PediBIG: Optimizing the Brain Injury Guideline for Pediatric Care

The number of hospitalizations for traumatic brain injury is high with over 200,000 estimated in 2020 alone. With improvements in technology and care, some of these patients may have been able to avoid costly hospitalizations and unwarranted neurosurgical consultation. The Brain Injury Guideline (BIG) was developed in adults and re-examined in pediatrics to limit unwarranted admissions and consultations.

Data from a retrospective cohort of patients identified from a single Level 1 Trauma Center over 10 years of time, were utilized to evaluate characteristics associated with need for hospitalization and/or neurosurgery consultation and examine the current Brain Injury Guideline for pediatrics. Relationships between patient and injury characteristics with need for neurosurgical consultation were examined using logistic regression modeling.

The 822 patients meeting inclusion were categorized post-hoc into BIG 1 (57, no need for admission or neurosurgical consult), 2 (448, need for admission, but no neurosurgical consult) and 3 (317, need for admission and neurosurgical consult). In the BIG 2 categorization, only 1 child needed neurosurgical intervention and 12 had some worsening on imaging. A number of factors investigated were statistically related to the need of the neurosurgical team, though non-displaced skull fractures were not (p = 0.008).

Data presented here is consistent with previous work in the development of the Brain Injury Guideline (BIG). Moving non-displaced skull fractures from the BIG 2 categorization to BIG 1 may avoid unwarranted admissions in pediatric brain injury patients.

III, diagnostic test/criteria.