Researchers: Window Blind Cords as Dangerous to Young Children as Bodies of Water

By Amy Orciari Herman

Edited by Susan Sadoughi, MD, and André Sofair, MD, MPH

Strangulation by window blind cords accounts for an estimated 10 deaths per year among young U.S. children, a Pediatrics study finds.

Using two national databases, researchers estimated that nearly 17,000 injuries related to window blinds or shades occurred in children under 6 years old treated in emergency departments between 1990 and 2015. Among the findings:

• Most injuries occurred at home, usually involving horizontal blinds.

• About half of cases involved being struck by blinds.

• Some 12% of injuries involved entanglement, usually by blind cords. Of these, 13% resulted in death. Of 271 deaths overall, 94% were due to entanglement.

• The majority of entanglements took place while parents were home, although nearly all were unwitnessed. Most occurred when the child had last been sleeping (or placed to sleep), playing, or watching TV. Entanglements often occurred within minutes of leaving the child unsupervised.

The researchers write, "Accessible window blind cords should be considered as hazardous to young children as standing bodies of water."