers and shelves so that heavy items are lower down. 

  • Use safety glass in furniture, windows and doors. 

  • Spot and remove sharp and pointed objects at home and in play areas. 

  • Ride-on mowers are dangerous and not something children should be carried on. 

  • Warn young children about the dangers of kitchen equipment and ensure they are out of reach when in operation. 

  • Active supervision around garden tools and equipment is recommended.


First Aid

Bleeding 

Generally, bleeding is of a minor nature and includes small cuts, grazes, etc.

However, bleeding may be severe and life threatening if a large vein or artery has been injured – e.g. the jugular vein in the neck.

Some wounds are associated with other injuries beneath the skin – e.g. an organ injured by a stabbing; broken bones which have pierced the skin.

Symptoms and signs – Not all may be present

  • a wound with, or without, an embedded foreign object 

  • pain from skin surface wounds  

  • bruising or discolouration of the skin 

  • loss of normal function in the injured area 

  • pale, cold, sweaty skin

How you can help

Apply direct pressure to the bleeding wound

Apply firm pressure over the wound. Use a sterile or clean bulky pad and apply it firmly with hand pressure. Apply a bandage to keep the dressing in place. 

If bleeding is severe, DO NOT waste time looking for suitable padding, but be prepared to use the patient’s hand or your hand to hold the wound together if the patient is unable to do this unaided.

 Raise the injured area

If the wound is on a limb, raise it in a supported position to reduce blood flow to the injured area. 

If an arm is injured, you could apply an arm sling or elevation sling. 

Try to avoid any direct contact with the patient’s blood or other body fluids. Use disposable gloves if possible. If gloves are not available, place your hands inside a plastic bag.

If there has been any contact with blood or any other body fluids, wash your hands or any blood splashed on the skin thoroughly with soap and water as soon as possible after the incident.

If you are concerned about a possible risk of infection, obtain advice from your doctor as soon as possible.

 If a foreign body is embedded in the wound

DO NOT remove it but apply padding on either side of the object and build it up to avoid pressure on the foreign body. 

Hold the padding firmly in place with a roller bandage or folded triangular bandage applied in a criss-cross method to avoid pressure on the object. Keep the patient at total rest

Even if the injury involves the arm or upper part of the body, the patient should rest in a position of greatest comfort for at least 10 minutes to help control the bleeding. Seek medical assistance

If the wound appears to be minor and the patient is able to travel by car, arrange an urgent appointment with a local doctor to assess and treat the injury. 

If the injury is severe or the patient is very unwell – call 111 for an ambulance as soon as possible.

While waiting for an ambulance to arrive, observe the patient closely for any change in condition.

If blood leaks through the pressure pad and bandage

Apply a second pad over the first. Use a tea towel or similar bulky fabric and apply maximum pressure to the area. 

For major uncontrolled bleeding quickly remove the blood-soaked pad and bandage and replace with a fresh bulky pad and bandage. The continuing bleeding may be due to the pad slipping out of position when the first bandage was applied.


Crush injury

Background

A crush injury occurs from compression of large muscle groups and soft tissues by a heavy weight. The most serious sites for a crush injury to occur are the head, neck, chest, abdomen and thigh.

Call 111 for an ambulance.

Remove the crushing force

Remove the crushing force if possible because permanent tissue damage may occur with severe crushing force.

If the crushing force has been in place for some time, be prepared to give prompt first aid, because removal of the crushing force may cause a sudden collapse or deterioration in the patient’s condition.

Treat the patient’s injuries

Assess and treat any injuries in order of their importance.  

Control any bleeding with a sterile pad applied firmly to the injured area. Assist the patient into the position of greatest comfort and use soft padding to provide support for the injured part.

If a limb is involved, support and immobilise the injured area.While waiting for the ambulance to arrive, observe the patient closely for any change in condition.


An abrasion (graze)

How you can help

Gently clean with soapy water or saline. If there are pieces of gravel embedded in the wound, ask the patient to try to remove them while the area is soaking in soapy water.

Dry the area well by blotting with gauze swabs or a pad of tissues.

If a protective dressing is necessary, apply a non-adherent sterile dressing and fix it in place with a light roller bandage or tape.

A puncture wound

How you can help

Clean the wound with warm soapy water and allow it to penetrate the puncture track because tetanus spores may be trapped deep in the wound.

Allow the wound to dry thoroughly in the air before covering it.

If a protective dressing is needed, use a porous adhesive dressing and change it daily to keep the wound healthy and dry.

Contact a local doctor for advice about tetanus immunisation.

Fractures 

Keep the injured arm or leg still. Someone who knows how to might use a splint to keep it still. You can support the injured arm or leg with a pillow or sling. Raise the arm or leg higher than the heart to help reduce swelling. Your child will need pain relief. If your child does not need an ambulance take them to the nearest hospital Emergency Department 

Source: Well Child My Tamariki Ora My Health Book


If your baby is unconscious, follow the steps below.

Loss of consciousness First Aid 

Follow DRS ABCD to start CPR

D Dangers? Check for any dangers to yourself such as electricity or traffic. 

R Responsive? Check responsiveness by calling loudly and shaking the child's arm. 

S Send for help. Dial 111 and confirm an ambulance is on its way. Use the appropriate emergency number in other countries. 

A Airway. Open the airway by moving the head into a neutral position and lifting the chin. Do not tilt the head back too far. 

B Breathing. Look and feel for movement of the lower chest and stomach area. Listen and feel for air coming from the nose or mouth. 

C CPR. If the child is not breathing, start CPR - 30 compressions to 2 breaths. Put the child on a firm surface. Place 2 fingers of one hand (for a baby) or the heel of one hand (for a child) in the centre of the chest just below the nipples. Push down hard and fast 30 times in about 15 seconds (push down one-third of chest depth). Once you have completed 30 compressions (pushes) on the chest, breathe into the baby's mouth 2 times. Seal your lips around the baby's mouth and nose. For a child over 1, you may need to breathe into their mouth and pinch their nose closed. Gently puff into the child until you see their chest rise. Continue with the cycle of 30 chest compressions and 2 breaths until the ambulance arrives. 

D Defibrillator. Attach defibrillator as soon as it is available and follow prompts.

The CPR advice is from the KidsHealth website and a page containing the Basic Life Support Flow Chart. The Basic Life Support Flow Chart is developed by the New Zealand Resuscitation Council and Australian Resuscitation Council. For more information see www.nrc.org.nz 

The first aid advice is from the St John’s comprehensive online First Aid Library.


Tetanus 

Tetanus bacteria may be found anywhere, but it is especially in soil and animal waste – dog poo for example. If a child has a cut that comes into contact with the earth, they could be exposed to tetanus. If a child has an injury from a sharp object in the earth such as a nail, they could also be exposed. 

People can catch tetanus from wounds as small as a prick from a rose thorn. One of the earliest signs of tetanus is stiffening of the jaw muscles, which is why tetanus is often referred to as lockjaw. Recovery from tetanus may take months and about 11 per cent of people who get tetanus die from the disease. Tetanus vaccine is given at age six weeks, three months and five months. Boosters are given at four years and 11 years of age. 

Adult boosters are given at 45 and 65 years of age. For more information contact the Immunisation Advisory Centre 0800 IMMUNE (466863) or https://www.immune.org.nz/diseases/tetanus


Links to Safekids’ resources

Preventing cutting and piercing injuries

Home Safety Checklist

Download Furniture, TVs & Sharp Objects reference card

Reference Card Sources

Links other organisations’ resources

Safekids Worldwide TV and Furniture Tip-Overs