The peak years for appendicitis are between 6 and 20. Lacerations that require more than five minutes of pressure to stop bleeding, are more than about a half of an inch deep or long will probably require suturing. If a child has not received three DPT shots, additional protection against tetanus may be warranted. Lacerations that are more than 8 hours old cannot be sutured so emergency attention should be obtained promptly. Bites and puncture wounds can be particularly prone to infection.
Human bites are more prone to infection than dog bites.
All burns involving the face, hands or genitalia should be seen by a doctor. The single most common cause of reported childhood injury is falls. The potential for injury in a fall is related to the height of the fall, the surface the person landed on, and the body part that was landed on. Any fall that results in a change in the alertness of a child or falls from ten feet or more require emergency evaluation.