İki yaş ve altındaki adli yüksekten düşme olgularının değerlendirilmesi

Abstract

Purpose: Childhood trauma is often caused by accidental or neglected falls. In this study, we aimed to evaluate demographic and clinical factors to determine the incidence of falls from height in children under two years old.
 Materials and Methods: The study included 106 forensic cases who presented to the emergency department after falling from a height of one meter or more as a result of an accident or negligence between January 1, 2016 and December 31, 2021. According to the level of fall height, the cases were divided into two groups as below 3 meters and above. Clinical findings, hospitalization, and mortality status were used to group patients.
 Results:Of the 106 cases included in the study, 59(55.7%) were male.The mean age of the patients was 12.89±6.80 months (p=0.002) and the mean height level was 3.67±2.85 m (p=0.001).The mean height of the Low and High groups was 1.78±0.71, 6.92±2.09 meters, respectively.Crainal fracture was present in 21(19.8%) patients in the high group and all traumatic parenchymal brain lesions except contusion were seen in the high group (p=0.001). Four (3.8 %) of the 9(8.5%) dead cases died in emergency department. The average height of emergency department fall victims was 9.75±2.63 meters (p=0.001).
 Conclusion: Especially cases of falling from height under the age of two are common and are an important cause of morbidity and mortality. Fall height level is an important marker in terms of clinical and prognosis. Informing and educating caregivers and parents can prevent accidents and neglect in advance.