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Blunt diaphragmatic rupture in children

Katherine A Barsness1, Denis D Bensard, David Ciesla

  • 1Division of Pediatric Surgery, The Children's Hospital, Denver, CO 80262, USA. katherine.barsness@uchsc.edu

The Journal of Trauma
|January 30, 2004
PubMed

Insights

Pediatric blunt diaphragmatic rupture is rare but serious, occurring in children with injuries similar to adults. However, children appear to have better survival rates from this trauma.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Trauma Surgery
  • Thoracic Injuries
  • Diaphragmatic Injuries

Background:

  • Blunt diaphragmatic rupture is well-documented in adults but poorly understood in children.
  • This study addresses the knowledge gap regarding pediatric blunt diaphragmatic rupture.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To characterize blunt diaphragmatic rupture in pediatric patients.
  • To compare the injury's frequency, severity, and outcomes in children versus adults.

Main Methods:

  • A 10-year retrospective review of a Level I pediatric trauma registry.
  • Identification of all pediatric patients admitted with blunt diaphragmatic rupture.

Main Results:

  • Six pediatric cases (0.4% of admissions) were identified, with ages ranging from 2 to 15 years.
  • All children had associated injuries (mean 4.5 per child) and a high mean Injury Severity Score (32).
  • No deaths occurred, and all patients were discharged without long-term complications, suggesting better survival than in adults.

Conclusions:

  • Blunt diaphragmatic rupture in children presents with severity comparable to adults.
  • Pediatric patients may experience improved survival outcomes compared to their adult counterparts for this specific injury.
Abstract

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