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Multicenter Study
. 2025 Sep 1;99(3):387-396.
doi: 10.1097/TA.0000000000004604. Epub 2025 Mar 20.

Variable management of pediatric blunt renal trauma: A multicenter retrospective cohort study

Sindhu V Mannava  1 , Rodica Muraru, Jodi Raymond, Troy A Markel, Katherine C Bergus, Katherine Flynn-O'Brien, Heather A Hartman, K Elizabeth Speck, Shawn D St Peter, Samantha A Ayala, Kylie Callier, Stewart Carter, Meredith Elman, David Foley, Seth D Goldstein, Swapna Koppera, Meera Kotagal, Dave R Lal, Charles Leys, John P Marquart, Grace Z Mak, Suzanne Moody, J Benjamin Pitt, Nicole M Santucci, Nikhil R Shah, Michael Stellon, Rajan Thakkar, Tiffany Wright, Andrew Yeh, Matthew P Landman; Midwest Pediatric Surgery Consortium (MWPSC)
Affiliations
Multicenter Study

Variable management of pediatric blunt renal trauma: A multicenter retrospective cohort study

Sindhu V Mannava et al. J Trauma Acute Care Surg. .

Abstract

Background: There are no comprehensive management guidelines for pediatric blunt renal injury; therefore, we hypothesized that wide variation in care exists. We sought to describe contemporary management of pediatric blunt renal trauma and explore associations between clinical management strategies and adverse outcomes.

Methods: We retrospectively evaluated blunt renal injury patients (younger than 18 years) treated at 11 pediatric level I trauma centers from 2020 to 2022. We categorized patients by the American Association for the Surgery of Trauma renal injury grade (low, grades 1-3; high, grades 4-5) and isolated renal injury versus polytrauma. Clinical management strategies included bedrest, urinary catheter use, antibiotic use, urology consult, intensive care unit (ICU) admission, and serial laboratory/imaging. We determined site-specific clinical management strategy frequencies and compared composite intervention outcomes (operations, interventional radiology procedures, blood transfusions) and composite adverse outcomes (mortality, infection, readmission, hypertension, deep venous thrombosis) between patients who did and did not undergo given clinical management strategies.

Results: We analyzed 276 patients stratified by low-grade isolated (15.2%), low-grade polytrauma (51.1%), high-grade isolated (12%), and high-grade polytrauma (21.7%). Compared with other clinical management strategies, antibiotic use, ICU admission, and urinary catheter placement were less universally implemented across sites. Composite adverse and intervention outcomes did not vary significantly based on use of bedrest, antibiotics, and postdischarge serial renal imaging (all p > 0.05). Composite adverse outcomes varied significantly among high-grade polytrauma patients with and without ICU admission (55.6% vs. 18.2%, p = 0.003) and among low-grade polytrauma patients with and without serial hemoglobin laboratories (20.8% vs. 0%, p = 0.04), serial renal laboratories (26.3% vs. 10.1%, p = 0.02), and serial inpatient renal imaging (28.6% vs. 13%, p = 0.04).

Conclusion: Pediatric blunt renal injury management varied across institutions. Patients with isolated renal injuries had minimal differences in interventions or adverse outcomes despite variable clinical management. This population would benefit from a consensus-based algorithm to minimize clinical management strategy variation.

Level of evidence: Therapeutic/Care Management; Level IV.

Keywords: Blunt; multicenter; pediatric; renal; trauma.

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