Television tip-over head injuries in children

Abstract

Head injuries caused by television (TV) sets falling on small children are becoming frequent in India with increasing sales of TV sets. This report describes television tip-over injuries in eight children aged 14 months to 6 years. Symptoms and findings were varied, from only swelling of the eyes to coma. Head computerized tomography scan findings were also diverse and included fractures (most common), intracranial hematomas and infarcts. Six of the eight children were successfully managed conservatively, one patient died on the third postoperative day, and one patient refused admission. The anatomical proportions and biomechanics of spine and body of small children make them more vulnerable to these crushing types of head injuries. As there is significant morbidity and mortality associated with these injuries, there is a need for increased awareness about these injuries among health personnel, general public, teachers, government officials and TV-manufacturing companies.