Researchers at the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) have revealed that medical devices have forced tens of thousands of kids and teens to visit the ER every year. The study is published online in the journal Pediatrics. The researchers FDA’s Center for Devices and Radiological Health assessed the medical records from ER visits registered in a national injury surveillance system. Data from nearly 100 nationally representative hospital showed that 144,799 medical device-related complications took place during the period of 2004 and 2005. That amounts to 70,000 injuries per year, the researchers highlighted.
The study, however, did not cover device problems in children who had been already admitted in the hospitals. It was the first such study to assess device-related injuries in children only. Contact lenses were at the top in the list of devices that led to such injuries. As many as 34,000 problems were registered during the two-year period detailed by the study. Injuries ranged from eye infections to eye abrasions.
Devices such as brain shunts, chest catheters, and insulin pumps were also in the list. Problems like wounds from hypodermic needles breaking off in the skin; infections in young children with ear tubes; and skin tears from pelvic devices used during gynecological exams in teen girls were mentioned. The researchers blamed malfunction and misuse as the main factors. They also pointed out that various devices that were prescribed for adults were used in children. The researchers added that they were now looking to how and why the injuries occurred and also are assessing the prevalence in adults. The FDA may also issue device warnings depending on their findings.
