Epidemiology of Nursemaid’s Elbow

Abstract

Introduction: To provide an epidemiological description of radial head subluxation, also known as nursemaid’s elbow, from a database of emergency department visits. Methods: We conducted a retrospective medical record review of patients 6 years of age and younger, who presented to the ED between January 1, 2005, and December 31, 2012, and were diagnosed with nursemaid’s elbow. Inclusion criteria consisted of chart information, including date, unique account number, medical record number, weight, age, sex, and arm affected. Exclusion criteria included any charts with missing or incomplete data. Results: There were 1,228 charts that met inclusion criteria. The majority of patients were female (60%). The mean age was 28.6 months (612.6). The left arm was affected 60% of the time. Most of the included patients were over the 75th percentile for weight and more than one quarter were over the 95th percentile in each gender. Conclusion: The average age of children presenting with nursemaid’s elbow was 28.6 months. Females were affected more than males, and the left arm was predominately affected. Most patients were above the 75th percentile for weight and more than one quarter were over the 95th percentile for weight. [West J Emerg Med. 2014;15(4):554–557.]