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Proctor A, Lyttle M, Billing J, Shaw P, Simpson J, Voss S, Benger JR. Which elements of hospital-based clinical decision support tools for the assessment and management of children with head injury can be adapted for use by paramedics in prehospital care? A systematic mapping review and narrative synthesis. BMJ Open 2024; 14:e078363. [PMID: 38355171 PMCID: PMC10868315 DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2023-078363] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2023] [Accepted: 01/31/2024] [Indexed: 02/16/2024] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Hospital-based clinical decision tools support clinician decision-making when a child presents to the emergency department with a head injury, particularly regarding CT scanning. However, there is no decision tool to support prehospital clinicians in deciding which head-injured children can safely remain at scene. This study aims to identify clinical decision tools, or constituent elements, which may be adapted for use in prehospital care. DESIGN Systematic mapping review and narrative synthesis. DATA SOURCES Searches were conducted using MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsycINFO, CINAHL and AMED. ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA Quantitative, qualitative, mixed-methods or systematic review research that included a clinical decision support tool for assessing and managing children with head injury. DATA EXTRACTION AND SYNTHESIS We systematically identified all in-hospital clinical decision support tools and extracted from these the clinical criteria used in decision-making. We complemented this with a narrative synthesis. RESULTS Following de-duplication, 887 articles were identified. After screening titles and abstracts, 710 articles were excluded, leaving 177 full-text articles. Of these, 95 were excluded, yielding 82 studies. A further 14 studies were identified in the literature after cross-checking, totalling 96 analysed studies. 25 relevant in-hospital clinical decision tools were identified, encompassing 67 different clinical criteria, which were grouped into 18 categories. CONCLUSION Factors that should be considered for use in a clinical decision tool designed to support paramedics in the assessment and management of children with head injury are: signs of skull fracture; a large, boggy or non-frontal scalp haematoma neurological deficit; Glasgow Coma Score less than 15; prolonged or worsening headache; prolonged loss of consciousness; post-traumatic seizure; amnesia in older children; non-accidental injury; drug or alcohol use; and less than 1 year old. Clinical criteria that require further investigation include mechanism of injury, clotting impairment/anticoagulation, vertigo, length of time of unconsciousness and number of vomits.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Mark Lyttle
- Faculty of Health and Applied Sciences, University of the West of England Bristol, Bristol, UK
| | | | | | | | - Sarah Voss
- Health and Life Sciences, University of the West of England, Bristol, UK
| | - Jonathan Richard Benger
- Academic Department of Emergency Care, The University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Bristol, UK
- Faculty of Health & Life Sciences, University of the West of England, Bristol, UK
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Roche S, Crombé A, Benhamed A, Hak JF, Dabadie A, Fauconnier-Fatus C, Rega A, Pech-Gourg G, Tazarourte K, Seux M, Acquier A, Gorincour G. Risk Factors Associated with Traumatic Brain Injury and Implementation of Guidelines for Requesting Computed Tomography After Head Trauma Among Children in France. JAMA Netw Open 2023; 6:e2311092. [PMID: 37129895 PMCID: PMC10155067 DOI: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2023.11092] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Importance Pediatric traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) are a leading cause of death and disability. The Pediatric Emergency Care Applied Research Network (PECARN) guidelines provide a framework for requesting head computed tomography (HCT) after pediatric head trauma (PHT); however, quantitative data are lacking regarding both TBIs found on HCT and justification of the HCT request according to the PECARN guidelines. Objectives To evaluate the types, frequencies, and risk factors for TBIs on HCT in children referred to emergency departments (EDs) who underwent HCT for PHT and to evaluate quality of HCT request. Design, Setting, and Participants This multicenter, retrospective cohort study included patients younger than 18 years who underwent HCT for PHT who were referred to 91 EDs during on-call hours between January 1, 2020, to May 31, 2022. Data were analyzed between July and August 2022. Exposure All radiological reports with pathologic findings were reviewed by 4 senior radiologists. Six hundred HCT requests filled by emergency physicians were randomly sampled to review the examination justification according to the PECARN guidelines. Main Outcomes and Measures Associations between TBIs, age, sex, and Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) were investigated using univariable χ2 and Cochrane-Armitage tests. Multivariable stepwise binary logistic regressions were used to estimate the odds ratio (ORs) for intracranial hemorrhages (ICH), any type of fracture, facial bone fracture, and skull vault fracture. Results Overall, 5146 children with HCT for PHT were included (median [IQR] age, 11.2 [4.7-15.7] years; 3245 of 5146 [63.1%] boys). ICHs were diagnosed in 306 of 5146 patients (5.9%) and fractures in 674 of 5146 patients (13.1%). The following variables were associated with ICH in multivariable analysis: GCS score of 8 or less (OR, 5.83; 95% CI, 1.97-14.60; P < .001), extracranial hematoma (OR, 2.54; 95% CI, 1.59-4.02; P < .001), skull base fracture (OR, 9.32; 95% CI, 5.03-16.97; P < .001), upper cervical fracture (OR, 19.21; 95% CI, 1.79-143.59; P = .006), and skull vault fracture (OR, 35.64; 95% CI, 24.04-53.83; P < .001). When neither extracranial hematoma nor fracture was found on HCT, the OR for presenting ICH was 0.034 (95% CI, 0.026-0.045; P < .001). Skull vault fractures were more frequently encountered in children younger than 2 years (multivariable OR, 6.31; 95% CI, 4.16-9.66; P < .001; reference: children ≥12 years), whereas facial bone fractures were more frequently encountered in boys older than 12 years (multivariable OR, 26.60; 95% CI, 9.72-109.96; P < .001; reference: children younger than 2 years). The justification for performing HCT did not follow the PECARN guidelines for 396 of 589 evaluable children (67.2%) for requests filled by emergency physicians. Conclusion and Relevance In this cohort study of 5146 children who underwent HCT for PHT, knowing the odds of clinical and radiological features for ICHs and fractures could help emergency physicians and radiologists improve their image analysis and avoid missing significant injuries. The PECARN rules were not implemented in nearly two-thirds of patients.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Amandine Crombé
- IMADIS, Lyon, Bordeaux, Marseille, Dijon, France
- Department of Radiology, Pellegrin University Hospital, Bordeaux, France
- Models in Oncology (MONC) Team, INRIA Bordeaux Sud-Ouest, CNRS UMR 5251 & Bordeaux University, Talence, France
| | - Axel Benhamed
- Service SAMU-Urgences, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Édouard Herriot, Hospices Civils de Lyon, Lyon, France
| | - Jean-François Hak
- Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Marseille, Marseille, France
- LIIE, Aix Marseille University, Marseille, France
- CERIMED, Aix Marseille University, Marseille, France
| | - Alexia Dabadie
- IMADIS, Lyon, Bordeaux, Marseille, Dijon, France
- Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Marseille, Marseille, France
| | | | | | | | - Karim Tazarourte
- Service SAMU-Urgences, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Édouard Herriot, Hospices Civils de Lyon, Lyon, France
| | - Mylène Seux
- IMADIS, Lyon, Bordeaux, Marseille, Dijon, France
| | - Adrien Acquier
- IMADIS, Lyon, Bordeaux, Marseille, Dijon, France
- CHU de Dijon, Dijon, France
| | - Guillaume Gorincour
- IMADIS, Lyon, Bordeaux, Marseille, Dijon, France
- ELSAN, Clinique Bouchard, Marseille, France
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Alonso-Cadenas JA, Calderón Checa RM, Ferrero García-Loygorri C, Durán Hidalgo I, Pérez García MJ, Delgado Gómez P, Jiménez García R. Variability in the management of infants under 3 months with minor head injury in paediatric emergency departments. An Pediatr (Barc) 2023; 98:83-91. [PMID: 36754719 DOI: 10.1016/j.anpede.2022.10.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2022] [Accepted: 10/19/2022] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION In the assessment of infants younger than 3 months with minor traumatic head injury (MHI), it is essential to adapt the indication of imaging tests. The Pediatric Head Injury/Trauma Algorithm (PECARN) clinical prediction rule is the most widely used to guide clinical decision making. OBJECTIVES To analyse the variability in the performance of imaging tests in infants under 3 months with MHI in paediatric emergency departments (PEDs) and the adherence of each hospital to the recommendations of the PECARN rule. POPULATION AND METHODS We conducted a prospective multicentre observational study in 13 paediatric emergency departments in Spain between May 2017 and November 2020. RESULTS Of 21 981 children with MHI, 366 (1.7%) were aged less than 3 months; 195 (53.3%) underwent neuroimaging, with performance of CT scans in 37 (10.1%; interhospital range, 0%-40.0%), skull X-rays in 162 (44.3 %; range, 0%-100%) and transfontanellar ultrasound scans in 22 (6.0%; range, 0%-24.0%). The established recommendations were followed in 25.6% (10/39) of infants classified as high-risk based on PECARN criteria (range, 0%-100%); 37.1% (36/97) classified as intermediate-risk (range, 0%-100%) and 57.4% (132/230) classified as low-risk (range, 0%-100%). CONCLUSION We found substantial variability and low adherence to the PECARN recommendations in the performance of imaging tests in infants aged less than 3 months with MHI in Spanish PEDs, mainly due to an excessive use of skull X-rays.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Isabel Durán Hidalgo
- Servicio de Urgencias, Hospital Universitario Materno-Infantil Málaga, Málaga, Spain
| | | | - Pablo Delgado Gómez
- Servicio de Urgencias, Hospital Universitario Materno-Infantil Virgen del Rocío, Sevilla, Spain
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Şık N, Öztürk A, Yılmaz D, Duman M. The Role of Ultrasound in Pediatric Skull Fractures: Determination of Fracture and Optic Nerve Sheath Diameter Measurements. Pediatr Emerg Care 2023; 39:91-97. [PMID: 36719390 DOI: 10.1097/pec.0000000000002895] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The aim of the present study was to determine the accuracy of point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) for detecting skull fractures and to evaluate sonographic measurements of optic nerve sheath diameter (ONSD) and ONSD/eyeball vertical diameter (EVD) ratios in children with head trauma. METHODS Children who presented with local signs of head trauma and underwent cranial computed tomography (CT) were enrolled. The suspected area was examined by POCUS to identify a skull fracture, and then the ONSD at 3 mm posterior to the globe and the EVD were measured. Ratios of ONSD measurement at 3 mm/EVD were reported. All ONSD measurements and ratios were calculated from cranial CT images. RESULTS There were 112 children enrolled in the study. The sensitivity and specificity of POCUS for skull fractures was 93.7% (95% confidence interval [CI], 82.8-98.6) and 96.8% (95% CI, 89.1-99.6), whereas the positive predictive value was 95.7% (95% CI, 85.1-98.8), and the negative predictive value was 95.3% (95% CI, 87.3-98.4). There was high agreement between POCUS and CT for identifying skull fractures (κ, 0.90 [±0.04]). In the group without elevated intracranial pressure findings on CT, patients with space-occupying lesions (SOLs) had higher sonographic ONSD measurements and ratios (P < 0.001) compared with cases without SOLs. CONCLUSIONS When used with clinical decision rules to minimize the risk for clinically important traumatic brain injury, POCUS seems to be a promising tool to detect skull fractures and calculate ONSD measurements and rates to predict the risk for SOLs and perform further risk stratification of children with minor head trauma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nihan Şık
