Evaluation of paediatric blunt abdomen trauma patients presenting to the emergency room
Abstract
INTRODUCTION: In paediatric cases, trauma remains the most cause of morbidity and disability. Although abdominal trauma is observed less frequently in paediatric cases than isolated head trauma, it is still the leading cause of morbidity and mortality among children. Previous studies at the national level have either focused on blunt abdominal trauma in all age groups or other traumas at paediatric level. The studies targeting solely paediatric abdominal blunt trauma cases have not yet been evaluated. The aim of this study was to analyse and report the demographic characteristics, causes of trauma, developed pathologies, treatment approaches, and mortality rates in patients presenting to our emergency department with blunt abdominal trauma.
MATERIAL AND METHODS: The present study was designed as a retrospective study of 36 paediatric patients admitted to the Emergency Department of Kars Harakani State Hospital with blunt abdominal trauma between 2018 and 2019.
RESULTS: In the abdominal region, the most commonly injured organ was the liver (22 cases, 52.4%), while 13 (31%) cases had splenic trauma. Thirty-one (73.8%) patients had other body injuries in addition to the abdominal trauma, the most common of which were fractures (15 patients, 35.7%) and lung traumas (12 patients, 28.6%).
CONCLUSIONS: The organs that are damaged during the injury and the parameters that can be used to detect them provide important data for the rapid interference and treatment of life-threatening situations.
Keywords: emergency departmentblunt abdominal traumapaediatric casesmorbidity
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