On choking and ingestion hazards for children in the United States

TL;DR

This paper reevaluates the risks of choking and ingestion hazards for children in the U.S., emphasizing the need to distinguish between different causes of injury and to base assessments on accurate statistical data.

Contribution

It clarifies the classification of injury causes, separates SUIDS from other suffocation risks, and advocates for more precise statistical analysis of child injury data.

Findings

SUIDS should be analyzed separately from other suffocation injuries

Injury risks due to aspiration and ingestion have been overestimated

Statistical data require factual scrutiny for accurate risk assessment

Abstract

The risks of Unintentional Suffocation injuries in the U.S. must be reconsidered in view of the existent mortality and morbidity statistics. In particular, fatal injuries due to the Sudden Unexpected Infant Death Syndrome [SUIDS] should be treated on their own and separated from this group. Because of a non-appropriate nomenclature, the risks of injuries due to Aspiration and/or Ingestion of Foreign Bodies have been overestimated in the recent decades, and should be reconsidered by a factual scrutiny of the statistical data.