- From the Division of Pediatric Emergency Care, Department of Pediatrics, Dokuz Eylul University, Faculty of Medicine, Izmir, Turkey
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Alonso-Cadenas JA, Calderón Checa RM, Ferrero García-Loygorri C, Durán Hidalgo I, Pérez García MJ, Delgado Gómez P, Jiménez García R. Variabilidad en la atención en urgencias al lactante menor de 3 meses con un traumatismo craneoencefálico leve. An Pediatr (Barc) 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anpedi.2022.10.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
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Alonso-Cadenas JA, Ferrero García-Loygorri C, Calderón Checa RM, Durán Hidalgo I, Pérez García MJ, Ruiz González S, De Ceano-Vivas M, Delgado Gómez P, Antoñón Rodríguez M, Moreno Sánchez R, Martínez Hernando J, Muñoz López C, Ortiz Valentín I, Jiménez-García R. Epidemiology of minor blunt head trauma in infants younger than 3 months. Eur J Pediatr 2022; 181:2901-2908. [PMID: 35552807 DOI: 10.1007/s00431-022-04492-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2022] [Revised: 04/28/2022] [Accepted: 04/29/2022] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Abstract
UNLABELLED Specific knowledge of the features of minor head trauma in infants is necessary to develop appropriate preventive strategies and adjust clinical management in pediatric emergency departments (PEDs). The aim of this study is to describe the epidemiology of minor blunt head trauma in infants < 3 months who present to PEDs. We performed a prospective study of infants evaluated in any of 13 Spanish PEDs within 24 h of a minor head trauma (Glasgow Coma Scale scores of 14-15) between May 2017 and November 2020. Telephone follow-up was conducted for all patients over the 4 weeks after the initial PED visit. Of 1,150,255 visits recorded, 21,981 children (1.9%) sustained a head injury, 386 of whom (0.03%) were under 3 months old. Among the 369 patients who met the inclusion criteria (0.03%), 206 (56.3%) were male. The main causes of trauma were fall-related (298; 80.8%), either from furniture (138/298; 46.3%), strollers (92/298; 30.9%), or a caregiver's arms (61/298; 20.5%). Most infants were asymptomatic (317; 85.9%) and showed no signs of injury on physical exam (210; 56.9%). Imaging studies were performed in 195 patients (52.8%): 37 (10.0%) underwent computed tomography (CT) scan, 162 (43.9%) X-ray, and 22 (6.0%) ultrasound. A clinically important traumatic brain injury (ciTBI) occurred in 1 infant (0.3% overall; 95% CI, 0-1.5), TBI was evidenced on CT scan in 12 (3.3% overall; 95% CI, 1.7-5.7), and 20 infants had an isolated skull fracture (5.5% overall; 95% CI, 3.4-8.3). All outcomes were caused by falls onto hard surfaces. CONCLUSION Most head injuries in infants younger than 3 months are benign, and the rate of ciTBI is low. Prevention strategies should focus on falls onto hard surfaces from furniture, strollers, and caregivers' arms. Optimizing imaging studies should be a priority in this population. WHAT IS KNOWN • Infants younger than 3 months are vulnerable to minor blunt head trauma due to their age and to difficulties in assessing the subtle symptoms and minimal physical findings detected on examination. • A low threshold for CT scan is recommended in this population. WHAT IS NEW • Most cases of blunt head trauma in infants younger than 3 months have good outcomes, and the rate of clinically important traumatic brain injury is low. • Optimizing imaging studies should be a priority in this population, avoiding X-ray examinations and reducing unnecessary CT scans.
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Affiliation(s)
- José Antonio Alonso-Cadenas
- Pediatric Emergency Department, Hospital Infantil Universitario Niño Jesús, Avenida de Menedez Pelayo 65, 28009, Madrid, Spain.
| | | | | | - Isabel Durán Hidalgo
- Pediatric Emergency Department, Hospital Materno-Infantil Universitario Málaga, Málaga, Spain
| | | | - Sara Ruiz González
- Pediatrics Department, Hospital Universitario Severo Ochoa, Leganés, Spain
| | | | - Pablo Delgado Gómez
- Pediatric Emergency Department, Hospital Universitario Virgen del Rocío, Seville, Spain
| | | | | | - José Martínez Hernando
- Pediatric Emergency Department, Hospital UniversitarioSant Joan de Déu Barcelona, Esplugues de Llobregat, Spain
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Hageman G, Nihom J. A Child Presenting with a Glasgow Coma Scale Score of 13: Mild or Moderate Traumatic Brain Injury? A Narrative Review. Neuropediatrics 2022; 53:83-95. [PMID: 34879424 DOI: 10.1055/s-0041-1740455] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE The objective of this article was to compare children with traumatic brain injury (TBI) and Glasgow Coma Scale score (GCS) 13 with children presenting with GCS 14 and 15 and GCS 9 to 12. DATA SOURCE We searched PubMed for clinical studies of children of 0 to 18 years of age with mild TBI (mTBI) and moderate TBI, published in English language in the period of 2000 to 2020. STUDY SELECTION We selected studies sub-classifying children with GCS 13 in comparison with GCS 14 and 15 and 9 to 12. We excluded reviews, meta-analyses, non-U.S./European population studies, studies of abusive head trauma, and severe TBI. DATA SYNTHESIS Most children (>85%) with an mTBI present at the emergency department with an initial GCS 15. A minority of only 5% present with GCS 13, 40% of which sustain a high-energy trauma. Compared with GCS 15, they present with a longer duration of unconsciousness and of post-traumatic amnesia. More often head computerized tomography scans show abnormalities (in 9-16%), leading to neurosurgical intervention in 3 to 8%. Also, higher rates of severe extracranial injury are reported. Admission is indicated in more than 90%, with a median length of hospitalization of more than 4 days and 28% requiring intensive care unit level care. These data are more consistent with children with GCS 9 to 12. In children with GCS 15, all these numbers are much lower. CONCLUSION We advocate classifying children with GCS 13 as moderate TBI and treat them accordingly.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gerard Hageman
- Department of Neurology, Medical Spectrum Enschede, Hospital Enschede, Enschede, The Netherlands
| | - Jik Nihom
- Department of Neurology, Medical Spectrum Enschede, Hospital Enschede, Enschede, The Netherlands
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Ferro V, Boccuzzi E, Colafati GS, De Benedictis A, Supino MC, Faa MF, Musolino AM, Reale A, Raucci U. Children With a Soft Scalp Hematoma Presenting to the Emergency Department More Than 24 Hours After a Head Injury. Pediatr Emerg Care 2022; 38:e1217-e1223. [PMID: 35358149 DOI: 10.1097/pec.0000000000002682] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES The soft scalp hematoma is one of the clinical markers used as a predictor for the presence of intracranial injury in children with a head trauma. We evaluated the significance of time presentation in the management of these patients. METHODS We conducted a retrospective study of children and adolescents aged 0 to <18 years by comparing the clinical, radiological, and epidemiological features in those presenting within 24 hours with those presenting greater than 24 hours after a head injury. RESULTS We identified 188 and 98 patients with early presentation and late presentation, respectively. The percentage of children aged 0 to <6 months was lower in those with late presentation (6.12%) than those with early presentation (20.21%) with a significant difference (P < .001). Likewise, the percentage of children aged ≥24 months was lower in children with late presentation (7.14%) than those with early presentation (34.04%) with a significant difference (P < .001). The severe mechanism rate was more elevated in early presentation (38.83%) with a significant difference (-14.34%; 95% confidence interval [CI], -25.34% to -3.34%; P = .015). The symptom rate resulted higher in early presentation (14.36%) with a significant difference (-11.30%; 95% CI, -17.36% to 5.22%; P = .003). The parietal scalp hematoma occurred mostly in children with late presentation (85.71%) with a significant difference (19.76%; 95% CI, 10.07% to 29.45%; P < .001). The occipital scalp hematoma rate was higher in early presentation with a significant difference (-17.50%; 95% CI, -22.99% to -12.12%; P < .001). There was no significant difference in the prevalence of different types of intracranial injury, and the only 5 patients needing a neurosurgical intervention were exclusively children with an early presentation. CONCLUSION Although children with soft scalp hematoma presenting to the emergency department greater than 24 hours after a head injury may have pathological findings on computed tomography, all of them had a good short- and long-term outcomes, and no neurological deterioration aroused the medical attention on follow-up. For this subset of patients that does not experience red flags (neurological symptoms, focal signs on examination, or severe injury mechanism), a wait-and-see approach might be more appropriate rather than neuroimaging.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Alessandro De Benedictis
- Neurosurgery Unit, Department of Neuroscience and Neuro-Rehabilitation, Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital, IRCCS, Rome, Italy
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Abid Z, Kuppermann N, Tancredi DJ, Dayan PS. Risk of Traumatic Brain Injuries in Infants Younger than 3 Months With Minor Blunt Head Trauma. Ann Emerg Med 2021; 78:321-330.e1. [PMID: 34148662 DOI: 10.1016/j.annemergmed.2021.04.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2020] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Abstract
STUDY OBJECTIVE Infants with head trauma often have subtle findings suggestive of traumatic brain injury. Prediction rules for traumatic brain injury among children with minor head trauma have not been specifically evaluated in infants younger than 3 months old. We aimed to determine the risk of clinically important traumatic brain injuries, traumatic brain injuries on computed tomography (CT) images, and skull fractures in infants younger than 3 months of age who did and did not meet the age-specific Pediatric Emergency Care Applied Research Network (PECARN) low-risk criteria for children with minor blunt head trauma. METHODS We conducted a secondary analysis of infants <3 months old in the public use data set from PECARN's prospective observational study of children with minor blunt head trauma. Main outcomes included (1) clinically important traumatic brain injury, (2) traumatic brain injury on CT, and (3) skull fracture on CT. RESULTS Of 10,904 patients <2 years old, 1,081 (9.9%) with complete data were <3 months old; most (750/1081, 69.6%) sustained falls, and 633/1081 (58.6%) underwent CT scans. Of the 514/1081 (47.5%) infants who met the PECARN low-risk criteria, 1/514 (0.2%, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.005% to 1.1%), 10/197 (5.1%, 2.5% to 9.1%), and 9/197 (4.6%, 2.1% to 8.5%) had clinically important traumatic brain injuries, traumatic brain injuries on CT, and skull fractures, respectively. Of 567 infants who did not meet the low-risk PECARN criteria, 24/567 (4.2%, 95% CI 2.7% to 6.2%), 94/436 (21.3%, 95% CI 17.6% to 25.5%), and 122/436 (28.0%, 95% CI 23.8% to 32.5%) had clinically important traumatic brain injuries, traumatic brain injuries, and skull fractures, respectively. CONCLUSION The PECARN traumatic brain injury low-risk criteria accurately identified infants <3 months old at low risk of clinically important traumatic brain injuries. However, infants at low risk for clinically important traumatic brain injuries remained at risk for traumatic brain injuries on CT, suggesting the need for a cautious approach in these infants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zaynah Abid
- Department of Pediatrics, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY.
