The COVID-19 pandemic and stay-at-home regulations have increased child home injuries. This study illustrates the type and frequency of child home injuries in Greece during the COVID-19 lockdown. Moreover, the survey reports the results on parents’ proposals regarding child injuries at home during the COVID-19 quarantine. A community-based, cross-sectional, descriptive study was conducted from November to December 2021 in Greece. Parents were asked to voluntarily complete an anonymous questionnaire, designed for the needs of the research. A statistical analysis of the data was performed using the Kolmogorov–Smirnov and Shapiro–Wilk tests for a normal distribution, a chi-squared (χ²) test to compare percentages among different groups and a non-parametric Mann–Whitney U test to determine the differences in Likert scale variables between two groups. A total of 130 parents with at least one child were questioned through an online questionnaire survey. Of the parents, 39.3%, stated that the number of accidents in their home increased. The most frequent accidents were injuries (49.3%). Most of the accidents occurred inside the house (75.8%) and were observed among children aged 0–4 years. A high percentage of children’s accidents was observed in rural/island areas or in the suburbs. Children who were with either their father or mother had one accident, and a higher number of accidents occurred when the children were with their grandparents, with the nanny or alone. For those parents who had difficulty supervising their child, child accidents increased compared to parents who had the ability to supervise. It was noticed that parents who knew how to provide a safe home stated that the number of accidents remained the same. Parents must organize a safer home. Authorities should educate parents on child injury prevention and provide them with financial facilities to provide a safer house.

Background: Hyponatremia has been identified as a marker of disease severity in various inflammatory conditions. However, its role in predicting acute complicated appendicitis (ACA) in children remains under investigation. This study evaluated the association between preoperative hyponatremia and ACA in a pediatric population. Methods: A retrospective study was conducted on pediatric patients treated for acute appendicitis in two major pediatric centers in Greece. Patients were categorized into groups based on the presence of acute uncomplicated appendicitis (AUA) and acute complicated appendicitis (ACA). Preoperative laboratory parameters were analyzed to identify potential predictors of ACA. Results: This study included 491 pediatric patients, with a mean age of 10 years. ACA patients exhibited significantly lower Na levels compared to those with AUA (136 vs. 138 mmol/L, p < 0.001). Hyponatremia (<135 mmol/L) was present in 38.4% of ACA cases compared to 2.2% of AUA cases (p < 0.001), and was associated with a significantly increased risk of ACA (OR = 18.30, p < 0.001). A sodium threshold of 135 mmol/L also demonstrated a sensitivity of 48% and a specificity of 92.1% Conclusions: Hyponatremia is a strong and specific predictor of ACA in children. When combined with other inflammatory markers, it may enhance early risk stratification, aiding in timely surgical decision making.

(1) Background: Children are susceptible to home injuries. How prepared parents were to protect their children from accidents before and during the COVID-19 quarantine is uncertain. (2) Methods: We conducted a community-based, cross-sectional study in Greece between November and December 2021. We asked parents to complete an anonymous questionnaire voluntarily. Questions focused on accident-preventive measures taken at home during the COVID-19 quarantine. (3) Results: A greater proportion of parents took protective measures for a safer home before the lockdown than during the quarantine, while an interesting percentage of parents never utilized preventive measures for their children. Slightly more than half (58.6%) of parents did not seem to worry about a possible increase in domestic accidents during the quarantine. It was observed that those who had one or two children took more protective measures than those with more than two children. Older parents seemed to explain to their children how to access emergency services more often. Mothers stayed at home with the children more often, and their education affected the presence of some of the assessed measures. In our logistic regression modeling, parental concern about accidents was more related to the incidence of an accident during the pandemic and attendance at seminars. (4) Conclusions: Although the COVID-19 lockdowns disorganized family life, parents were aware of the importance of their parenting role in creating a safe environment for children, but according to the study, there is room for improvement.