[Epidemiology, risk stratification and outcome of severe pediatric trauma]

Abstract

Accidents and trauma are the leading cause of hospital admissions and major contributors to mortality in children and adolescents. There are age-specific injury patterns and differences in the clinical presentation of pediatric trauma and treatment both at the scene and in the emergency department can be observed. In general, pediatric trauma-scores to appreciate injury severity are adapted from the adult population.The most important factor to increase mortality in the severely injured pediatric population is the extent of a concomitant traumatic brain injury (TBI). In addition, the acute trauma-associated coagulopathy, which is triggered multifactorial, is an independent prognostic marker for mortality in severe trauma. The complexity of all currently available trauma-scores for the pediatric population is one reason why these scores are not unequivocal recommended for the early use in pediatric trauma care. The pediatric BIG-Score was developed to allow an early prognostic stratification for pediatric trauma patients and includes with base excess (BE), INR (International Normalized Ratio) and GCS (Glasgow Coma Scale) relevant prognostic factors for poor outcome. Early risk stratification is crucial in pediatric trauma due to mortality rates ranging between 9% and 15% and with 50% of all fatalities to occur within the first 24 h of hospital admission.