| | - Nathan Kuppermann
- Departments of Emergency Medicine and Pediatrics, Davis School of Medicine, University of California, Sacramento, CA
| | - Daniel J Tancredi
- Departments of Emergency Medicine and Pediatrics, Davis School of Medicine, University of California, Sacramento, CA
| | - Peter S Dayan
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY
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Shope C, Alshareef M, Larrew T, Bolling C, Reagan J, Yazdani M, Spampinato M, Eskandari R. Utility of a pediatric fast magnetic resonance imaging protocol as surveillance scanning for traumatic brain injury. J Neurosurg Pediatr 2021; 27:475-481. [PMID: 33545669 DOI: 10.3171/2020.8.peds20496] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2020] [Accepted: 08/19/2020] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a prevalent pediatric pathology in the modern emergency department. Computed tomography (CT) is utilized for detection of TBI and can result in cumulatively high radiation exposure. Recently, a fast brain magnetic resonance imaging (fbMRI) protocol has been employed for rapid imaging of hydrocephalus in pediatric patients. The authors investigate the utility of a modified trauma-focused fbMRI (t-fbMRI) protocol as an alternative to surveillance CT in the setting of acute TBI in pediatric patients, thus reducing radiation exposure while improving diagnostic yield. METHODS A retrospective review was performed at the authors' institution for all pediatric patients who had undergone t-fbMRI within 72 hours of an initial CT scan, using a 1.5- or 3-T MR scanner for trauma indications. Forty patients met the study inclusion criteria. The authors performed a comparison of findings on the reads of CT and fbMRI, and a board-certified neuroradiologist conducted an independent review of both modalities. RESULTS T-fbMRI outperformed CT in specificity, sensitivity, and negative predictive value for all injury pathologies measured, except for skull fractures. T-fbMRI demonstrated a sensitivity of 100% in the detection of extraaxial bleed, intraventricular hemorrhage, and subarachnoid hemorrhage and had a sensitivity of 78% or greater for epidural hematoma, subdural hematoma, and intraparenchymal hemorrhage. T-fbMRI yielded a specificity of 100% for all types of intracranial hemorrhages, with a corresponding negative predictive value that exceeded that for CT. CONCLUSIONS In pediatric populations, the t-fbMRI protocol provides a valid alternative to CT in the surveillance of TBI and intracranial hemorrhage. Although not as sensitive in the detection of isolated skull fractures, t-fbMRI can be used to monitor pathologies implicated in TBI patients while minimizing radiation exposure from traditional surveillance imaging.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chelsea Shope
- 1College of Medicine, Medical University of South Carolina; and
| | | | | | - Christopher Bolling
- 3Radiology, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina
| | - Justin Reagan
- 3Radiology, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina
| | - Milad Yazdani
- 3Radiology, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina
| | - Maria Spampinato
- 3Radiology, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina
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Pediatric emergency medicine literature 2020. Am J Emerg Med 2021; 43:123-133. [PMID: 33561621 DOI: 10.1016/j.ajem.2021.01.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/02/2021] [Revised: 01/06/2021] [Accepted: 01/09/2021] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Most children are treated at general Emergency Departments (EDs) and not specialized pediatric EDs. Therefore, it is crucial for emergency medicine physicians to be aware of recent developments in pediatric emergency medicine. Often impactful articles on pediatric emergency medicine are not published in the journals regularly studied by general emergency medicine physicians. We selected ten studies that we found impactful, robust, and relevant for practicing general emergency physicians. This review includes studies of status epilepticus, cardiac arrest, asthma, infant fever, wound care, rapid sequence intubation, coronavirus, and trauma.
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Schutzman SA, Nigrovic LE, Mannix R. The Infant Scalp Score: A Validated Tool to Stratify Risk of Traumatic Brain Injury in Infants With Isolated Scalp Hematoma. Acad Emerg Med 2021; 28:92-97. [PMID: 32673432 DOI: 10.1111/acem.14087] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2020] [Revised: 06/23/2020] [Accepted: 07/11/2020] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES The objective was to validate the previously derived Infant Scalp Score (ISS) that uses clinical signs in infants with isolated scalp hematoma (ISH) after head trauma to stratify risk for clinically important traumatic brain injury (ciTBI) or TBI on computed tomography (CT). METHODS Using the publicly available Pediatric Emergency Care Applied Research Network TBI data set, we selected infants ≤ 1 year with GCS 14 to 15 who had ISH (defined as hematoma without other signs/symptoms of TBI). CT scans were obtained at the treating physician's discretion. We calculated ISS based on age, hematoma size, and location (range = 0-8) for each patient and calculated the sensitivity and specificity of the score for ciTBI and TBI on CT across a range of ISS cut-points. RESULTS We included 1,289 infants ≤ 1 year of whom 462 (36%) had CT performed. Twelve had ciTBI and 59 had TBI on CT. An ISS cutoff ≥ 4 had sensitivity of 100% for ciTBI (95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.74 to 1.0) and TBI with specificity of 0.49 (95% CI = 0.46 to 0.51). An ISS cutoff of ≥5 had a sensitivity of 100% for ciTBI (95% CI = 0.74 to 1.0) and specificity of 0.68 (95% CI = 0.66 to 0.71), but missed three infants with TBI on CT (none of whom required intervention). The receiver operating characteristic curves for clinical score to detect ciTBI and TBI had areas under the curve of 0.916 and 0.807, respectively. CONCLUSIONS The ISS accurately stratified risk for ciTBI and TBI on CT in infants with ISH and is a useful tool to help guide clinical decision making.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sara A. Schutzman
- From the Division of Emergency Medicine Boston Children's Hospital BostonMAUSA
- and the Department of Pediatrics Harvard Medical School Boston MAUSA
| | - Lise E. Nigrovic
- From the Division of Emergency Medicine Boston Children's Hospital BostonMAUSA
- and the Department of Pediatrics Harvard Medical School Boston MAUSA
| | - Rebekah Mannix
- From the Division of Emergency Medicine Boston Children's Hospital BostonMAUSA
- and the Department of Pediatrics Harvard Medical School Boston MAUSA
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13
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Alexandridis G, Verschuuren EW, Rosendaal AV, Kanhai DA. Evidence base for point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) for diagnosis of skull fractures in children: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Emerg Med J 2020; 39:30-36. [PMID: 33273039 PMCID: PMC8717482 DOI: 10.1136/emermed-2020-209887] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2020] [Revised: 10/06/2020] [Accepted: 10/07/2020] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Blunt head trauma is a common presentation to emergency departments (EDs). Identifying skull fractures in children is important as they are known factor of risk for traumatic brain injury (TBI). Currently, CT is the reference standard for diagnosing skull fractures and TBIs in children. Identifying skull fractures with point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) may help risk-stratify children for TBI following blunt trauma. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value and negative predictive value of POCUS in identifying skull fractures in children. METHODS A systematic search was performed on 17 July 2020 in Ovid Medline, Cochrane Library, Google Scholar, Web of Science and Embase. Prospective studies reporting skull fractures diagnosed with ultrasound in children younger than 18 years due to blunt head injury were included. Studies that did not confirm the fracture with CT were excluded. The quality of studies was evaluated using the QUADAS-2 tool. Data were extracted from the eligible studies to calculate outcomes such as sensitivity and specificity; when possible overall outcomes were calculated. RESULTS Seven studies were included. All eligible studies included patients for whom the decision to perform a CT scan was made in advance. Overall, the included studies demonstrated low risk of bias or had minor concerns regarding risk of bias. The pooled data (n=925) demonstrated a sensitivity of 91%, specificity of 96%, positive predictive value of 88% and negative predictive value of 97%. CONCLUSION The included studies demonstrate minor methodological limitations. Overall, the evidence suggests that POCUS is a valid option for diagnosing skull fractures in children visiting the ED after blunt head injury.
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Affiliation(s)
- Georgios Alexandridis
- Emergency Medicine, Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam, Zuid-Holland, The Netherlands .,Emergency Medicine, Franciscus Gasthuis en Vlietland, Rotterdam, Zuid-Holland, The Netherlands
| | - Eva W Verschuuren
- Emergency Medicine, Franciscus Gasthuis en Vlietland, Rotterdam, Zuid-Holland, The Netherlands
| | - Arthur V Rosendaal
- Emergency Medicine, Franciscus Gasthuis en Vlietland, Rotterdam, Zuid-Holland, The Netherlands
| | - Danny A Kanhai
- Pediatrics, Franciscus Gasthuis en Vlietland, Rotterdam, Zuid-Holland, The Netherlands
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14
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Fong AK, Allen MD, Waltzman D, Sarmiento K, Yeates KO, Suskauer S, Wintermark M, Lindberg DM, Tate DF, Wilde EA, Loewen JL. Neuroimaging in Pediatric Patients with Mild Traumatic Brain Injury: Relating the Current 2018 Centers for Disease Control Guideline and the Potential of Advanced Neuroimaging Modalities for Research and Clinical Biomarker Development. J Neurotrauma 2020; 38:44-52. [PMID: 32640874 DOI: 10.1089/neu.2020.7100] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)'s 2018 Guideline for current practices in pediatric mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI; also referred to as concussion herein) systematically identified the best up-to-date practices based on current evidence and, specifically, identified recommended practices regarding computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and skull radiograph imaging. In this article, we discuss types of neuroimaging not discussed in the guideline in terms of their safety for pediatric populations, their potential application, and the research investigating the future use of certain modalities to aid in the diagnosis and treatment of mTBI in children. The role of neuroimaging in pediatric mTBI cases should be considered for the potential contribution to children's neural and social development, in addition to the immediate clinical value (as in the case of acute structural findings). Selective use of specific neuroimaging modalities in research has already been shown to detect aspects of diffuse brain injury, disrupted cerebral blood flow, and correlate physiological factors with persistent symptoms, such as fatigue, cognitive decline, headache, and mood changes, following mTBI. However, these advanced neuroimaging modalities are currently limited to the research arena, and any future clinical application of advanced imaging modalities in pediatric mTBI will require robust evidence for each modality's ability to provide measurement of the subtle conditions of brain development, disease, damage, or degeneration, while accounting for variables at both non-injury and time-post-injury epochs. Continued collaboration and communication between researchers and healthcare providers is essential to investigate, develop, and validate the potential of advanced imaging modalities in pediatric mTBI diagnostics and management.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Dana Waltzman
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), National Center for Injury Prevention and Control (NCIPC), Division of Injury Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - Kelly Sarmiento
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), National Center for Injury Prevention and Control (NCIPC), Division of Injury Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - Keith Owen Yeates
- Department of Psychology, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
| | | | - Max Wintermark
- Department of Neuroradiology, Stanford University, Stanford, California, USA
| | - Daniel M Lindberg
- Emergency Medicine, University of Colorado Denver, Denver, Colorado, USA
| | - David F Tate
- Missouri Institute of Mental Health, University of Missouri-St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
| | - Elizabeth A Wilde
- Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA
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15
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Cremonini C, Lewis M, Wong MD, Benjamin ER, Inaba K, Demetriades D. Traumatic epidural hematomas in the pediatric population: clinical characteristics and diagnostic pitfalls. J Pediatr Surg 2020; 55:1773-1778. [PMID: 32553454 DOI: 10.1016/j.jpedsurg.2020.05.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2019] [Revised: 05/07/2020] [Accepted: 05/08/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND/PURPOSE The purpose of this study was to review the initial clinical presentation of EDH, identify potential clinical markers and highlight diagnostic pitfalls. METHODS Retrospective review of all pediatric patients admitted to a Level I Trauma Center diagnosed with blunt traumatic EDH from 2008 to 2018. RESULTS A total of 699 pediatric patients were identified with blunt traumatic brain injury (TBI); 106 with EDH made up the study population. A skull fracture was present in 84%. Overall, the most common clinical finding was a scalp hematoma (86%), followed by loss of consciousness (66%), emesis (34%), headache (27%), amnesia (18%), and seizures (12%). Importantly, 40% of patients with EDH presented with GCS 15. Four children (4%) had GCS 15 and were completely asymptomatic on admission. In three children (3%) the only symptom was a scalp hematoma. 50% of all EDH required craniotomy, and this was not significantly different if GCS was 15 on presentation (45%, p = 0.192). Mortality was 2%. Fourteen patients (13%) were discharged with cognitive/motor deficits. CONCLUSIONS Pediatric EDH frequently present with subtle clinical signs, including a normal GCS half the time. Irrespective of asymptomatic presentation, threshold for CT scan or an observation period should be low after head injuries in children. TYPE OF STUDY Prognosis study. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE Level II/III.
