Pre hospital intensive care in multiple trauma children

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Emergency Medicine
• Trauma Surgery
• Public Health

Background:

• From 1979 to 1984, a Mobile Medical Emergency and Intensive Care Service in Val-de-Marne, France, managed 1,272 cases of injured children.
• The patient population ranged in age from 11 days to 15 years.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze the characteristics and outcomes of pediatric trauma cases requiring mobile intensive care.
• To evaluate the effectiveness of emergency medical interventions for severely injured children.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective analysis of all pediatric trauma calls (1979-1984).
• Data collected included patient demographics, injury mechanisms, severity, interventions, and mortality.
• Categorization of injuries into multiple trauma, neurosurgical, and other critical conditions.

Main Results:

• 25% of cases (322 children) were classified as very serious trauma, with 45 in cardiac arrest.
• Traffic accidents were the most common cause (252 cases), followed by falls (48 cases).
• Overall mortality rate was 35% (114 cases), with 26% of hospitalized children dying during their stay.

Conclusions:

• Pediatric trauma remains a significant cause of mortality, even with advanced mobile intensive care.
• The study underscores the critical need for prompt and specialized medical intervention for critically injured children.
• Further research into injury prevention and improved pre-hospital care strategies is warranted.