Management of Pediatric Foreign Body Injuries during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Results of an International Survey.

The COVID-19 pandemic has had direct and indirect effects on daily life. In hospitals, the impact of the pandemic was observed in the diagnostic and therapeutic workflow. In this work, we explored potential changes in activities related to the treatment of foreign body injuries (FBIs) in children and the behavioral habits of physicians during the first wave of the pandemic. An online survey was conducted among physicians of the Susy Safe network. The survey comprised items related to respondent information, reference center characteristics, the treatment of FBIs during the COVID-19 pandemic, and a modified COVID-19 Anxiety Scale (CAS). The survey was distributed among the Susy Safe project international network surveillance registry for FBIs. A total of 58 physicians responded to the survey, including 18 (32%) from Europe and 16 (28%) from South America. The respondents indicated that the estimated number of aspirated foreign bodies during the pandemic was lower than or the same as that before the pandemic (43, 74%), and the same was observed for ingested foreign bodies (43, 74%). In univariable logistic regression, no single predictor was associated with a delay in routine care for children or an increasing tendency of medical personnel to avoid procedures. The workflow of physicians involved in the management of FBIs in children has not changed drastically during the COVID-19 pandemic, especially in emergency departments.

Regulatory and Educational Initiatives to Prevent Food Choking Injuries in Children: An Overview of the Current Approaches.

Choking injuries are one of the major causes of death among children ages 0-3, and most of these injuries are related to food. This work provides an overview of the current recommendations for food choking prevention and educational targets as a basis for developing a unified common set of knowledge for primary prevention policies development. Guidelines published by professional membership organizations and national governments in the English language were considered. All of these guidelines provide lists of hazardous food items and recommendations for food preparation to minimize choking hazard. Together with recommendations for food preparation, also recommendations aimed at stakeholders (food manufacturers, health care providers, and public authorities) are provided, underlining that this severe public health problem should be further addressed by adopting integrated public health interventions. Our overview stressed the importance of developing educational and primary prevention policies to sensitize adult supervisors and to regulate dangerous food products in the market.

Impact of the COVID-19 lockdown on psychological health and nutritional habits in Italy: results from the #PRESTOinsieme study.

OBJECTIVES: The present work aims to present the results of the 'PRESTOinsieme' (which is 'we will be together soon' in English). The web-based survey (www.prestoinsieme.com) describes changes in lifestyle habits and symptoms of psychological discomfort in the Italian population during the COVID-19 lockdown. DESIGN: Cross-sectional online survey disseminated by messaging apps (ie, WhatsApp and Telegram) and social networks (ie, Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn). SETTING: Italy. PARTICIPANTS: Italian population older than 16 years of age. EXPOSURE: COVID-19 lockdown. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: Survey respondents filled out a set of validated questionnaires aimed at assessing lifestyle habits and psychological health, that is, the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12) to screen for psychological distress, the Impact of Event Scale-Revised (IES-R) to screen for post-traumatic stress and the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D). RESULTS: Survey respondents totalled 5008. Moderate or severe psychological distress was reported in 25.5% and 22% of survey respondents, respectively. Lower age, female gender, being unemployed (OR 1.57, 95% CI 1.22 to 2.02) or being a student (OR 1.73, 95% CI 1.31 to 2.28) were predictors of more severe depressive symptoms. CONCLUSIONS: The present study is one of the largest population-based surveys conducted in Italy during the first COVID-19 lockdown, providing valuable data about the Italian population's psychological health. Further studies should be conducted to understand whether psychological distress persists after the end of the lockdown.

Monitoring Public Perception of Health Risks in Brazil and Italy: Cross-Cultural Research on the Risk Perception of Choking in Children.

One of the most relevant public health issues among pediatric injuries concerns foreign body (FB) aspiration. The risk perception of choking hazards (CH) and risk perception, in general, are complex multifactorial problems that play a significant role in defining protective behavior. Risk prevention policies should take this aspect into account. A lack of scientific knowledge of FB injury risk perception may be evidenced in Brazil and other newly developed countries. This study aims to characterize the differences and peculiarities in risk perception of CH between Italian and Brazilian populations. The risk perception among adults in Italy and Brazil between September and October 2017 was investigated in a survey. A Multiple Correspondence Analysis was carried out to identify the latent components characterizing the risk perception in Italian and Brazilian population samples. The most relevant dimension characterizing risk perception is the "Professional-educational status and the related perception of Risk" (13% of factorial inertia). The Italians identify batteries and magnets as the most dangerous choking risks (20% of responses). On the other hand, Brazilian people, mainly manual laborers (22%) with secondary or primary education (94%), perceive coins as the most dangerous items (30% of responses, p < 0.001). Socio-economic issues characterize the subjective risk perception of Italian and Brazilian survey respondents. In this framework, data-driven prevention strategies could be helpful to tailor intervention strategies to the cultural context to which they are addressed.

Assessing school-based intervention strategies to foster the prevention of choking injuries in children: The results of the CHOP (CHOking Prevention) trial.

