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R W Sattin

Publications and source records attributed to R W Sattin.

33 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1989

Dog bite-related fatalities from 1979 through 1988.

By combining data from the National Center for Health Statistics and computerized searching of news stories, we identified 157 dog bite-related fatalities that occurred in the United States from 1979 through 1988. Of the 157 deaths, 70% occurred among children who were less than 10 years of age. The death rate for neonates was almost 370 times that of adults who were 30 to 49 years of age. Pit bull breeds were involved in 42 (41.6%) of 101 deaths where dog breed was reported, almost three times more than German shepherds, the next most commonly reported breed. The proportion of deaths attributable to pit bulls increased from 20% in 1979 and 1980 to 62% in 1987 and 1988. Pit bull attacks were almost twice as likely to be caused by strays as attacks by other breeds. Extrapolated estimates suggest 183 to 204 dog bite-related fatalities from 1979 through 1988. To prevent such deaths, we recommend stronger animal control laws, public education regarding dog bites, and more responsible dog ownership. Parents and physicians should be aware that infants left alone with a dog may be at risk of death.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1989

Deaths from residential fires among older people, United States, 1984.

Deaths from fires are the fifth leading cause of injury death among people aged 65 years or older. To describe the epidemiology of deaths from residential fires among older people, we analyzed mortality data for 1984 collected by the National Center for Health Statistics. Although older people represented only 12% of the U.S. population in 1984, they accounted for 29% (1,278) of that year's 4,466 residential fire deaths. Conflagrations accounted for 78% of older people's deaths from residential fires; clothing ignitions and other fires accounted for 11% each. Residential fire death rates increased with advancing age. Older black people had death rates 4.6 times the death rates of older white people. Older males had higher death rates than older females. Host, environmental, and behavioral risk factors for residential fire deaths among older people and potential strategies for intervention are discussed. Unless intervention strategies are focused on older people, the residential fire death toll in the U.S. may actually grow as the population of older people increases from 12% of the population in 1984 to about 21% of the population in 2030.

Accidents, Home↗
PubMed1989

Fatal farm injuries among young children.

Death certificate data concerning farm-related injury deaths among children 0 to 9 years of age in Wisconsin and Illinois for the period of 1979 to 1985 were reviewed. Average annual farm-related injury death rates were 3.2 per 100,000 rural children in Wisconsin (62 deaths) and 1.5 per 100,000 in Illinois (32 deaths). Rates were three times higher among boys than girls. The occurrence of two harvest-related peaks and the absence of fatality in children less than 1 year of age suggest that presence of children on the farm when supervision is diminished is a key factor in farm-related fatalities. Moving machinery (tractors, wagons, and trucks) was the source of injury in approximately 55% of all deaths. Drowning accounted for 15% of all farm-related deaths. Two fatalities related to gravity box wagons could have easily been prevented with simple safety devices. These findings suggest a need for developing environmental interventions in farms. This will require the allocation of more resources to farm safety programs and a revision of current farm safety legislation.

Accidents↗
PubMed1988

Fall injuries among the elderly. Community-based surveillance.

Falls are a leading cause of fatal and nonfatal injuries among the elderly in the United States. Despite the importance of fall injuries, epidemiological studies of falls among the elderly have identified neither their causes nor the methods to prevent them. Therefore, we established a community-based surveillance system in Miami Beach, Florida, as part of a study to assess falls among the elderly. A total of 1,827 fall injury events occurred in this community between July 1985 and June 1986. More than 85% (1,567) of the persons who fell and received care were seen in an emergency room. The remaining cases were identified from one of the three other sources used: fire rescue reports, inpatient medical records, or medical examiner reports. Most falls (97%) were coded as accidental (E880-E888). More than 100 people sought medical assistance for a fall each month. The time of the injury was known for 68% (1,244) of the people who fell. Seventy-four percent of these falls (921) occurred during daylight hours. Fifty-four percent of the falls (986) occurred in and around the home, and 38% of these had a particular area of the home recorded: 42% occurred in the bedroom, 34% in the bathroom, 9% in the kitchen, 5% on the stairs, 4% in the living room, and the remaining 6% in other areas. This surveillance system will help us use the study to clarify the causes of falls in the elderly and identify and evaluate appropriate prevention efforts. It will also help others in designing and implementing other injury surveillance systems.