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Affiliation(s)
- Camilla Cremonini
- Division of Trauma, Emergency Surgery and Surgical Critical Care, LAC+USC Medical Center, University of Southern California, 2051 Marengo Street, IPT, C5L100, Los Angeles, CA 90033, USA
| | - Meghan Lewis
- Division of Trauma, Emergency Surgery and Surgical Critical Care, LAC+USC Medical Center, University of Southern California, 2051 Marengo Street, IPT, C5L100, Los Angeles, CA 90033, USA.
| | - Monica Darlene Wong
- Division of Trauma, Emergency Surgery and Surgical Critical Care, LAC+USC Medical Center, University of Southern California, 2051 Marengo Street, IPT, C5L100, Los Angeles, CA 90033, USA
| | - Elizabeth R Benjamin
- Division of Trauma, Emergency Surgery and Surgical Critical Care, LAC+USC Medical Center, University of Southern California, 2051 Marengo Street, IPT, C5L100, Los Angeles, CA 90033, USA
| | - Kenji Inaba
- Division of Trauma, Emergency Surgery and Surgical Critical Care, LAC+USC Medical Center, University of Southern California, 2051 Marengo Street, IPT, C5L100, Los Angeles, CA 90033, USA
| | - Demetrios Demetriades
- Division of Trauma, Emergency Surgery and Surgical Critical Care, LAC+USC Medical Center, University of Southern California, 2051 Marengo Street, IPT, C5L100, Los Angeles, CA 90033, USA
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16
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Shah J, Dubb S, Agar S, Shah P, Mirza T. Computed tomographic indications for occult skull fractures in paediatric head trauma diagnosed at the time of wound closure under general anaesthesia. Br J Oral Maxillofac Surg 2020; 59:35-38. [PMID: 32747033 DOI: 10.1016/j.bjoms.2020.07.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2020] [Accepted: 07/02/2020] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Children with head injuries commonly present to the emergency department with forehead lacerations, and are frequently referred to the oral and maxillofacial team. Assessing the Glasgow coma scale (GCS) and neurological status of these patients is particularly challenging and there remains marked ambiguity regarding the use of computed tomographic (CT) imaging in children who have no obvious signs of traumatic brain injury. We present a case series of three patients who presented to our unit with forehead lacerations following a fall. All had a normal GCS, no obvious neurological signs, and all were listed for wound closure under general anaesthesia. Intraoperatively they were found to have underlying skull fractures that necessitated emergency CT whilst under general anaesthesia. Retrospective analysis was performed. Current guidelines and the literature were reviewed to identify factors that may help to identify occult skull fractures in the context of paediatric head trauma. Despite the subsequent discovery of skull fractures under general anaesthesia, none of our patients would have satisfied the present absolute indications for CT in the current guidelines. A number of helpful factors are not common in the UK guidelines but are present in others, including the presence of an appreciable haematoma and lacerations greater than 5 cm, amongst others. The assessment of paediatric patients with head trauma often remains a challenge when assessing for features such as headache, focal neurology, and amnesia. A high index of suspicion, formal examination under anaesthesia, and communication with the radiology department, are imperative if we are to avoid missing an occult injury that could potentially result in brain injury.
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Affiliation(s)
- J Shah
- Luton and Dunstable University Hospital.
| | - S Dubb
- Luton and Dunstable University Hospital
| | - S Agar
- Luton and Dunstable University Hospital
| | - P Shah
- Luton and Dunstable University Hospital
| | - T Mirza
- Luton and Dunstable University Hospital
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17
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Eapen N, Borland ML, Phillips N, Kochar A, Dalton S, Cheek JA, Gilhotra Y, Neutze J, Lyttle MD, Donath S, Crowe L, Dalziel SR, Oakley E, Williams A, Hearps S, Bressan S, Babl FE. Neonatal head injuries: A prospective Paediatric Research in Emergency Departments International Collaborative cohort study. J Paediatr Child Health 2020; 56:764-769. [PMID: 31868278 DOI: 10.1111/jpc.14736] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2018] [Revised: 08/15/2019] [Accepted: 12/02/2019] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
AIM To characterise the causes, clinical characteristics and short-term outcomes of neonates who presented to paediatric emergency departments with a head injury. METHODS Secondary analysis of a prospective data set of paediatric head injuries at 10 emergency departments in Australia and New Zealand. Patients without neuroimaging were followed up by telephone call. We extracted epidemiological information, clinical findings and outcomes in neonates (≤28 days). RESULTS Of 20 137 children with head injuries, 93 (0.5%) occurred in neonates. These were mostly fall-related (75.2%), commonly from a care giver's arms, or due to being accidentally struck by a person/object (20.4%). There were three cases of non-accidental head injuries (3.2%). Most neonates were asymptomatic (67.7%) and many had no findings on examination (47.3%). Most neonates had a Glasgow Coma Scale 15 (89.2%) or 14 (7.5%). A total of 15.1% presented with vomiting and 5.4% were abnormally drowsy. None had experienced a loss of consciousness. The most common findings on examination were scalp haematoma (28.0%) and possible palpable skull fracture (6.5%); 8.6% underwent computed tomography brain scan and 4.3% received an ultrasound. Five of eight computed tomography scan (5.4% of neonates overall) showed traumatic brain injury and two of four (2.2% overall) had traumatic brain injury on ultrasound. Thirty-seven percent were admitted, one patient was intubated and none had neurosurgery or died. CONCLUSIONS Neonatal head injuries are rare with a mostly benign short-term outcome and are appropriate for observation. However, non-accidental injuries need to be considered.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nitaa Eapen
- Emergency Department, Royal Children's Hospital, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.,Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Meredith L Borland
- Emergency Department, Perth Children's Hospital, Perth, Western Australia, Australia.,Schools of Medicine, Divisions of Emergency Medicine and Paediatrics, University of Western Australia, Perth, Western Australia, Australia
| | - Natalie Phillips
- Emergency Department, Queensland Children's Hospital, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.,Child Health Research Centre, The University of Queensland, Medical Research Institute, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.,Faculty of Medicine, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | - Amit Kochar
- Emergency Department, Women's and Children's Hospital, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
| | - Sarah Dalton
- Emergency Department, The Children's Hospital at Westmead, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - John A Cheek
- Emergency Department, Royal Children's Hospital, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.,Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.,Emergency Department, Monash Medical Centre, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Yuri Gilhotra
- Emergency Department, Queensland Children's Hospital, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | - Jocelyn Neutze
- Emergency Department, Kidzfirst Middlemore Hospital, Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Mark D Lyttle
- Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.,Emergency Department, Bristol Royal Hospital for Children, Bristol, United Kingdom.,Faculty of Health & Life Sciences, University of the West of England, Bristol, United Kingdom
| | - Susan Donath
- Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.,Department of Paediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Louise Crowe
- Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Stuart R Dalziel
- Emergency Department, Starship Children's Health, Auckland, New Zealand.,Liggins Institute, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Ed Oakley
- Emergency Department, Royal Children's Hospital, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.,Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.,Department of Paediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Amanda Williams
- Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Stephen Hearps
- Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Silvia Bressan
- Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.,Department of Women's and Child Heath, University of Padova, Padova, Italy
| | - Franz E Babl
- Emergency Department, Royal Children's Hospital, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.,Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.,Department of Paediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
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18
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Stone EL, Davis LL, McCoy TP, Travers D, Van Horn E, Krowchuk HV. A secondary analysis to inform a clinical decision rule for predicting skull fracture and intracranial injury in children under age 2. Res Nurs Health 2019; 43:28-39. [PMID: 31691321 DOI: 10.1002/nur.21993] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2019] [Accepted: 10/12/2019] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to identify factors associated with the risk of closed head injury (CHI) in children under age 2 years with suspected minor head injuries based on age-appropriate, or near age-appropriate, mental status on an exam. The study was a secondary data analysis of a public-use dataset from the largest prospective, multicenter pediatric head injury study found in the current literature. An existing, validated clinical decision rule was examined using a sample of 3,329 children under age 2 to determine whether it, or the individual variables within it, could be utilized alone, or in conjunction with other variables to accurately predict the risk of underlying CHI in this sample. Results indicated that the keys to an accurate triage assessment for children under age 2 with suspected minor head injuries include the ability to identify the specific skull region injured, the ability to assess for the presence and size of any scalp hematoma, the ability to identify signs of altered mental status in this age group, and having access to accurate information regarding the child's age and the details of the injury mechanism. The findings from this study add to the body of knowledge regarding what factors are associated with CHI in children under age 2 with suspected minor head injuries and could be used to inform age-specific recommendations for children under age 2 in triage, educational resources, and national trauma criteria.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elizabeth L Stone
- Undergraduate Division, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Nursing, Chapel Hill, North Carolina.,WakeMed Children's Emergency Department, WakeMed Health & Hospitals, Raleigh, North Carolina
| | - Leslie L Davis
- PhD Division, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Nursing, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
| | - Thomas P McCoy
- Department of Family and Community Nursing, University of North Carolina Greensboro School of Nursing, Greensboro, North Carolina
| | - Debbie Travers
- PhD Division, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Nursing, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
| | - Elizabeth Van Horn
- Department of Adult Health Nursing, University of North Carolina Greensboro School of Nursing, Greensboro, North Carolina
| | - Heidi V Krowchuk
