Introduction
CT is the standard modality to diagnose solid organ injury after blunt trauma; however,
the associated radiation carries a risk of cancer. We hypothesized that there are
patient-specific factors that can identify those children who require abdominal CT.
Methods
We reviewed all children admitted to 2 pediatric trauma centers after blunt trauma
with liver or spleen injury from January 2009 to December 2013. The low-risk group
was defined as a Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) of 15 with normal pediatric age-adjusted
shock index (heart rate/systolic blood pressure; SIPA) on presentation, and injury
attributable to a single, nonmotorized, blunt force to the abdomen. The at-risk group
did not meet these criteria.
Results
We identified 206 children with blunt liver or spleen injury, 101 of whom met the
low-risk criteria. Among these 101 children who met the low-risk criteria, there were
no deaths, no children required laparotomy, only 1 child required a packed red cell
transfusion, and no children required discharge to a rehabilitation facility.
Conclusion
Children who present to the emergency department after blunt abdominal trauma by a
nonmotorized force with a normal GCS and SIPA are unlikely to have a solid organ injury
that will require intervention.
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: May 18, 2015
Accepted:
March 17,
2015
Footnotes
Conflicts of Interest and Source of Funding: The authors have no conflicts of interest, financial or otherwise, to disclose. No grant funding was used to support this research.
Identification
Copyright
© 2015 Elsevier Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
