Blast injuries in children: a mixed-methods narrative review

Area of Science:

• Trauma surgery
• Pediatric emergency medicine
• Military medicine

Background:

• Blast injuries are prevalent in conflict zones, with established adult injury patterns.
• Paediatric blast injury characteristics are not well-defined, necessitating further research.
• Understanding paediatric blast injuries is vital for effective care and service provision.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review and synthesize existing literature on paediatric blast injury characteristics.
• To identify demographic, morbidity, mortality, and service requirement patterns in children affected by blasts.
• To compare paediatric blast injury patterns with those observed in adult populations.

Main Methods:

• A mixed-methods review of original English-language papers.
• Screening of papers for data on paediatric injuries following explosive blasts.
• Evaluation of data including demographics, morbidity, mortality, and service needs.

Main Results:

• Paediatric blast injuries predominantly affect males and often result from explosive remnants of war.
• Younger children exhibit higher morbidity and mortality, particularly from head and burn injuries.
• Older children present with injury patterns similar to adults, but children disproportionately require extensive medical services.

Conclusions:

• Paediatric blast injury characteristics are distinct from adult patterns, especially in younger children.
• The significant service demands highlight the need for specialized provisions for child blast survivors.
• Optimizing future service provisions requires a comprehensive understanding of diverse paediatric blast injury patterns.