- Department of Family and Community Nursing, University of North Carolina at Greensboro School of Nursing, Greensboro, North Carolina
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19
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Bertsimas D, Dunn J, Steele DW, Trikalinos TA, Wang Y. Comparison of Machine Learning Optimal Classification Trees With the Pediatric Emergency Care Applied Research Network Head Trauma Decision Rules. JAMA Pediatr 2019; 173:648-656. [PMID: 31081856 PMCID: PMC6515573 DOI: 10.1001/jamapediatrics.2019.1068] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/11/2018] [Accepted: 01/29/2019] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
Importance Computed tomographic (CT) scanning is the standard for the rapid diagnosis of intracranial injury, but it is costly and exposes patients to ionizing radiation. The Pediatric Emergency Care Applied Research Network (PECARN) rules for identifying children with minor head trauma who are at very low risk of clinically important traumatic brain injury (ciTBI) are widely used to triage CT imaging. Objective To examine whether optimal classification trees (OCTs), which are novel machine-learning classifiers, improve on PECARN rules' predictive accuracy. Design, Setting, and Participants A secondary analysis of prospective, publicly available data on emergency department visits for head trauma used by the PECARN group to develop their tool was conducted to derive OCT-based prediction rules for ciTBI in a development cohort and compare their predictive performance vs the PECARN rules in a validation cohort among children who were younger than 2 years and 2 years or older. Data on 42 412 children with head trauma and without severely altered mental status who were examined between June 1, 2004, and September 30, 2006, were gathered from 25 emergency departments in North America participating in PECARN. Data analysis was conducted from September 15, 2016, to December 18, 2018. Main Outcomes and Measures The outcome was ciTBI, with predictive performance measured by estimating the sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value, positive likelihood ratio, and negative likelihood ratio for the OCT and the PECARN rules. The OCT and PECARN rules' performance was compared by estimating ratios for each measure. Results Of the 42 412 children (15 996 [37.7%] girls) included in the analysis, 10 718 were younger than 2 years (25.3%; mean [SD] age, 11.6 [0.6] months) and 31 694 were 2 years or older (74.7%; age, 9.1 [4.9] years). Compared with PECARN rules, OCTs misclassified 0 vs 1 child with ciTBI in the younger and 10 vs 9 children with ciTBI in the older cohort, and correctly identified more children with very low risk of ciTBI in the younger (7605 vs 5701) and older (20 594 vs 18 134) cohorts. In the validation cohorts, compared with the PECARN rules, the OCTs had statistically significantly better specificity (in the younger cohort: 69.3%; 95% CI, 67.4%-71.2% vs 52.8%; 95% CI, 50.8%-54.9%; in the older cohort: 65.6%; 95% CI, 64.5%-66.8% vs 57.6%; 95% CI, 56.4%-58.8%), positive predictive value (odds ratios, 1.54; 95% CI, 1.36-1.74 and 1.23; 95% CI, 1.17-1.30, in younger and older children, respectively), and positive likelihood ratio (risk ratios, 1.54; 95% CI, 1.36-1.74 and 1.23; 95% CI, 1.17-1.30, in younger and older children, respectively). There were no statistically significant differences in the sensitivity, negative predictive value, and negative likelihood ratio between the 2 sets of rules. Conclusions and Relevance If implemented, OCTs may help reduce the number of unnecessary CT scans, without missing more patients with ciTBI than the PECARN rules.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dimitris Bertsimas
- Operations Research Center, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge
| | - Jack Dunn
- Operations Research Center, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge
| | - Dale W. Steele
- Departments of Emergency Medicine and Pediatrics, Alpert Medical School, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island
- Center for Evidence Synthesis in Health, Brown University School of Public Health, Providence, Rhode Island
| | - Thomas A. Trikalinos
- Center for Evidence Synthesis in Health, Brown University School of Public Health, Providence, Rhode Island
| | - Yuchen Wang
- Operations Research Center, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge
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20
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Bressan S, Kochar A, Oakley E, Borland M, Phillips N, Dalton S, Lyttle MD, Hearps S, Cheek JA, Furyk J, Neutze J, Dalziel S, Babl FE. Traumatic brain injury in young children with isolated scalp haematoma. Arch Dis Child 2019; 104:664-669. [PMID: 30833284 DOI: 10.1136/archdischild-2018-316066] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/16/2018] [Revised: 12/06/2018] [Accepted: 01/21/2019] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Despite high-quality paediatric head trauma clinical prediction rules, the management of otherwise asymptomatic young children with scalp haematomas (SH) can be difficult. We determined the risk of intracranial injury when SH is the only predictor variable using definitions from the Pediatric Emergency Care Applied Research Network (PECARN) and Children's Head Injury Algorithm for the Prediction of Important Clinical Events (CHALICE) head trauma rules. DESIGN Planned secondary analysis of a multicentre prospective observational study. SETTING Ten emergency departments in Australia and New Zealand. PATIENTS Children <2 years with head trauma (n=5237). INTERVENTIONS We used the PECARN (any non-frontal haematoma) and CHALICE (>5 cm haematoma in any region of the head) rule-based definition of isolated SH in both children <1 year and <2 years. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Clinically important traumatic brain injury (ciTBI; ie, death, neurosurgery, intubation >24 hours or positive CT scan in association with hospitalisation ≥2 nights for traumatic brain injury). RESULTS In children <1 year with isolated SH as per PECARN rule, the risk of ciTBI was 0.0% (0/109; 95% CI 0.0% to 3.3%); in those with isolated SH as defined by the CHALICE, it was 20.0% (7/35; 95% CI 8.4% to 36.9%) with one patient requiring neurosurgery. Results for children <2 years and when using rule specific outcomes were similar. CONCLUSIONS In young children with SH as an isolated finding after head trauma, use of the definitions of both rules will aid clinicians in determining the level of risk of ciTBI and therefore in deciding whether to do a CT scan. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER ACTRN12614000463673.
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Affiliation(s)
- Silvia Bressan
- Department of Women's and Children's Health, University of Padova, Padova, Italy
| | - Amit Kochar
- Pediatric Emergency, Women's and Children's Hospital Adelaide Women's and Babies Division, North Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
| | - Ed Oakley
- Departmentof Paediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.,Emergency Department, Royal Children's Hospital Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia.,Clinical Sciences, Murdoch Childrens Research Institute, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Meredith Borland
- Emergency Medicine, Perth Children's Hospital, Perth, Western Australia, Australia.,Divisions of Paediatrics and Emergency Medicine, University of Western Australia, Crawley, Western Australia, Australia
| | - Natalie Phillips
- Emergency Department, Queensland Children's Hospital, South Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | - Sarah Dalton
- Emergency Department, Children's Hospital at Westmead, Westmead, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Mark D Lyttle
- Emergency Department, Bristol Royal Hospital for Children, Bristol, UK.,Academic Department of Emergency Care, University of the West of England, Bristol, Avon, UK
| | - Stephen Hearps
- Clinical Sciences, Murdoch Childrens Research Institute, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - John Alexander Cheek
- Emergency Department, Royal Children's Hospital Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
| | - Jeremy Furyk
- Emergency Department, University Hospital Geelong, Victoria, Australia
| | - Jocelyn Neutze
- Emergency Medicine, Kidzfirst Middlemore Hospital, Otahuhu, New Zealand
| | - Stuart Dalziel
- Emergency Department, Starship Children's Health, Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Franz E Babl
- Departmentof Paediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.,Emergency Department, Royal Children's Hospital Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia.,Clinical Sciences, Murdoch Childrens Research Institute, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
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21
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Khalifa M, Gallego B. Grading and assessment of clinical predictive tools for paediatric head injury: a new evidence-based approach. BMC Emerg Med 2019; 19:35. [PMID: 31200643 PMCID: PMC6570950 DOI: 10.1186/s12873-019-0249-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/12/2019] [Accepted: 06/03/2019] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Many clinical predictive tools have been developed to diagnose traumatic brain injury among children and guide the use of computed tomography in the emergency department. It is not always feasible to compare tools due to the diversity of their development methodologies, clinical variables, target populations, and predictive performances. The objectives of this study are to grade and assess paediatric head injury predictive tools, using a new evidence-based approach, and to provide emergency clinicians with standardised objective information on predictive tools to support their search for and selection of effective tools. METHODS Paediatric head injury predictive tools were identified through a focused review of literature. Based on the critical appraisal of published evidence about predictive performance, usability, potential effect, and post-implementation impact, tools were evaluated using a new framework for grading and assessment of predictive tools (GRASP). A comprehensive analysis was conducted to explain why certain tools were more successful. RESULTS Fourteen tools were identified and evaluated. The highest-grade tool is PECARN; the only tool evaluated in post-implementation impact studies. PECARN and CHALICE were evaluated for their potential effect on healthcare, while the remaining 12 tools were only evaluated for predictive performance. Three tools; CATCH, NEXUS II, and Palchak, were externally validated. Three tools; Haydel, Atabaki, and Buchanich, were only internally validated. The remaining six tools; Da Dalt, Greenes, Klemetti, Quayle, Dietrich, and Güzel did not show sufficient internal validity for use in clinical practice. CONCLUSIONS The GRASP framework provides clinicians with a high-level, evidence-based, comprehensive, yet simple and feasible approach to grade, compare, and select effective predictive tools. Comparing the three main tools which were assigned the highest grades; PECARN, CHALICE and CATCH, to the remaining 11, we find that the quality of tools' development studies, the experience and credibility of their authors, and the support by well-funded research programs were correlated with the tools' evidence-based assigned grades, and were more influential, than the sole high predictive performance, on the wide acceptance and successful implementation of the tools. Tools' simplicity and feasibility, in terms of resources needed, technical requirements, and training, are also crucial factors for their success.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohamed Khalifa
- Australian Institute of Health Innovation, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Macquarie University, 75 Talavera Road, North Ryde, Sydney, NSW, 2113, Australia.
