P. H. Chang2,4, D. Toplauffe1, S. Wang1, S. Romo1, K. Hannigan1, R. Sheridan1,3 1Shriners Hospitals For Children-Boston,Boston, MA, USA 2Shriners Hospitals For Children-Cincinnati,Cincinnati, OH, USA 3Massachusetts General Hospital,Department Of Surgery,Boston, MA, USA 4University Of Cincinnati,Division Of Plastics/Burn Surgery,Cincinnati, OH, USA
Introduction:
In 2015, 11,900 firework-related injuries were reported in the United States. Laws regulating the use of consumer fireworks vary from state to state in our region. However, it is common practice for consumers to cross state borders to purchase fireworks illegal in their state. The objective of this study is to describe the population of patients treated for injuries involving fireworks at a single regional pediatric burn center.
Methods:
A retrospective chart review was conducted to analyze all patients aged 0-18 years admitted to our regional pediatric burn hospital with a firework-related injury between 2006 and 2015. Data collected included demographics, total body surface area (TBSA) involved, location of burn, state in which the injury occurred, and whether sparklers, firecrackers, or aerial fireworks were involved.
Results:
Of the 61 patients who met the inclusion criteria for review, four times as many patients were males than females. The mean age of the study sample was 10.53 ± 5.42 years (range: 0.52-17.9 years) and the mean TBSA was 3% ± 7%. More than half of these patients were from MA (66%), while the other injuries occurred in: NH (21%), VT (7%), and less than 4% in NY, CT, ME, and VA. Seventy-one percent of these patients had to be admitted as inpatients for treatment. At least 40% of injuries were to critical areas (i.e. face, hands, feet, genitalia). Aerial fireworks were involved in 46% of these injuries, while sparklers and firecrackers were each involved in 28%.
Conclusion:
Fireworks pose a serious danger to children in every state, regardless of mandated state legislation pertaining to fireworks sales. Sparklers, which are legal in six of the seven states included in our review, were responsible for more than a quarter of the injuries treated. Moreover, preliminary data suggests that laws regarding firework sales are not being properly implemented. Fireworks are illegal in the state of MA; however, 40 of the patients referred to our facility due to firework-related injuries were injured in MA. Additionally, although firecrackers are illegal in all of the states in which these injuries occurred, they were involved in more than a quarter of the injuries reviewed. Over the past ten years, our pediatric burn center has treated numerous children injured due to fireworks. Our research demonstrates a need for clinicians and lawmakers to work together to help enact legislation limiting the sales and use of fireworks.