Accidental Falls↗
PubMed1987

Injuries as an adverse reaction to clinically used laser devices.

Since the first use of lasers in ophthalmology in the early 1960s, applications for the medical laser have been found in many medical specialties. Despite their increasing usefulness, lasers have been reported to induce injuries. Few studies have tried to quantify the number of injuries caused by the clinical use of lasers. To address this issue, we surveyed physicians at the 5th Annual Meeting of the American Society for Laser Medicine and Surgery, May 1985. Forty-two of the 226 physicians attending the meeting responded to the questionnaire about their experience with lasers in their practice. An average of 25 laser procedures per month were performed by the responding physicians, and 61.9% of them reported at least one complication. Of the complications reported in the survey, 33 occurred within the last 12 months for an overall rate of 2.7 incidents per 1,000 procedures performed. The most common complications reported were burns and scarring; however, bowel perforation and pneumothorax were among the more serious. The mean number of reported complications varied by the length and type of training in the use of the laser, with the lowest number of complications reported by respondents who had taken a training course lasting longer than 7 days within the last year. Our findings show that both minor and life-threatening injury can be caused by the clinical use of medical lasers. Evaluation of the adverse effects of any medical technology, such as lasers, is needed to help guide recommendations for its safe use.

Humans↗
PubMed1985

Family history and the risk of breast cancer.

To investigate whether a family history of breast cancer increases a woman's risk of developing breast cancer, we analyzed data from the Centers for Disease Control's Cancer and Steroid Hormone Study. The 4,735 cases were women 20 to 54 years old with a first diagnosis of breast cancer ascertained from eight population-based cancer registries; the 4,688 controls were women selected at random from the general population of these eight areas. Compared with women without a family history of breast cancer, women who had an affected first-degree relative had a relative risk of 2.3; women with an affected second-degree relative had a relative risk of 1.5; and women with both an affected mother and sister had a relative risk of 14. The risk of breast cancer for a woman was higher if her first-degree relative had unilateral rather than bilateral breast cancer or had breast cancer detected at a younger rather than older age. For women aged 20 to 39, 40 to 44, and 45 to 54 years, the estimated annual incidence of breast cancer per 100,000 women attributable to a first-degree family history of breast cancer was 51.9, 115.1, and 138.6, respectively, and that attributable to a second-degree family history of breast cancer was 12.1, 19.2, and 92.4, respectively.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Incidence of hip fractures, United States, 1970-83.

Hip fractures are a major cause of morbidity and mortality in the United States. Twenty to 40% of persons who fracture their hips die within 6 months of the injury, and many survivors need long-term care. To assess the public health impact of hip fractures in the United States, we analyzed sample-based data from the National Hospital Discharge Survey, National Center for Health Statistics, for the United States for the period 1970-83. For these years, an estimated annual average of 197,000 persons 45 years of age or older was hospitalized for hip fractures. The age-, race-, and sex-adjusted hospitalization rates for hip fractures rose from 28.9 per 10,000 persons in 1970 to 30.9 per 10,000 in 1983 (P less than .01). Hospitalization rates rose exponentially by successive 10-year age groups, with persons 85 years of age or older having the highest rate (251.4 per 10,000). For each age group, women had hospitalization rates twice those of men, and whites had hospitalization rates twice those of other races. Never-married and divorced persons had higher hospitalization rates than currently married persons. The percentage of mortality before discharge from hospital fell from 11% in 1970 to 6% in 1983, with most of the decrease occurring among persons 75 years of age or older. The age-adjusted mean length of hospital stay declined 24%, from 23.9 days in 1970 to 18.2 days in 1983.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Aged↗
PubMedDate not supplied

The epidemiology of injuries in Atlanta day-care centers.

