Related Experiment Videos
Why do children vomit after minor head injury?
F D Brown1, J Brown, T F Beattie
1Accident and Emergency Department, The Royal Hospital for Sick Children, Edinburgh. fibrown@telstra.easymail.com.au
Insights
Vomiting after minor head injury in children is linked to personal history, not injury specifics. This suggests intrinsic factors influence vomiting, requiring further study for management decisions.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Emergency Medicine
- Neurology
- Clinical Research
Background:
- Minor head injuries are common in children.
- Vomiting is a frequent symptom, but its significance in minor head injury management is debated.
- Identifying predictive factors for vomiting is crucial for clinical decision-making.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate factors associated with vomiting post-minor head injury in pediatric patients.
- To clarify the role of vomiting in guiding management strategies for pediatric head injuries.
Main Methods:
- Prospective study of pediatric patients with minor head injury.
- Data collection included demographics, injury characteristics, and personal/family medical history (migraine, recurrent vomiting, motion sickness).
- Statistical analysis (chi-squared and Fisher's exact tests) used to correlate vomiting with identified factors.
Main Results:
- 15.8% of 463 pediatric patients with minor head injury experienced vomiting.
- Vomiting was significantly associated with a personal history of recurrent vomiting (p=0.0035) and motion sickness (p=0.036).
- No significant association found between vomiting and specific head injury features like scalp hematoma or skull fracture.
Conclusions:
- Vomiting after pediatric minor head injury appears primarily linked to individual intrinsic factors.
- The findings suggest that a history of recurrent vomiting or motion sickness may predispose children to vomiting after head injury.
- Further research is needed to define the precise role of vomiting in the clinical management of pediatric head injuries.
Objective:
To determine factors associated with vomiting after minor head injury in a paediatric population with the intention of defining the role of vomiting in management decisions.
Methods:
A prospective study of all patients presenting with minor head injury to the Royal Hospital for Sick Children, Edinburgh, between 1 May and 30 June 1997. Information regarding basic demographics, features of the head injury and past and family history was noted on a proforma. This included mechanism of injury, site of impact, presence or absence of scalp haematoma, skull fracture or brain injury and intrinsic factors such as age, family history of migraine and a personal history of migraine, its childhood variants and associated conditions. The relation between vomiting and these features was analysed using chi2 and Fisher's exact tests.
Results:
563 children aged from birth to 13 years presented with minor head injury. Complete data were obtained on 463 patients. Some 15.8% vomited after minor head injury. Comparing vomiters with non-vomiters the only associated factors that could be identified were a past history of recurrent vomiting or motion sickness (p= 0.0035, p=0.036 respectively).
Conclusions:
Vomiting after minor head injury seems to be related to individual intrinsic factors rather than specific features of the head injury and its role in management decisions needs to be explored further.