Related Experiment Video
Updated: Sep 1, 2025
Halogenated Agent Delivery in Porcine Model of Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome via an Intensive Care Unit Type Device
Published on: September 24, 2020
A traumatic pandemic: High acuity pediatric trauma in the COVID19 era
Tai Kyung S Hairston1, David Philpott1, Leticia Manning Ryan2
1Department of Pediatrics, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine; 733 N Broadway, Baltimore, MD 21205, United States.
Insights
The COVID-19 pandemic altered pediatric trauma trends, with initial declines followed by increases in assaults and child abuse, particularly in disadvantaged areas. These findings highlight the need for targeted public health interventions to prevent injuries.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Trauma
- Public Health
- Epidemiology
Background:
- Childhood and adolescence trauma is a leading cause of death and disability.
- Understanding the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on pediatric trauma trends is crucial for public health.
- Existing research has not fully elucidated these pandemic-related shifts.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on high-acuity pediatric trauma trends.
- To analyze changes in injury mechanisms, patient demographics, and socioeconomic factors.
- To inform public health strategies for injury prevention during and after the pandemic.
Main Methods:
- Comparative analysis of high-acuity trauma visits from March 2020-February 2021 against 2017-2019.
- Evaluation of injury mechanisms, patient age, and Area Deprivation Index (ADI).
- Utilized longitudinal time series analyses and t-tests for data interpretation.
Main Results:
- High-acuity pediatric traumas initially declined, reaching a low in April 2020, then increased, surpassing previous years during specific periods.
- Increases were observed in assaults and child abuse cases, while falls, drownings, and motor vehicle accidents decreased.
- Cases of assault and child abuse were more prevalent in socioeconomically disadvantaged areas, with younger victims during the pandemic.
Conclusions:
- The COVID-19 pandemic significantly impacted high-acuity pediatric trauma in an urban population.
- Findings underscore the pandemic's disproportionate effect on vulnerable communities and specific injury types.
- Results can guide public health initiatives for enhanced safety and injury prevention measures.
Objective:
Gaps remain in our understanding on how COVID19 affects trends in pediatric trauma, the leading cause of mortality and morbidity during childhood and adolescence.
Methods:
We compared high acuity trauma visits (requiring admission, surgery, or fatality) presenting between March through February 2021 to corresponding months in 2017-2019. We evaluated the differences in mechanisms of injury, age, and Area Deprivation Index (ADI), a measure of socioeconomic disadvantage, during this time period. Data were analyzed using longitudinal time series analyses and t-tests.
Results:
Of 687 traumas presenting from March 2020 through February 2021, 322 were high acuity traumas. High acuity traumas declined significantly to a nadir of 16 in April 2020. High acuity traumas increased and surpassed previous years to a peak of 40 visits in August 2020 and from October through December 2020. There were more visits for high acuity assaults and confirmed or suspected physical child abuse but fewer for falls, drownings, and motor vehicle accidents from March to August 2020 and from October through December 2020 compared to prior years. High acuity assaults and physical child abuse cases on average were from the most disadvantaged areas, and physical child abuse patients were younger during the peak of the Pandemic compared to Pre-Pandemic months.
Conclusion:
This analysis provides insight into how the COVID19 pandemic has affected high acuity trauma in an inner-city pediatric population. Findings may be used to guide public health measures on safety and injury prevention as the pandemic continues.
Related Concept Videos
01:21Acute Respiratory Failure-II
The underlying physiological abnormalities that contribute to hypoxemic respiratory failure include:
01:21Acute Respiratory Failure-I
Definition: It is defined by specific criteria based on blood gas measurements. Hypoxemia happens when the partial pressure of oxygen (PaO2) falls below 60 mmHg. At the same time,...
01:29Acute Respiratory Failure-V
Ensure that patients are monitored continuously for their response to therapy, including changes in...
01:30Acute Respiratory Failure-III
01:20Acute Kidney Injury V: Interprofessional Care
01:23Acute Respiratory Failure-IV