Return to the Emergency Department Within 3 Months Following Pediatric Acute Concussion

To determine the proportion of concussed children returning to the emergency department (ED) for a concussion-related reason within 3 months of initial presentation and to determine which clinical composite score (5P or Post-Concussion Symptom Inventory) best predicts a return visit.

We combined a secondary analysis of data from the prospectively collected 5P study with a retrospective medical record review of children aged 5 to 18 years who returned to the Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO) ED for a concussion-related reason within 3 months of an acutely diagnosed concussion. Among 770 eligible participants, 632 children (median age: 11.8 [interquartile range (IQR), 9.0-14.5] years; 58.9% male) were included in the study.

The primary outcome was the number of patients who returned to CHEO ED for a concussion-related reason within 3 months of an acute concussion diagnosed at CHEO ED. The secondary outcome was number of patients who returned within 14 days.

Forty-seven children (7.4%; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 5.6-9.7) had a concussion-related return to the ED within 3 months, the majority of which occurred in the first 14 days (29/47; 61.7%; 95% CI: 47.4-74.2). History of migraines (21.3% vs 9.7%; P = .03) were more common in those with a return visit. Headache was the most frequently reported symptom (87.2%) on revisit. Females aged 13 to 18 years had the highest return rate (survival rate: 85.8% [95% CI: 79.8-92.3]) compared with males and younger age groups. In multivariable Cox hazards regression modeling, inclusion of risk scores improved prognostication (pseudo R2 = 8%). The difference in pseudo R2 between 5P and Post-Concussion Symptom Inventory is small.

Most children and adolescents do not return to the ED following an acute concussion. Female youth with medium to high 5P scores at the index concussion visit may benefit from early referral to interdisciplinary specialty concussion care to guide treatment in anticipation of prolonged symptoms. By identifying these risk factors at the initial ED visit, healthcare and patient burden may be reduced.