Profile and Outcome of Pediatric Trauma Admitted to the Intensive Care Unit: Experience from a Tertiary Care Hospital...

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Intensive Care
• Trauma Surgery
• Public Health

Background:

• Trauma remains a leading cause of mortality and morbidity in children.
• Understanding the profile and outcomes of pediatric trauma patients is crucial for improving care.
• Tertiary hospitals manage severe pediatric trauma cases requiring intensive care.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze the demographic profile, injury patterns, and outcomes of trauma patients admitted to a pediatric intensive care unit.
• To identify predictors of unfavorable outcomes in pediatric trauma patients.
• To inform strategies for trauma prevention and management in children.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective study design.
• Analysis of 118 pediatric trauma patients admitted to a tertiary hospital's ICU.
• Evaluation of three-month post-event outcomes using the Glasgow Outcome Scale.
• Multivariate analysis to identify predictors of unfavorable outcomes.

Main Results:

• Vehicular accidents (44.5%) and falls (43.2%) were the most common trauma mechanisms.
• High incidence of unrestrained passengers (98%) in vehicular accidents and unsupervised play in falls.
• Abnormal head CT scans were present in 72.9% of patients.
• Mortality rate was 8.5%.
• Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) <8 and Injury Severity Score (ISS) >17 were significant predictors of unfavorable outcomes.

Conclusions:

• Head trauma screening is vital for critically injured pediatric trauma patients.
• Prevention strategies including child-proofing, supervision, and vehicle restraint are essential.
• Ensuring safe ambulance transport may improve trauma patient outcomes.