| | - Blanca Gallego
- Centre for Big Data Research in Health, Faculty of Medicine, University of New South Wales, Lowy Cancer Research Centre, Level 4, Cnr High &, Botany St, Kensington, Sydney, NSW, 2052, Australia
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Timmons SD, Waltzman D, Duhaime AC, Spinks TJ, Sarmiento K. Considerations for neurosurgeons: recommendations from the CDC Pediatric Mild Traumatic Brain Injury Guideline. J Neurosurg 2019; 131:979-983. [PMID: 31174191 PMCID: PMC7026988 DOI: 10.3171/2019.3.jns183339] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Shelly D. Timmons
- Penn State University, Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, Penn State Health, Department of Neurosurgery, Hershey, Pennsylvania
| | - Dana Waltzman
- Division of Unintentional Injury Prevention, National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Ann-Christine Duhaime
- Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard University, Department of Neurosurgery, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Theodore J. Spinks
- St. Joseph’s Children’s Hospital, Department of Pediatric Neurosurgery, Tampa, Florida
| | - Kelly Sarmiento
- Division of Unintentional Injury Prevention, National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia
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Stone EL, Davis LL. State of the Science: Skull Fracture and Intracranial Injury in Children Below Age 2. J Emerg Nurs 2019; 45:545-550. [PMID: 31053239 DOI: 10.1016/j.jen.2019.03.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/27/2018] [Revised: 03/19/2019] [Accepted: 03/29/2019] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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24
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Kauffman JD, Litz CN, Thiel SA, Nguyen ATH, Carey A, Danielson PD, Chandler NM. To Scan or Not to Scan: Overutilization of Computed Tomography for Minor Head Injury at a Pediatric Trauma Center. J Surg Res 2018; 232:164-170. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jss.2018.06.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2018] [Revised: 05/25/2018] [Accepted: 06/01/2018] [Indexed: 10/28/2022]
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25
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Kralik SF, Supakul N, Wu IC, Delso G, Radhakrishnan R, Ho CY, Eley KA. Black bone MRI with 3D reconstruction for the detection of skull fractures in children with suspected abusive head trauma. Neuroradiology 2018; 61:81-87. [DOI: 10.1007/s00234-018-2127-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2018] [Accepted: 10/30/2018] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
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26
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Lumba-Brown A, Yeates KO, Sarmiento K, Breiding MJ, Haegerich TM, Gioia GA, Turner M, Benzel EC, Suskauer SJ, Giza CC, Joseph M, Broomand C, Weissman B, Gordon W, Wright DW, Moser RS, McAvoy K, Ewing-Cobbs L, Duhaime AC, Putukian M, Holshouser B, Paulk D, Wade SL, Herring SA, Halstead M, Keenan HT, Choe M, Christian CW, Guskiewicz K, Raksin PB, Gregory A, Mucha A, Taylor HG, Callahan JM, DeWitt J, Collins MW, Kirkwood MW, Ragheb J, Ellenbogen RG, Spinks TJ, Ganiats TG, Sabelhaus LJ, Altenhofen K, Hoffman R, Getchius T, Gronseth G, Donnell Z, O'Connor RE, Timmons SD. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Guideline on the Diagnosis and Management of Mild Traumatic Brain Injury Among Children. JAMA Pediatr 2018; 172:e182853. [PMID: 30193284 PMCID: PMC7006878 DOI: 10.1001/jamapediatrics.2018.2853] [Citation(s) in RCA: 285] [Impact Index Per Article: 47.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Importance Mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI), or concussion, in children is a rapidly growing public health concern because epidemiologic data indicate a marked increase in the number of emergency department visits for mTBI over the past decade. However, no evidence-based clinical guidelines have been developed to date for diagnosing and managing pediatric mTBI in the United States. Objective To provide a guideline based on a previous systematic review of the literature to obtain and assess evidence toward developing clinical recommendations for health care professionals related to the diagnosis, prognosis, and management/treatment of pediatric mTBI. Evidence Review The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) National Center for Injury Prevention and Control Board of Scientific Counselors, a federal advisory committee, established the Pediatric Mild Traumatic Brain Injury Guideline Workgroup. The workgroup drafted recommendations based on the evidence that was obtained and assessed within the systematic review, as well as related evidence, scientific principles, and expert inference. This information includes selected studies published since the evidence review was conducted that were deemed by the workgroup to be relevant to the recommendations. The dates of the initial literature search were January 1, 1990, to November 30, 2012, and the dates of the updated literature search were December 1, 2012, to July 31, 2015. Findings The CDC guideline includes 19 sets of recommendations on the diagnosis, prognosis, and management/treatment of pediatric mTBI that were assigned a level of obligation (ie, must, should, or may) based on confidence in the evidence. Recommendations address imaging, symptom scales, cognitive testing, and standardized assessment for diagnosis; history and risk factor assessment, monitoring, and counseling for prognosis; and patient/family education, rest, support, return to school, and symptom management for treatment. Conclusions and Relevance This guideline identifies the best practices for mTBI based on the current evidence; updates should be made as the body of evidence grows. In addition to the development of the guideline, CDC has created user-friendly guideline implementation materials that are concise and actionable. Evaluation of the guideline and implementation materials is crucial in understanding the influence of the recommendations.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Kelly Sarmiento
- Division of Unintentional Injury Prevention, National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Matthew J Breiding
- Division of Unintentional Injury Prevention, National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Tamara M Haegerich
- Division of Unintentional Injury Prevention, National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Gerard A Gioia
- Children's National Health System, George Washington University School of Medicine, Washington, DC
| | | | | | - Stacy J Suskauer
- Kennedy Krieger Institute, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Christopher C Giza
- The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) Steve Tisch BrainSPORT Program, UCLA Mattel Children's Hospital, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles
| | | | - Catherine Broomand
- Center for Neuropsychological Services, Kaiser Permanente, Roseville, California
| | | | - Wayne Gordon
- Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York
| | | | | | - Karen McAvoy
- Rocky Mountain Hospital for Children, Denver, Colorado
| | - Linda Ewing-Cobbs
- Children's Learning Institute, Department of Pediatrics, University of Texas (UT) Health Science Center at Houston
| | | | - Margot Putukian
- University Health Services, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey
| | | | | | - Shari L Wade
- Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, Ohio
| | | | | | | | - Meeryo Choe
- The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) Steve Tisch BrainSPORT Program, UCLA Mattel Children's Hospital, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles
| | - Cindy W Christian
- Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Raymond and Ruth Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia
| | | | - P B Raksin
- John H. Stroger, Jr Hospital of Cook County (formerly Cook County Hospital), Chicago, Illinois
| | - Andrew Gregory
- Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, Tennessee
| | - Anne Mucha
- University of Pittsburgh Medical Center Sports Medicine Concussion Program, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
| | - H Gerry Taylor
- Nationwide Children's Hospital Research Institute, Columbus, Ohio
| | - James M Callahan
- Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Raymond and Ruth Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia
| | - John DeWitt
- Jameson Crane Sports Medicine Institute, School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Columbus
| | - Michael W Collins
- University of Pittsburgh Medical Center Sports Medicine Concussion Program, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
| | | | - John Ragheb
- Nicklaus Children's Hospital, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, Florida
| | | | - Theodore J Spinks
- Department of Pediatric Neurosurgery, St Joseph's Children's Hospital, Tampa, Florida
| | | | | | | | | | - Tom Getchius
- American Academy of Neurology, Minneapolis, Minnesota
| | | | - Zoe Donnell
- Social Marketing Group, ICF, Rockville, Maryland
| | | | - Shelly D Timmons
- Penn State University Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, Hershey, Pennsylvania
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Parameswaran A, Heitner S, Thosar D, Fowler A, Marks S, O'Leary F. Trial of life: Well infants presenting more than 24 h after head injury with a scalp haematoma: A 10-year review. J Paediatr Child Health 2018; 54:1193-1198. [PMID: 29748981 DOI: 10.1111/jpc.13932] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2018] [Accepted: 03/26/2018] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
AIM To review the investigation, patterns of injury and short-term outcomes of infants younger than 12 months of age who presented more than 24 h after head injury with an isolated scalp haematoma. METHODS A retrospective chart review of infants who presented with a head injury to the emergency department of a major paediatric hospital between 2006 and 2016. Patients were included if they presented more than 24 h after the injury, were clinically well and had a documented scalp haematoma. Charts were abstracted using a standardised instrument to yield patient characteristics, mechanism of injury, imaging performed, identified injuries and patient outcome. RESULTS A total of 2433 records were reviewed, with 157 included in the study. The mean age was 7.5 months (standard deviation 2.6). Of the patients, 14 had a documented palpable skull fracture; 43 patients had a skull X-ray reported as a fracture; 13 patients had cranial ultrasounds with 3 reported as having a fracture; 124 patients had computed tomography head imaging, with 112 demonstrating a fracture; and 52 patients had acute intracranial abnormalities. There were nine unplanned representations (5.7%). No patients required any neurosurgical intervention. CONCLUSIONS Infants presenting after 24 h with isolated scalp haematomas had good short-term outcomes despite a high prevalence of underlying injury on imaging. Expectant management, rather than imaging, may be a valid approach in this patient population. However, some of these injuries may have been the result of inflicted injury, and all of these patients require a robust assessment regardless of the decision to use a computed tomography scan.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ahilan Parameswaran
- Emergency Department, Children's Hospital at Westmead, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Shmuel Heitner
- Emergency Department, Children's Hospital at Westmead, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Deepali Thosar
- Emergency Department, Children's Hospital at Westmead, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Adam Fowler
- Department of Neurosurgery, Children's Hospital at Westmead, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Susan Marks
- Child Protection Unit, Children's Hospital at Westmead, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Fenton O'Leary
- Emergency Department, Children's Hospital at Westmead, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.,Disciplines of Emergency Medicine and Paediatrics and Child Health, Sydney Medical School, University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
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28
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Lumba-Brown A, Yeates KO, Sarmiento K, Breiding MJ, Haegerich TM, Gioia GA, Turner M, Benzel EC, Suskauer SJ, Giza CC, Joseph M, Broomand C, Weissman B, Gordon W, Wright DW, Moser RS, McAvoy K, Ewing-Cobbs L, Duhaime AC, Putukian M, Holshouser B, Paulk D, Wade SL, Herring SA, Halstead M, Keenan HT, Choe M, Christian CW, Guskiewicz K, Raksin PB, Gregory A, Mucha A, Taylor HG, Callahan JM, DeWitt J, Collins MW, Kirkwood MW, Ragheb J, Ellenbogen RG, Spinks TJ, Ganiats TG, Sabelhaus LJ, Altenhofen K, Hoffman R, Getchius T, Gronseth G, Donnell Z, O'Connor RE, Timmons SD. Diagnosis and Management of Mild Traumatic Brain Injury in Children: A Systematic Review. JAMA Pediatr 2018; 172:e182847. [PMID: 30193325 DOI: 10.1001/jamapediatrics.2018.2847] [Citation(s) in RCA: 91] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022]
Abstract