There are few public health programs aimed at reducing choking injuries, even though choking is one of the leading causes of death among unintentional injuries in young children. We present the results from the CHOP (CHOking Prevention) project community intervention trial, which aimed to compare three different school-based intervention strategies for food choking prevention. The trial enrolled 41 educational facilities, which were randomized to one of three different intervention strategies to inform about prevention of food choking, or to serve as the control group. In strategy A, education was delivered directly to families, whereas in strategy B, education was delivered first to teachers and by them to families, and in strategy C, education was delivered only to healthcare coordinators in each school and by them to teachers and families. All educational interventions were delivered in the schools by experts and certified trainers. The participants were asked about sociodemographic information and completed questionnaires (pre-, post- and follow-up of intervention). Information from the postintervention and follow-up questionnaires was synthesized into four indicators to evaluate the effectiveness of each intervention strategy. Of the 1,426 participants, 298 were involved in strategy A, 474 in strategy B, 491 in strategy C and 163 in the control group. At postintervention, the scores of the indicators in each strategy significantly outperformed those of the control group, with adjusted p < 0.05. At follow-up, the distribution of the indicator scores of each strategy was found to be not significantly different compared to those of the control group (p > 0.05). The results of this study suggest that a sustainable school-based public health intervention mediated by teachers is effective as direct training for families in improving knowledge about food choking injury prevention. Nevertheless, further improvements could be made to increase long-term information retention.

Comparing foreign body injuries patterns between Turkey and European Countries: are female Turkish children more vulnerable?

OBJECTIVES: The present study aimed at analyzing and comparing Foreign Body (FB) injuries patterns in children from Turkey and other European countries in order to assess any country and culturally specific aspects of FB risk. METHODS: Data from Susy Safe register were included in the analysis. For this study, ICD-935 (mouth, esophagus and stomach) and ICD-934 (trachea, bronchus, and lung) cases from European countries and from a single center in the Istanbul Bahcelievler State Hospital, Turkey, were extracted from the Susy database. A Multiple Correspondence Analysis (MCA) approach was employed to identify differences or similarities between the groups of FB injuries. RESULTS: The Turkey dataset has a larger proportion of females in comparison to the European data (p-value 0.002). According to the MCA analysis, the first two dimensions are explaining 48.11% of the variability (dimension 1, 37.44%; dimension 2, 10.67%). The three largest contributions to dimension 1 are via naturalis removal, not hospitalized, and ICD-935. The greatest contributions to dimension 2 are FB type, and consistency. CONCLUSION: The most interesting study finding is the higher incidence of females suffering a FB injury in ICD-934-935 in the Turkey dataset compared to that seen in the European dataset and also higher than that for all ICD locations within the Susy Safe register. The higher incidence of females tends to go against the belief that boys suffer higher FB injuries and needs to be further investigated.

Increasing awareness of food-choking and nutrition in children through education of caregivers: the CHOP community intervention trial study protocol.

BACKGROUND: Choking is one of the leading causes of death among unintentional injuries in young children. Food choking represents a considerable public health burden, which might be reduced through increased effective preventative education programs. We present a protocol for a community intervention trial termed CHOP (CHOking Prevention project) that aimed to teach Italian families how to prevent food choking injuries and increase knowledge relating to nutrition. METHODS: Italian educational facilities were enrolled. Stratified randomization blocked by geographical area was performed. Each stratum was randomized to one of three different intervention strategies or to a control group. Educational intervention was delivered in the schools by experts and certified trainers as per the following three intervention strategies: directly to families (Strategy A); to teaching staff only, who subsequently delivered the same educational intervention to families (Strategy B); to health service staff only, who then delivered the educational intervention to teaching staff, who subsequently delivered the intervention to families (Strategy C). Participants completed a questionnaire about their knowledge on the topics presented during the educational interventions (pre-, post-, and follow-up of intervention). Information from the questionnaires was synthetized into 6 indicators in order to measure how effective each intervention strategy was. DISCUSSION: The issue of food choking injuries in children is relevant to public health. The protocol we present provides an opportunity to progress towards overcoming such challenges through a working model that can be implemented also in other countries. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03218618. The study was registered on 14 July 2017.

Foreign Body injuries in children in India: Recommendations for prevention from a comparative analysis with international experience.

OBJECTIVES: This study aims to identify specific patterns of risk in order to contribute to the prevention of Foreign Body (FB) injuries by assessing FB injury characteristics in Indian children. METHODS: Single center case series are included in the worldwide registry on Foreign Bodies Injuries www.susysafe.org. Statistical analysis performed on FB injury data (age, medical information, FB anatomical location (ICD) and characteristics, and situational data) from 252 Indian children (0-14 years) was used to identify FB risk patterns. RESULTS: The study included 252 FB injury cases, out of which 110 occurred in females (43.7%). Most of the reported FB injuries (N = 252) were located in the mouth, esophagus and stomach, or intestines and colon (34.5%), and in the nose (31.3%). The analysis of the median duration of all injuries (i.e., the difference between the reported injury time/date and the reported time/date of arrival at hospital) showed that children with a FB in the airways were those referred to the hospital latest (median of 332.50 min, p-value <0.001). With regards to FB type, the majority of FB objects were non-food items and ingestion of coins accounted for 25% of all FB injuries. CONCLUSIONS: Cultural differences may exist with regards to the Indian diet being conducive to lower choking food risk for children, and to acceptability and accessibility to objects such as coins and stationery. Such findings should be taken into account when developing primary and secondary prevention strategies aimed at reducing the burden of such injuries in India.

