Pediatric shopping cart injuries as determined by an EMS surveillance system

Background/Purpose: In the U.S., an estimated 24,000 children under the age of 15 are treated in emergency departments annually for shopping cart-related injuries. Despite voluntary safety standards, public education and retailer’s efforts studies show that the number and rate of pediatric shopping cart-related injuries has not decreased. With this in mind, investigators sought to evaluate the incidence and outcomes of such injuries for children who were responded to by paramedics in a large metropolitan area. Methods: Using a real-time electronic data collection system, 3 years of local prehospital records were queried for shopping cart-related injuries in children ages 0 – 14 then compared to national data. Analysis includes demographics, injury characteristics, acuity, and outcome. Results: Overall from 2011-2013, there was a 61% increase in the number of shopping cart-related injuries. In line with national data, falls from shopping carts accounted for the majority of injuries (72%), and injuries to the head were the most common (67%). Patients were most likely to be in the 0-3 year old age group (78%), followed by the 4-7 year old age group (17%). Most shopping cart-related injuries were characterized by blunt trauma (87%) and resulted in transport to an emergency department (67%). Conclusions: Over the years pediatric shopping cart injures have not decreased at the same rate as child motor vehicle crash injuries. The success of car seats was due to a combination of public education, engineering advances, and legislative efforts. Perhaps such efforts should be applied reducing shopping cart injuries.