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To describe washing machine related injuries in children in the United States.
Injury data for 496 washing machine related injuries documented by the Consumer Product Safety Commission's National Electronic Injury Surveillance System and death certificate data files were analyzed. Gender, age, diagnosis, body part injured, disposition, location and...
Context in source publication
Context 1
... body part injured differed between the two types of machines (table 2). Nearly all (96.7%) of the wringer related injuries occurred in the upper extremities, whereas the injuries from automatic washing machines occurred in a variety of body parts, with the head and face and the upper extremities being the most common. ...
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Citations
... Warner et al. analysed 496 washing machine-related injuries concluding that parental negligence was a major contributing factor; the authors advocated for better supervision of children when in areas where washing machines are in use as well as increased education of parents regarding household appliances. [14] To the best of our knowledge, this is the first reported case of a complex paediatric upper limb injury caused by a washing machine and highlights a unique fracture pattern. The case illustrates a preventable childhood injury with possible severe and devastating consequences. ...
Ipsilateral humerus and forearm fractures, or ‘floating elbow,’ are high-energy injuries, uncommon in children and usually due to falls or motor vehicle accidents. Early models of washing machines were associated with various reports of upper extremity injuries in children, mostly occurring when the child attempted to remove clothes from a spinning machine. Some of these accidents resulted in serious injuries, including amputation, but have become considerably less common with the introduction of improved safety features in modern appliances.
We describe the successful management of a child with multiple complex upper limb fractures caused by a modern washing machine.
... A washing machine is a convenient device used to clean laundry, which comprises a large part of housework. It is often not considered to be a dangerous appliance, but it can result in serious injuries or death [1,2]. The most frequently reported age at injury is between 1 and 2 years [1]. ...
... It is often not considered to be a dangerous appliance, but it can result in serious injuries or death [1,2]. The most frequently reported age at injury is between 1 and 2 years [1]. Children < 5 years and males are particularly at risk of sustaining injury, and infants are at a higher risk of drowning in bathtubs, toilets, or washing machines [1]. ...
... The most frequently reported age at injury is between 1 and 2 years [1]. Children < 5 years and males are particularly at risk of sustaining injury, and infants are at a higher risk of drowning in bathtubs, toilets, or washing machines [1]. Few cases of washing machine-related accidental death in children have been reported [1][2][3], with the cause of death being asphyxia due to hypoxia. ...
We reviewed data on washing machine–related deaths between 2008 and 2020 in South Korea to analyze the case characteristics, manners of death, and causes of death. Washing machine–related deaths are very rare, and only 23 incidents were identified over the study period. Of these cases, 19 (82.6%) were related to general pulsator-type top load washing machines; the other 4 (17.4%) were related to front-load washing machines. The pulsator-type top load washing machine–related deaths occurred in people aged between 40 and 93 years (mean age, 68 years), including 9 men (47.4%) and 10 women (52.6%). The manners of death among the incidents were suicide in 12 cases (63.2%), accident in 6 cases (31.6%), and unknown in 1 case (5.3%). A Medline search of the English literature currently does not yield results for washing machine–related suicidal deaths in adults. Of the 12 suicide cases, 4 were autopsied; suicidal death was determined by postmortem investigation or based on suicide notes. Washing machine–related suicidal deaths are presumed to have characteristics similar to those of bathtub suicidal deaths. The front-load washing machine–related deaths involved boys aged between 6 and 8 years, and all cases were concluded as accidents. The cause of death was hypoxia resulting from the children being accidentally trapped inside the washing machine while playing. Greater attention to vulnerable groups, especially children and older adults, is required to reduce the rate of washing machine–related accidental or suicidal deaths.
... Automatic washing machines have caused traumatic injuries since their production began in 1910 with the introduction of electric Wringer washing machines [1]. 12.8% of automatic washing machine injuries reported by the United States Consumer Product Safety Commission involved the placement of an upper or lower extremity into a running machine [2]. And, 51.9% involved one or more bone fractures [2]. ...
... 12.8% of automatic washing machine injuries reported by the United States Consumer Product Safety Commission involved the placement of an upper or lower extremity into a running machine [2]. And, 51.9% involved one or more bone fractures [2]. Herein, we present a case of an adult female suffering from a mangled upper extremity after placing her arm into a running washing machine. ...
Automatic washing machine injuries are more commonly associated with minor injuries in the pediatric population but may cause life and limb-threatening adult injuries in rare instances. This case describes a severe upper extremity injury after a schizophrenic patient placed her arm into a running machine. Herein, we describe the management, complex reconstruction, and repair of radial, ulnar, and metacarpal fractures in addition to transected tendons and vasculature. The patient had an excellent functional outcome with minor restrictions in motion and complete recovery of sensation.
... As the design of washing machine has changed in recent times, most of the reports are of injuries caused by wringer washing machines. There were 19109 injuries from 1993 to 2000 due to washing machines, according to the United States Consumer Product Safety Commission [1]. There is a wide variety in type and degree of injuries from these washing machines. ...
... Because washing machines typically may be in operation for 10-25 years, the decline in these wringer injuries only occurred between 1993 and 2000. 10 Wringer injuries are now quite rare. ...
This chapter deals with three unusual, yet potentially serious, injuries. Nail-gun injuries occur when pneumatic or combustion nailers fire a projectile (a nail) into the body. High-pressure injection injuries occur when an injector or sprayer delivers a liquid into the body, usually the fingers or hands. Wringer or roller injuries occur when a part of the body, usually the hand or arm, is crushed between rollers, leading to compressive-, frictional-, and shearing-type injuries. The authors describe the epidemiology, pathophysiology, diagnosis, and management of these types of injuries.
Washing machines are part of every household and there are various reports of upper extremity injuries due to inadequate safety precautions while operating the machine. Most of the injuries occur when an attempt is made to remove the clothes from the machine and the hand gets caught in the spinning machine. The presentation can vary from minor soft tissue injuries to a mangled upper extremity. The chance of neurovascular damage resulting in compartment syndrome is very high. The author reports three cases of washing machine injuries to draw attention to this not so uncommon injury. The relevant literature is also considered.
We are reporting four cases of serious washing machine related injury that presented within a period of 5 months. All patients were young children with the mean age of 9 year-old and three had their dominant hand injured. The washing machines involved were the automatic top loader type and all injuries occurred during the spinning phase. Serious automatic washing machine injury is not uncommon in Malaysia. We feel that there is a need to improve the safety features especially during the spinning phase. The operating instructions and safety precautions on the washing machine should be displayed in different languages that can be understood well. Parents should also aware of the potential risks of this seemingly benign household appliance.
Fourteen children (median age 43 months, range 14-82 months; 7 girls and 7 boys) were treated for mangle injuries (one hot steam, and 13 cold roller presses) to the hand and forearm between 1996-2002 at the Department of Hand Surgery, Malmö, Sweden. All children had unilateral skin damage with avulsion or necrosis of skin in nine. Seven of the 14 had signs of compartment and carpal tunnel syndromes and three had fractures (phalanges or hamate bone). Initial treatment included fasciotomy, decompression, and skin revision with split skin grafts and later further skin cover, including one pedicled ulnar flap. IN eight the injuries healed uneventfully, while six had slight consequences (such as minor extension deficit of fingers or slight contracture of the scar). Ten of the 14 children came from immigrant families. Mangle injuries can be prevented through better supervision of children by parents when the mangle is being used, and dissemination of information of the potential hazards in relevant languages in residential areas with large immigrant populations.
