Injuries Associated With Glass Tables Common in U.S.

MONDAY, Sept. 21, 2020 (HealthDay News) — Injuries associated with glass tables are common, and more than half are attributed to faulty tables, according to a study recently published in the American Journal of Surgery.

Usha Trivedi, from Rutgers New Jersey Medical School in Newark, and colleagues described the burden and characteristics of injuries associated with glass tables breaking using the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (NEISS) database from 2009 to 2015 and using data from a level 1 trauma center.

The researchers found that of the 3,241 cases in the NEISS, faulty tables accounted for 56 percent of injuries. Overall, 15 percent of the injuries were severe. There was a bimodal age distribution of age under 7 years and early 20s. The upper extremities and forehead were commonly injured areas. Of the 24 trauma center cases that were reviewed, 21 percent presented with hemodynamic instability. Major organ, body cavity, or joint space injuries occurred in 34 percent, and 58 percent required surgical intervention. The rate of 30-day mortality was 8 percent. Inpatient care was required by 54 percent of the cases.

“It is imperative to push for stricter regulation as consumers of glass tables should not be incurring life-threatening trauma injuries due to neglect of manufacturers in not using tempered glass,” a coauthor said in a statement.

Abstract/Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)