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Epidemiology of Pediatric Trauma and its Pattern in Urban India: A Tertiary Care Hospital-Based Experience
Vijay Kumar Kundal1, Pinaki Ranjan Debnath1, Amita Sen1
1Department of Pediatric Surgery, PGIMER and Dr. RML Hospital, New Delhi, India.
Insights
Pediatric trauma, primarily from road traffic accidents and falls, affects more boys than girls. Enhanced supervision during play and identifying risk factors are crucial for prevention and reducing long-term disability.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric trauma epidemiology
- Injury prevention research
- Public health policy
Background:
- Trauma is a significant cause of morbidity and mortality in children.
- Understanding the epidemiology and patterns of pediatric trauma is essential for developing effective prevention strategies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the epidemiology, common injury patterns, and outcomes of trauma in pediatric patients.
- To identify specific risk factors and trends in pediatric trauma within the study setting.
Main Methods:
- A 3-year retrospective study of 1148 pediatric patients (<15 years) presenting to the emergency department.
- Patients were categorized by age group, sex, mode of trauma, type of injury, and place of injury.
- Data analysis focused on comparing these parameters across different demographics.
Main Results:
- Males constituted 69.86% of cases. Road traffic accidents (RTAs) were the leading cause in males (59.47%), while falls were most common in females (52.31%).
- Falls predominantly occurred at home, and RTAs involved being hit by vehicles while playing or passenger accidents.
- Polytrauma (26.48%), abdominal/pelvic trauma (20.99%), and head/face trauma (19.86%) were common. Mortality was 5.57%, with 6.5% experiencing residual disability.
Conclusions:
- High incidence of road and fall injuries highlights the need for increased supervision and targeted risk factor identification.
- Epidemiological data are vital for understanding injury burden and prioritizing research.
- Implementing a comprehensive trauma registry is recommended for policy development to mitigate pediatric trauma.
Aim:
To assess the epidemiology, pattern, and outcome of trauma in pediatric population.
Materials And Methods:
A total of 1148 pediatric patients below 15 years of age presenting in the emergency department of our hospital were studied over a period of 3 years. The patients were categorized into four age groups of <1 year, 1-5 years, 6-10 years, and 11-15 years. The data were compared regarding mode of trauma, type of injury, place of injury among different age groups and both sexes.
Results:
The majority of the pediatric trauma cases were seen in males 69.86%, (n = 802) and females comprised only 30.13% (n = 346). Road traffic accident (RTA) was the most common mode of trauma in male children, i.e. 59.47% (n = 477) followed by fall injuries, i.e. 29.42% (n = 236). In females, fall was the most common mode of trauma, i.e. 52.31% (n = 181) followed by RTA (36.70%, n = 127). Fall injuries occurred mostly at homes. Among RTA, hit by vehicle on road while playing was most common followed by passenger accidents on two wheelers, followed by hit by vehicle while walking to school. Among fall, fall while playing at home was the most common. Out of total 1148 patients, 304 (26.48%) comprised the polytrauma cases (involvement of more than two organ systems), followed by abdominal/pelvic trauma (20.99%, n = 241), followed by head/face trauma (19.86%, n = 228). Out of total 1148 patients admitted over a period of 36 months, 64 died (5.57%). 75 (6.5%) patients had some kind of residual deformity or disability.
Conclusion:
The high incidence of pediatric trauma on roads and falls indicate the need for more supervision during playing and identification of specific risk factors for these injuries in our setting. This study shows that these epidemiological parameters could be a useful tool to identify burden and research priorities for specific type of injuries. A comprehensive trauma registry in our set up seems to be important for formulating policies to reduce pediatric trauma burden.
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