Peligro de asfixia: conocimiento de los padres sobre la aspiración de cuerpos extraños en niños / Choking hazard: parental knowledge on foreign body aspiration in children / Perigo de asfixia: o conhecimento dos pais sobre aspiração de corpos estranhos em crianças

La aspiración de un cuerpo extraño es una causa importante y prevenible de morbimortalidad en la infancia. Uno de los factores de riesgo principales de la asfixia es la falta de conocimiento de los padres y cuidadores acerca de los objetos peligrosos, las situaciones de riesgo y los signos clínicos de un cuerpo extraño en la vía aérea. Para evitar eventos de asfixia y realizar diagnósticos oportunos para el manejo adecuado, el conocimiento en la comunidad acerca de esta problemática debe aumentar. Evaluamos el conocimiento de los padres sobre la aspiración de cuerpos extraños en niños a fin de proponer estrategias de prevención y evitar nuevos accidentes.

The aspiration of a foreign body is an important and preventable cause of morbidity and mortality in childhood. One of the major risk factors of asphyxia is that parents or caregivers may lack knowledge of the dangerous nature of many objects, risk situations, and clinical signs of a foreign body in the airway. To avoid choking events and make an early and adequate diagnosis for the proper management of this unfortunate event, community awareness should be increased. We evaluate how much parents know about the aspiration of foreign bodies in children in order to propose prevention strategies as well as to avoid further accidents.

A aspiração de corpo estranho é uma causa importante e evitável de morbidade e mortalidade na infância. Um dos principais fatores de risco de asfixia é a falta de conhecimento dos pais e cuidadores sobre objetos perigosos, situações de risco e sinais clínicos de um corpo estranho na via aérea. Para evitar a asfixia eventos e fazer diagnósticos atempados para a correcta gestão, o conhecimento da comunidade sobre este problema deve aumentar. Nós avaliar o conhecimento dos pais sobre aspiração de corpo estranho em crianças, a fim de propor estratégias para a prevenção e evitar novos acidentes.

Injuries due to foreign body aspirations in Georgia: A prevention perspective.

BACKGROUND: Suffocation due to foreign bodies (FB) is a leading cause of death in children aged 0-3. No data from the former U.S.S.R. are available in the international scientific literature. METHODS: Consecutive patients admitted at the Iashvili Central Children Hospital in Tbilisi, Georgia from 1989 to 2011 were analyzed. Injuries in the upper airways due to foreign bodies' inhalation were collected and compared with the Susy Safe Registry and the pooled estimates of the meta-analysis. RESULTS: 2896 cases were collected. Distribution of injuries in children younger than 3 years was significantly higher than in the Susy Safe Registry and in the "High-Income" countries in the meta-analysis. Percentage of injuries due to organic objects (86%) was significantly higher than in published data. CONCLUSIONS: Since Georgia is not showing any substantial difference, both in epidemiology and treatment of foreign bodies injuries, as compared to the other case series, translation of public health initiatives from other most advanced prevention experiences is possible and it is likely to be effective. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level V, Epidemiological case series.

Symptoms associated with button batteries injuries in children: An epidemiological review.

OBJECTIVES: To provide an epidemiological framework of symptoms related to Foreign Body (FB) injuries due to Button Battery (BB). METHODS: Data on BB ingestion/inhalation have been obtained from the ButtonBatteryDB. The ButtonBatteryDB is a database collecting information on BB injuries in children (0-18 years of age). Data on 348 BB injures have been derived from the Registry of Foreign Body Injuries "Susy Safe" (269 cases) and from published scientific literature reporting case reports of FB injuries (79 cases). RESULTS: Most of injured children were male and BBs were found more often in the mouth/esophagus/stomach (ICD935) and in the nose (ICD932). Analyzing symptoms related to BB located in the esophagus/mouth/stomach, we found that children had higher probability of experiencing dysphagia (30.19%, 95% C.I. 17.83-42.55), fever and cough (26.42%, 95% C.I. 14.55-38.28), compared to the other symptoms. Referring to the probability that symptoms occurred simultaneously, fever and cough are more likely (3.72%, 95% C.I. 1.0-6-43) to jointly showing up in children with BB in mouth/esophagus/stomach (ICD935), followed by fever and dysphagia (2.66%, 95% C.I. 0.36-4.96) and by fever and irritability/crying, fever and drooling, dysphagia and irritability/crying (2.13% C.I. 0.00-4.19, 95% C.I.) CONCLUSIONS: These findings provide new insight in clinical presentation of BB injuries: the identification of unique patterns of symptoms related to BB injuries is useful to perform an early diagnosis (and to guarantee a prompt medical reaction), also when the injury is un-witnessed.