Epidemiological Investigation of Facial Soft Tissue Injury in Chinese Preschool Children

Objective The aim of this study was to analyze the epidemiological characteristics of pediatric facial soft tissue injuries of Chinese preschool-aged children in Hangzhou Plastic Surgery Hospital. Methods Medical records of preschool-aged children's facial injuries, 6 years and younger, from January 2017 to December 2019 were collected. Sex; age; time of injury; length of stay; causes of injury; location, type, length, and depth of wound; anesthesia methods; and treatment and evaluation of postoperative scars were analyzed. Results There were 10,862 cases (male, 6780 cases; female, 4082 cases) in the group. The ratio of male to female was 1.66:1. Mean age was 3.4 (±1.6) years; the youngest was 1 month old. The time of injury occurred frequently between 9:00 and 13:00 and 16:00 to 21:00, with the most common incident time being between 19:00 and 20:00. Collision injury was the main cause of injury (9822 [90.43%]). The most frequently injured area was the forehead (4874 [44.87%]). The main form of injury was laceration wound (9721 [89.45%]). The depth of injuries was mainly middle layer (adipose or muscular layer) (6299 [57.99%]). The length of injuries was 1.7 (±0.9) cm, ranging from 0.2 to 10.5 cm. Furthermore, 9110 cases were repaired by plastic surgeries and 1 or more antiscar measures. After 6-month to 2-year follow-up, 9 cases of animal scratch or bite, lip penetrating wound, or bumping teeth were infected and 26 cases had scar hyperplasia. The others achieved satisfactory results, and the scars were not obvious. Conclusion Preschool-aged children's facial injuries have predictable patterns of occurrence, and targeted preventive measures can reduce the incidence rates. After facial injury, children should present for timely plastic surgery treatment and accept combined antiscarring measures to minimize postoperative scarring.