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How dangerous could that laptop, desktop, or Mac sitting in front of you be?
The first report to count computer-related emergency room injuries shows that each year more and more Americans are tripping over cords, dropping monitors, banging heads and snagging limbs.
Emergency room visits from computer injuries increased sevenfold between 1994 and 2006, according to a report published June 9 in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.
The first report to count computer-related emergency room injuries shows that each year more and more Americans are tripping over cords, dropping monitors, banging heads and snagging limbs.
Worse, the number of injuries outpaced the number of new computers in the home. While injuries jumped 732 percent, household computer ownership increased by just 309 percent.
"The numbers look overwhelming but think about how in 2006 we had 115 million emergency room visits in the U.S., then visits from computers was 0.008 percent," said Dr. Charlene Irvin, of the American College of Emergency Physicians.
Since this study was limited to only 100 hospitals, counting computers injuries from all hospitals would likely bump up that percentage. But Irvin doubts computer woes would ever make the top 10 list.
While more common causes of emergency room visits such as gunshots and motor vehicle accidental injuries of course got more media attention, she was pleased to see information from external cause of injury codes （e-codes） used to document why people came into the emergency room. Irvin said only 17 states voluntarily submit e-codes.
Indeed, the report highlighted details that are hard to come by in many emergency room statistics. For instance, computer equipment falling on a person caused more E.R. visits [21.1 percent] than did tripping or falling on the computer, [18.2 percent of visits]. Also, males were more 7 percent more likely to injure themselves on the computer than females.
The data also showed head injuries increased until 2003, and then went on a decline. The authors guessed that the move to thinner LCD screens from the heavy, boxy cathode ray tube monitors had a safety benefit.
"If a person comes into the ER and says 'I dropped a computer monitor on my foot,' they're not saying 'I dropped my LCD monitor on my foot' or 'I dropped my cathode ray tube computer monitor on my foot,'" McKenzie explained.
Perhaps the most concerning revelation from the report was the ever-increasing number of children injured by computers. McKenzie said each year children made up a greater proportion of the already growing numbers of people heading to the emergency room with computer accidents.
"Young children under 5 had the highest overall injury rate, and they had the greatest injury rate increase over any group," said McKenzie. "There are a lot of young children, really young children, using computers these days."
Doctors' safety advice for computers matter follows basic home safety rules: keep heavy objects like computers away from edges and on secured, stable furniture, keep cords secured and out of reach, and keep an eye on the child.
"Computers are not play toys. They are made up of heavy （crushing!）, often moveable （catching!） parts, all of which are strung together with wires and cords （strangulation risk!） and then plugged into an electrical source （electrocution risk!）," Dr. Lara Zibners, author of "If Your Kid Eats This Book, Everything Will Still Be Okay," wrote in an e-mail to abcnews.com.
放在你跟前的手提电脑、台式电脑或者苹果公司的微机有多危险呢？
第一个将电脑和急诊室联系起来的研究报告表明，每年越来越多的美国人被电脑线绊倒、被掉下来的显示器砸到头和四肢。
在美国的一个杂志《预防医学》上6月9号发表的一篇文章谈到，从1994年到2006年，由于电脑而受伤进急诊室的人数增加了7倍。
更糟糕的是，受伤的人数超过家庭拥有电脑的数目。受伤人数增长了732%,而电脑占有数只增加了309%.
"以上数据也许看起来很多，但是想想在2006年我们一共有150万人进了急诊室，那么由于电脑而受伤进急诊室的人数就只占0.008%."美国急诊室内科学院的博士Charlene Irvin说。
由于这项研究只在100所医院中进行，如果将所有的医院都算进来，也许由于电脑受伤进急诊室的百分比会显着增加。但是 Irvin 对于电脑这项隐患能进前十名十分怀疑。
相比更加普遍的进急诊室的原因，比如枪击和车祸，更能吸引媒体的注意，但是她很高兴看到有关于其它的人们为什么进急诊室的原因编码，形成文件。 Irvin 说只有17个州自动提交了编码。
这份报告甚至对一些在急诊室很难收集的数据也有很细节的描述。比如，由于计算机砸到人身上引起的急诊室就诊事件（21.1%）多于被电脑绊倒或摔到电脑上的事件（18.2%）.男人由于电脑受伤人数比女人因电脑受伤的人数多7%.
数据还显示头部受伤事件在2003年及以前是增长的，之后开始下降。作者猜测由笨重的阴极管显示器变为薄的液晶显示屏，更加安全了。
McKenzie解释说："当一个在急诊室就诊的病人说'我把电脑的显示器砸到脚上了',那个人是在说'我把阴极管电脑显示器砸到脚上了',而不是说'我把液晶显示屏砸到脚上了'."
也许，在这篇报告中最受关注的是孩子们由于电脑受伤的人数不断增加。McKenzie说每年儿童由于电脑受伤的人数在逐年增加的因电脑受伤的人数中占了很大比例。
McKenzie说："5岁以下的儿童在受伤率上最高，他们相比其他人群更容易受伤。现在有很多小孩，十分小的小孩，在使用电脑。"
关于电脑事件的医生安全建议遵循以下基本的家庭安全规范：不要将笨重的物品比如电脑放在边缘处，而是放置在安全的、稳定的家具上，电脑线要保证安全，不要放在手边，时刻注意孩子们。
"电脑不是玩具娃娃。它们是由重物组成的（危险�。�,通常是可移动的（可拿到）部分，这些部分是由各种线连接的（绊倒危险�。�,这些电线接通电源（触电危险�。�."《如果你的小孩吃这本书，那么一切仍将美好》的作者--Lara Zibners博士在一封给 abcnews.com的邮件中写到。
