Escalator Injuries in the Pediatric Population

Abstract

Introduction

There has been an increase in the number of children with escalator-related foot injuries. Lim et al. (2010) reviewed the charts of 17 children who sustained escalator foot injuries within a 2-year time span, 13 of them were wearing rubber clogs. Nine of these 13 children sustained severe foot injuries, and one child had an unsalvageable traumatic amputation. The injuries included a traumatic amputation of the great toe and others with fractures, lacerations, and cuts. This abstract and poster is a case study of an escalator injury.

Methods:

This is a case study of a 7-year-old, Spanish-speaking boy who sustained a right foot traumatic amputation after getting it caught in a moving escalator. He presented to a Level I pediatric trauma center in an urban setting where he was brought emergently to the operating room and admitted under the trauma service. This case study reviews the hospital course including surgical procedures, postoperative care, complications, and outcomes.

Result

Escalator-related traumatic amputations result in severe tissue-mangling injuries that require multiple trips to the operating room and interdisciplinary collaboration. Educating parents and caregivers on escalator safety can help prevent injures and hospitalizations.

Conclusion

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission has published a general interest in safety brochure on escalator injuries; however, it has not reconsidered mandatory standards (accessed on November 11, 2016). By enforcing safety behaviors within the community, there is a potential decrease in the incidence of injuries and, subsequently, hospitalizations.