IMPORTANCE In recent years, there has been an exponential increase in the research guiding pediatric mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) clinical management, in large part because of heightened concerns about the consequences of mTBI, also known as concussion, in children. The CDC National Center for Injury Prevention and Control's (NCIPC) Board of Scientific Counselors (BSC), a federal advisory committee, established the Pediatric Mild TBI Guideline workgroup to complete this systematic review summarizing the first 25 years of literature in this field of study. OBJECTIVE To conduct a systematic review of the pediatric mTBI literature to serve as the foundation for an evidence-based guideline with clinical recommendations associated with the diagnosis and management of pediatric mTBI. EVIDENCE REVIEW Using a modified Delphi process, the authors selected 6 clinical questions on diagnosis, prognosis, and management or treatment of pediatric mTBI. Two consecutive searches were conducted on PubMed, Embase, ERIC, CINAHL, and SportDiscus. The first included the dates January 1, 1990, to November 30, 2012, and an updated search included December 1, 2012, to July 31, 2015. The initial search was completed from December 2012 to January 2013; the updated search, from July 2015 to August 2015. Two authors worked in pairs to abstract study characteristics independently for each article selected for inclusion. A third author adjudicated disagreements. The risk of bias in each study was determined using the American Academy of Neurology Classification of Evidence Scheme. Conclusion statements were developed regarding the evidence within each clinical question, and a level of confidence in the evidence was assigned to each conclusion using a modified GRADE methodology. Data analysis was completed from October 2014 to May 2015 for the initial search and from November 2015 to April 2016 for the updated search. FINDINGS Validated tools are available to assist clinicians in the diagnosis and management of pediatric mTBI. A significant body of research exists to identify features that are associated with more serious TBI-associated intracranial injury, delayed recovery from mTBI, and long-term sequelae. However, high-quality studies of treatments meant to improve mTBI outcomes are currently lacking. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE This systematic review was used to develop an evidence-based clinical guideline for the diagnosis and management of pediatric mTBI. While an increasing amount of research provides clinically useful information, this systematic review identified key gaps in diagnosis, prognosis, and management.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Kelly Sarmiento
- Division of Unintentional Injury Prevention, National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Matthew J Breiding
- Division of Unintentional Injury Prevention, National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Tamara M Haegerich
- Division of Unintentional Injury Prevention, National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Gerard A Gioia
- Children's National Health System, George Washington University School of Medicine, Washington, DC
| | | | | | - Stacy J Suskauer
- Kennedy Krieger Institute, Johns Hopkins University , Baltimore, Maryland.,Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Christopher C Giza
- UCLA Steve Tisch BrainSPORT Program, University of California, Los Angeles, Mattel Children's Hospital, Los Angeles.,David Geffen School of Medicine at University of California, Los Angeles
| | | | - Catherine Broomand
- Kaiser Permanente, Center for Neuropsychological Services, Roseville, California
| | | | - Wayne Gordon
- Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York
| | | | | | - Karen McAvoy
- Rocky Mountain Hospital for Children, Denver, Colorado
| | - Linda Ewing-Cobbs
- Children's Learning Institute and Department of Pediatrics, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston
| | | | - Margot Putukian
- Princeton University, University Health Service, Princeton, New Jersey
| | | | - David Paulk
- Kaiser Permanente, Center for Neuropsychological Services, Roseville, California
| | - Shari L Wade
- Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, Ohio
| | | | | | | | - Meeryo Choe
- UCLA Steve Tisch BrainSPORT Program, University of California, Los Angeles, Mattel Children's Hospital, Los Angeles.,David Geffen School of Medicine at University of California, Los Angeles
| | - Cindy W Christian
- Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.,Raymond and Ruth Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia
| | | | - P B Raksin
- John H. Stroger Jr. Hospital of Cook County, Chicago, Illinois
| | - Andrew Gregory
- Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, Tennessee
| | - Anne Mucha
- University of Pittsburgh Medical Center Sports Medicine Concussion Program, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
| | - H Gerry Taylor
- Nationwide Children's Hospital Research Institute, Columbus, Ohio
| | - James M Callahan
- Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.,Raymond and Ruth Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia
| | - John DeWitt
- Jameson Crane Sports Medicine Institute and School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Columbus
| | - Michael W Collins
- University of Pittsburgh Medical Center Sports Medicine Concussion Program, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
| | | | - John Ragheb
- Nicklaus Children's Hospital, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, Florida
| | | | - T J Spinks
- St. Joseph's Children's Hospital, Department of Pediatric Neurosurgery, Tampa, Florida
| | | | | | | | | | - Tom Getchius
- American Academy of Neurology, Minneapolis, Minnesota
| | | | - Zoe Donnell
- ICF, Social Marketing Group, Rockville, Maryland
| | | | - Shelly D Timmons
- Penn State University, Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, Hershey
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A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of the Management and Outcomes of Isolated Skull Fractures in Children. Ann Emerg Med 2018; 71:714-724.e2. [PMID: 29174834 PMCID: PMC10052777 DOI: 10.1016/j.annemergmed.2017.10.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2017] [Revised: 09/13/2017] [Accepted: 10/16/2017] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
STUDY OBJECTIVE Most studies of children with isolated skull fractures have been relatively small, and rare adverse outcomes may have been missed. Our aim is to quantify the frequency of short-term adverse outcomes of children with isolated skull fractures. METHODS PubMed, EMBASE, the Cochrane Library, Scopus, Web of Science, and gray literature were systematically searched to identify studies reporting on short-term adverse outcomes of children aged 18 years or younger with linear, nondisplaced, isolated skull fractures (ie, without traumatic intracranial injury on neuroimaging). Two investigators independently reviewed identified articles for inclusion, assessed quality, and extracted relevant data. Our primary outcome was emergency neurosurgery or death. Secondary outcomes were hospitalization and new intracranial hemorrhage on repeated neuroimaging. Meta-analyses of pooled estimate of each outcome were conducted with random-effects models, and heterogeneity across studies was assessed. RESULTS Of the 587 studies screened, the 21 that met our inclusion criteria included 6,646 children with isolated skull fractures. One child needed emergency neurosurgery and no children died (pooled estimate 0.0%; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.0% to 0.0%; I2=0%). Of the 6,280 children with known emergency department disposition, 4,914 (83%; 95% CI 71% to 92%; I2=99%) were hospitalized. Of the 569 children who underwent repeated neuroimaging, 6 had new evidence of intracranial hemorrhage (0.0%; 95% CI 0.0% to 9.0%; I2=77%); none required operative intervention. CONCLUSION Children with isolated skull fractures were at extremely low risk for emergency neurosurgery or death, but were frequently hospitalized. Clinically stable children with an isolated skull fracture may be considered for outpatient management in the absence of other clinical concerns.
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Parri N, Crosby BJ, Mills L, Soucy Z, Musolino AM, Da Dalt L, Cirilli A, Grisotto L, Kuppermann N. Point-of-Care Ultrasound for the Diagnosis of Skull Fractures in Children Younger Than Two Years of Age. J Pediatr 2018; 196:230-236.e2. [PMID: 29499992 DOI: 10.1016/j.jpeds.2017.12.057] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2017] [Revised: 10/30/2017] [Accepted: 12/19/2017] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES To determine the accuracy of skull point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) for identifying fractures in children younger than 2 years of age with signs of head trauma, and the ability of POCUS to identify the type and depth of fracture depression. STUDY DESIGN This was a multicenter, prospective, observational study of children younger than 2 years of age with nontrivial mechanisms of injury and signs of scalp/skull trauma. Patients were enrolled if they underwent computed tomography (CT). Patients underwent clinical evaluation, in addition to a cranial POCUS in the emergency department (ED). From the POCUS examinations, we documented whether fractures were present or absent, their location, characteristics, and depth. POCUS and CT findings were compared to calculate the diagnostic accuracy. RESULTS We enrolled a convenience sample of 115 of 151 (76.1%) eligible patients. Of the 115 enrolled, 88 (76.5%) had skull fractures. POCUS had a sensitivity of 80 of 88 (90.9%; 95% CI 82.9-96.0) and a specificity of 23 of 27 (85.2%; 95% CI 66.3-95.8) for identifying skull fractures. Agreement between POCUS and CT to identify the type of fracture as linear, depressed, or complex was 84.4% (97 of 115) with a kappa of 0.75 (95% CI 0.70-0.84). CONCLUSIONS POCUS performed by emergency physicians may identify the type and depth of fractures in infants with local physical signs of head trauma with substantial accuracy. Emergency physicians should consider POCUS as an adjunct to clinical evaluation and prediction rules for traumatic brain injuries in children younger than 2 years of age.
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Affiliation(s)
- Niccolò Parri
- Department of Pediatric Emergency Medicine and Trauma Center, Meyer Children's Hospital, Firenze, Italy.
| | - Bradley J Crosby
- Emergency Department, Dixie Regional Medical Center, St. George, UT
| | - Lisa Mills
- Department of Emergency Medicine, University of California, Davis School of Medicine, Sacramento, CA
| | - Zachary Soucy
- Department of Emergency Medicine, University of California, Davis School of Medicine, Sacramento, CA
| | - Anna Maria Musolino
- Emergency Department, Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital, IRCCS Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Liviana Da Dalt
- Department of Woman's and Child's Health, University of Padova, Padova, Italy
| | - Angela Cirilli
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Long Island Jewish Medical Center & Cohen Children's Medical Center, New Hyde Park, NY
| | - Laura Grisotto
- Department of Statistics G. Parenti, University of Florence and ISPO Cancer Prevention and Research Institute, Florence, Italy
| | - Nathan Kuppermann
- Department of Emergency Medicine, University of California, Davis School of Medicine, Sacramento, CA; Department of Pediatrics, University of California, Davis School of Medicine, Sacramento, CA
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Da Dalt L, Parri N, Amigoni A, Nocerino A, Selmin F, Manara R, Perretta P, Vardeu MP, Bressan S. Italian guidelines on the assessment and management of pediatric head injury in the emergency department. Ital J Pediatr 2018; 44:7. [PMID: 29334996 PMCID: PMC5769508 DOI: 10.1186/s13052-017-0442-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2017] [Accepted: 12/18/2017] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE We aim to formulate evidence-based recommendations to assist physicians decision-making in the assessment and management of children younger than 16 years presenting to the emergency department (ED) following a blunt head trauma with no suspicion of non-accidental injury. METHODS These guidelines were commissioned by the Italian Society of Pediatric Emergency Medicine and include a systematic review and analysis of the literature published since 2005. Physicians with expertise and experience in the fields of pediatrics, pediatric emergency medicine, pediatric intensive care, neurosurgery and neuroradiology, as well as an experienced pediatric nurse and a parent representative were the components of the guidelines working group. Areas of direct interest included 1) initial assessment and stabilization in the ED, 2) diagnosis of clinically important traumatic brain injury in the ED, 3) management and disposition in the ED. The guidelines do not provide specific guidance on the identification and management of possible associated cervical spine injuries. Other exclusions are noted in the full text. CONCLUSIONS Recommendations to guide physicians practice when assessing children presenting to the ED following blunt head trauma are reported in both summary and extensive format in the guideline document.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liviana Da Dalt
- Pediatric Emergency Department-Intensive Care Unit, Department of Woman's and Child's Health, University of Padova, Via Giustiniani 2, 35128, Padova, Italy
| | - Niccolo' Parri
- Department of Pediatric Emergency Medicine and Trauma Center, Meyer University Children's Hospital, Florence, Italy
| | - Angela Amigoni
- Pediatric Emergency Department-Intensive Care Unit, Department of Woman's and Child's Health, University of Padova, Via Giustiniani 2, 35128, Padova, Italy
| | - Agostino Nocerino
- Department of Pediatrics, S. Maria della Misericordia University Hospital, University of Udine, Udine, Italy
| | - Francesca Selmin
- Pediatric Emergency Department-Intensive Care Unit, Department of Woman's and Child's Health, University of Padova, Via Giustiniani 2, 35128, Padova, Italy
| | - Renzo Manara
- Department of Radiology, Neuroradiology Unit, University of Salerno, Salerno, Italy
| | - Paola Perretta
- Neurosurgery Unit, Regina Margherita Pediatric Hospital, Torino, Italy
| | - Maria Paola Vardeu
- Pediatric Emergency Department, Regina Margherita Pediatric Hospital, Torino, Italy
| | - Silvia Bressan
- Pediatric Emergency Department-Intensive Care Unit, Department of Woman's and Child's Health, University of Padova, Via Giustiniani 2, 35128, Padova, Italy.