From June 1987 through May 1988, we collected reports of injuries among 5300 children who attended 71 day-care centers in Atlanta, Ga. One hundred forty-three injuries severe enough for the child to require medical or dental care were reported, including 63 lacerations (44.1%), 23 fractures (16.1%), 5 crush injuries (3.5%), 4 dislocations (2.8%), 2 human bites (1.4%), and 2 concussions (1.4%). The head was the site of 98 (68.5%) injuries. Peak hours for injuries were 11 AM and 4 PM, the peak day was Monday, and the peak season was summer. After adjustment for hours and dates of attendance, the rate was 1.77 injuries per 100,000 child-hours in day care; among preschool-aged children, infants had the lowest rate (0.77) and 2-year-old children had the highest rate (2.26). Almost 47% of injuries occurred on the playground; falls were involved in 70% of such injuries. Because 33% of all injuries resulted from falls on the playground, impact-absorbing playground surfaces may be a possible intervention to reduce injuries.

Accidental Falls↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Epidemiology of childhood poisonings leading to hospitalization in the United States, 1979-1983.

Since 1979 unintentional childhood poisonings have accounted for about 75 deaths annually in the United States, and for each death thousands of ingestions are reported to poison control centers. Little is known about childhood ingestions that lead to hospitalization. To address this issue, we analyzed National Hospital Discharge Survey data from the National Center for Health Statistics for 1979-1983. For these years, an estimated 108,280 children from birth to 9 years of age were hospitalized because of unintentional poisonings. Overall, the annual rate for hospitalization because of childhood poisoning was 65.1 per 100,000 children aged 0-9 years. Hospitalization rates for poisoning were highest for children aged 1 and 2 years (216.2 and 184.3 per 100,000, respectively) and lowest for those aged 5-9 years (11.3 per 100,000). Rates for children less than 1 year old and for those 3-4 years old were moderate. Children of other races had higher hospitalization rates for poisoning than did white children (124.2 per 100,000 compared with 51.9 per 100,000). White male patients were hospitalized more frequently than white female patients, but this sex difference did not occur in children of other races. Rates were consistently highest for children in the Northeast and South and lowest for children in the West. From 1979 to 1983, the length of a hospital stay for childhood poisoning declined by 26 percent. Our results provide new information on childhood poisonings requiring hospitalization.

Age Factors↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Epidemic of gynecomastia among illegal Haitian entrants.

Gynecomastia may occur as a normal physiologic development at certain ages or as a result of a variety of pathological conditions. An outbreak of gynecomastia was investigated at two processing centers of the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) between December 2, 1981, and May 14, 1982. At the Fort Allen Service Processing Center, Puerto Rico, gynecomastia was initially detected in 77 of 540 Haitian male entrants (14 percent) and in only 6 of 186 male employees of the center (3 percent) who were 18-50 years old; the difference in prevalence was statistically significant. At the Krome North Service Processing Center in Miami, Fla., gynecomastia was initially detected in 52 of 512 Haitian males 18-50 years old (10 percent). Two case-control studies did not demonstrate an association between gynecomastia and a number of factors that might have been related to an exogenous estrogen or to a substance with an estrogenic effect. Estrogen or estrogen-like substances were not found in food, water, or environmental samples. When the populations were rescreened several months later, 76 of the persons with gynecomastia detected in the first screening had had total or partial remission. Persons with remission had arrived earlier--a mean of 21.6 days for those at Fort Allen and 36.7 for those at Krome--than did those with newly detected gynecomastia and those with continuing cases. The difference in arrival dates was significant (P less than .005 for Fort Allen and P less than .001 for Krome). These results, in view of nutritional deprivation in Haiti, suggest that these cases may have been an outbreak of refeeding gynecomastia.

Adult↗