21 per cent kids suffer from television set falling on them: Research

Hyderabad: Fifty-four per cent of  children suffer from severe and fatal injuries after falling from a height, 25 per cent due to road accidents and 21 per cent from television sets falling on them, according to an evaluation carried out by pediatricians in the city. The research is based on injuries reported to hospitals in the last 18 months and these were found to be the highest. Nine per cent of these injuries are fatal and chances of survival are dim. Eight per cent cases arrive  on time to the hospital and hence recovery of these patients is faster and treatment outcomes are good. Pediatric neurologists Dr Ramesh Konanki expla-ined, “Falling from the balcony, railings and higher floors are the maximum cases where the injuries are fatal. Those who come to the hospital are able to get appropriate care and survive. Often the head has slight injuries and the major brunt is borne by the shoulder or legs. But there are also fatal cases where the possibility of survival is dim.”

The maximum fatal cases are in children of one to four years of age and these are mostly reported from the city and periphery. There were a total of 135 children whose cases were investigated and the average age taken was one to five years. The other area where they found cases was television sets falling from the trolley on the children. The trolleys which are used for placing TV sets are easily moved by toddlers who were crawling or playing around and these were found to fall on them. Often the injuries are bruises, shoulder dislocation and in extreme severe and fatal cases it leads to traumatic brain injury too.

Often these children come to the hosptials with heavy seizures, walking difficulty, difficulty in co-ordinating and also internal bleeding. They required effective management, as proper treatment helps them to recover well. Hence doctors urge that parents and relatives not waste time and take them to a specialist centre for managing the injuries effectively.