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Penetrating abdominal injuries in children in Nigeria
1Department of Surgery, Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital, Zaria, Nigeria. ameh@abu.edu.ng
Insights
Penetrating abdominal injuries in children are often caused by household falls onto sharp objects. Most injuries involved organ evisceration, with sepsis, tetanus, and hemorrhage leading to three deaths.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Surgery
- Trauma Surgery
- Abdominal Trauma
Background:
- Penetrating abdominal injuries (PAIs) in children are less common than in adults.
- Understanding the epidemiology and outcomes of pediatric PAIs is crucial for effective management.
Purpose of the Study:
- To report the management and outcomes of 24 children with penetrating abdominal injuries.
- To analyze the causes, injury patterns, and mortality associated with pediatric abdominal trauma.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective study of 24 pediatric patients treated for penetrating abdominal injuries over a 10-year period.
- Review of medical records to identify injury mechanisms, clinical presentation, surgical interventions, and outcomes.
Main Results:
- PAIs constituted 34% of all pediatric abdominal injuries during the study period.
- Common causes included falls onto sharp objects (10 cases), animal horns (7 cases), and sporting injuries (4 cases).
- 67% of patients experienced organ evisceration; one developed jejuno-jejunal intussusception. Seven had hollow viscus injuries. Three deaths occurred due to sepsis, tetanus, and hemorrhage.
Conclusions:
- Household falls are a significant cause of PAIs in children.
- Prompt surgical management is essential for pediatric abdominal trauma, with a notable risk of evisceration and associated complications.
- Mortality is associated with severe complications like sepsis, tetanus, and hemorrhage.
Abstract:
This is a report of a retrospective study of 24 children managed for penetrating abdominal injury over 10 years, and it represents 34% of all abdominal injuries in children in that period. Falls onto sharp objects within and around the home were responsible for ten of the injuries, seven were injured by animal horns and four were sporting injuries. Violence and road traffic accidents were uncommon. Most patients (67%) had evisceration of omentum or intestine, and one of these was found at laparotomy to have a jejuno-jejunal intussusception. Seven children had injury to hollow viscera. There were three deaths, one each from overwhelming sepsis, tetanus and haemorrhage.