Pediatricians Say Children May Be Injured By Bunk Beds

Every year, an average of 35,790 children suffer non-fatal injuries related to bunk beds, according to an examination of 16 years of injury surveillance data. The study, “Bunk Bed-Related Injuries Among Children and Adolescents Treated in Emergency Departments in the United States, 1990-2005,” found a total of 572,580 children and adolescents 21 years and younger were treated in emergency rooms for bunk bed-related injuries.

Children younger than 6 suffered the majority of injuries, with significant injury rates also seen among college-aged students. Roughly 60 percent of the injuries occurred in males. Lacerations were the most common type of injury (29.6 percent) followed by contusions and abrasions (24 percent) and fractures (19.9 percent). Roughly 72 percent of the injuries were caused by falls. Over a quarter of the injuries were to the head and neck. In an estimated 2.9 percent of cases, the patient was hospitalized, transferred to another hospital or held for additional observation. The authors suggest increased efforts are needed to prevent bunk-bed injuries among children, adolescents and young adults.