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Sim SY, Kim HG, Yoon SH, Choi JW, Cho SM, Choi MS. Reappraisal of Pediatric Diastatic Skull Fractures in the 3-Dimensional CT Era: Clinical Characteristics and Comparison of Diagnostic Accuracy of Simple Skull X-Ray, 2-Dimensional CT, and 3-Dimensional CT. World Neurosurg 2017; 108:399-406. [DOI: 10.1016/j.wneu.2017.08.107] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2017] [Revised: 08/14/2017] [Accepted: 08/16/2017] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
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Di G, Liu H, Hu X, Chen S, Wang Z, Liu H. Clinical predictors of intracranial injuries on CT in infants younger than 2 years old with mild traumatic brain injury. Oncotarget 2017; 8:92615-92620. [PMID: 29190942 PMCID: PMC5696208 DOI: 10.18632/oncotarget.21512] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2017] [Accepted: 08/28/2017] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Purpose Mild traumatic brain injury (TBI) is common in children. The aim of this study was to identify clinical predictors of intracranial injuries on computed tomography (CT) in infants younger than 2 years old with mild TBI, which allow reducing number of imaging. Results Of 214 enrolled infants with complete data, 30 (5.8%) sustained intracranial injuries. Younger age in months, severe injury mechanism and scalp hematomas were associated with traumatic intracranial injuries on CT. 71 had scalp hematomas and 143 had no scalp hematoma. Within infants with scalp hematomas, 26 sustained intracranial injuries and 45 presented normal. Intracranial injuries were significantly correlated with larger scalp hematomas and different scalp hematoma locations. Logistic regression analysis showed that scalp hematoma and mechanism of injury in infants younger than 2 years old with mild TBI was related to intracranial injuries (hazard ratio=38.291, P=0.0001; hazard ratio=0.174, P=0.001). In subgroup of mild TBI infants with scalp hematomas, logistic regression analysis showed age, scalp hematoma size and mechanism of injury were independently associated with intracranial injuries (hazard ratio=0.299, P=0.032; hazard ratio=5.272, P=0.006; hazard ratio=0.312, P=0.030). Methods Between 2014 and 2016, we retrospectively enrolled infants <2 years old with mild TBI. Data recorded included age, sex, mechanism of head injury, size and location of scalp hematoma, fracture and intracranial injuries on CT. Conclusion The characteristics of scalp hematomas and mechanism of injury were associated with intracranial injuries. These factors should be considered when making decisions on radiologic examinations of infants < 2 years old with mild TBI and alternative procedures, which do not involve ionizing radiation, should be used if appropriate.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guangfu Di
- Department of Neurosurgery, The Affiliated Brain Hospital, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China.,Department of Neurosurgery, Yijishan Hospital, Wannan Medical College, Wuhu City, China
| | - Hua Liu
- Department of Neurosurgery, The Affiliated Brain Hospital, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China.,Department of Neurosurgery, The First People's Hospital of Kunshan, Jiangsu University, Suzhou, China
| | - Xinhua Hu
- Department of Neurosurgery, The Affiliated Brain Hospital, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
| | - Sansong Chen
- Department of Neurosurgery, Yijishan Hospital, Wannan Medical College, Wuhu City, China
| | - Zhichun Wang
- Department of Neurosurgery, Yijishan Hospital, Wannan Medical College, Wuhu City, China
| | - Hongyi Liu
- Department of Neurosurgery, The Affiliated Brain Hospital, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
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Dremmen MHG, Wagner MW, Bosemani T, Tekes A, Agostino D, Day E, Soares BP, Huisman TAGM. Does the Addition of a "Black Bone" Sequence to a Fast Multisequence Trauma MR Protocol Allow MRI to Replace CT after Traumatic Brain Injury in Children? AJNR Am J Neuroradiol 2017; 38:2187-2192. [PMID: 28970241 DOI: 10.3174/ajnr.a5405] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2016] [Accepted: 06/10/2017] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Head CT is the current neuroimaging tool of choice in acute evaluation of pediatric head trauma. The potential cancer risks of CT-related ionizing radiation should limit its use in children. We evaluated the role of MR imaging, including a "black bone" sequence, compared with CT in detecting skull fractures and intracranial hemorrhages in children with acute head trauma. MATERIALS AND METHODS We performed a retrospective evaluation of 2D head CT and brain MR imaging studies including the black bone sequence of children with head trauma. Two experienced pediatric neuroradiologists in consensus created the standard of reference. Another pediatric neuroradiologist blinded to the diagnosis evaluated brain MR images and head CT images in 2 separate sessions. The presence of skull fractures and intracranial posttraumatic hemorrhages was evaluated. We calculated the sensitivity and specificity of CT and MR imaging with the black bone sequence in the diagnosis of skull fractures and intracranial hemorrhages. RESULTS Twenty-eight children (24 boys; mean age, 4.89 years; range, 0-15.5 years) with head trauma were included. MR imaging with the black bone sequence revealed lower sensitivity (66.7% versus 100%) and specificity (87.5% versus 100%) in identifying skull fractures. Four of 6 incorrectly interpreted black bone MR imaging studies showed cranial sutures being misinterpreted as skull fractures and vice versa. CONCLUSIONS Our preliminary results show that brain MR imaging complemented by a black bone sequence is a promising nonionizing alternative to head CT for the assessment of skull fractures in children. However, accuracy in the detection of linear fractures in young children and fractures of aerated bone remains limited.
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Affiliation(s)
- M H G Dremmen
- From the Section of Pediatric Neuroradiology (M.H.G.D., M.W.W., T.B., A.T., D.A., E.D., B.P.S., T.A.G.M.H.), Division of Pediatric Radiology and Pediatric Neuroradiology, Department of Radiology and Radiological Science, Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore, Maryland
- Division of Pediatric Radiology (M.H.G.D.), Department of Radiology, Erasmus University Medical Center Rotterdam, Rotterdam, the Netherlands
| | - M W Wagner
- From the Section of Pediatric Neuroradiology (M.H.G.D., M.W.W., T.B., A.T., D.A., E.D., B.P.S., T.A.G.M.H.), Division of Pediatric Radiology and Pediatric Neuroradiology, Department of Radiology and Radiological Science, Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore, Maryland
- Institute of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology (M.W.W.), University Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - T Bosemani
- From the Section of Pediatric Neuroradiology (M.H.G.D., M.W.W., T.B., A.T., D.A., E.D., B.P.S., T.A.G.M.H.), Division of Pediatric Radiology and Pediatric Neuroradiology, Department of Radiology and Radiological Science, Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - A Tekes
- From the Section of Pediatric Neuroradiology (M.H.G.D., M.W.W., T.B., A.T., D.A., E.D., B.P.S., T.A.G.M.H.), Division of Pediatric Radiology and Pediatric Neuroradiology, Department of Radiology and Radiological Science, Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - D Agostino
- From the Section of Pediatric Neuroradiology (M.H.G.D., M.W.W., T.B., A.T., D.A., E.D., B.P.S., T.A.G.M.H.), Division of Pediatric Radiology and Pediatric Neuroradiology, Department of Radiology and Radiological Science, Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - E Day
- From the Section of Pediatric Neuroradiology (M.H.G.D., M.W.W., T.B., A.T., D.A., E.D., B.P.S., T.A.G.M.H.), Division of Pediatric Radiology and Pediatric Neuroradiology, Department of Radiology and Radiological Science, Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - B P Soares
- From the Section of Pediatric Neuroradiology (M.H.G.D., M.W.W., T.B., A.T., D.A., E.D., B.P.S., T.A.G.M.H.), Division of Pediatric Radiology and Pediatric Neuroradiology, Department of Radiology and Radiological Science, Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - T A G M Huisman
- From the Section of Pediatric Neuroradiology (M.H.G.D., M.W.W., T.B., A.T., D.A., E.D., B.P.S., T.A.G.M.H.), Division of Pediatric Radiology and Pediatric Neuroradiology, Department of Radiology and Radiological Science, Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore, Maryland
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Bozan Ö, Aksel G, Kahraman HA, Giritli Ö, Eroğlu SE. Comparison of PECARN and CATCH clinical decision rules in children with minor blunt head trauma. Eur J Trauma Emerg Surg 2017; 45:849-855. [DOI: 10.1007/s00068-017-0865-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2017] [Accepted: 10/16/2017] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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Singh N, Singhal A. Challenges in minor TBI and indications for head CT in pediatric TBI-an update. Childs Nerv Syst 2017; 33:1677-1681. [PMID: 29149393 DOI: 10.1007/s00381-017-3535-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2017] [Accepted: 07/06/2017] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Pediatric head trauma is one of the commonest presentations to emergency departments. Over 90% of such head injuries are considered mild, but still present risk acute clinical deterioration and longer term morbidity. Identifying which children are at risk of clinically important brain injuries remains challenging and much of the data on minor head injuries is based on the adult population. CHALLENGES IN PEDIATRICS Children, however, are different, both anatomically and in terms of mechanism of injury, to adults and, even within the pediatric group, there are differences with age and stage of development. IMAGING CT scans have added to the repertoire of clinicians in the assessment of pediatric head injury population, but judicious use is required given radiation exposure, malignancy risk, and resource constraints. Guidelines and head injury rules have been developed, for adults and children, to support decision-making in the emergency department though whether their use is applicable to all population groups is debatable. Further challenges in mild pediatric head trauma also include appropriate recommendations for school attendance and physical activity after discharge. FURTHER DEVELOPMENTS Concern remains for second-impact syndrome and, in the longer term, for post-concussive syndrome and further research in both is still needed. Furthermore, the development of clinical decision rules raises further questions on the purpose of admitting children with minor head injuries and answering this question may aid the evolution of clinical decision guidelines. CONCLUSIONS The next generation of catheter with homogeneous flow patterns based on parametric designs may represent a step forward for the treatment of hydrocephalus, by possibly broadening their lifespan.
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Affiliation(s)
- Navneet Singh
- Division of Pediatric Neurosurgery, British Columbia Children's Hospital, 4480 Oak Street, Room K3-159, Vancouver, British Columbia, V6H 3V4, Canada
| | - Ash Singhal
- Division of Pediatric Neurosurgery, British Columbia Children's Hospital, 4480 Oak Street, Room K3-159, Vancouver, British Columbia, V6H 3V4, Canada.
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Kahn DJ, Fisher PD, Hertzler DA. Variation in management of in-hospital newborn falls: a single-center experience. J Neurosurg Pediatr 2017; 20:176-182. [PMID: 28524786 DOI: 10.3171/2017.3.peds16651] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE There are only 3 small case series in the literature that report on the management of in-hospital newborn falls (NFs), and recommendations are unclear. The authors performed a retrospective review to determine outcome and differences in management and to understand why management of NFs varies at their institution. METHODS All NFs occurring within the authors' institution over a 3.5-year period were reviewed. Post-fall management and outcomes of each incident were compared. RESULTS There were 24 NFs out of 40,349 deliveries (5.9 NFs/10,000 deliveries). The mechanism of injury was nearly identical in 22 of 24 falls (the newborn fell to the floor from a parent in a bed or chair), and physical examination findings were normal or benign in all cases. Unexplained management variation based solely on clinician preference was noted, including observation only (in 13 cases), skull radiograph (in 7), head CT scan (in 6), bone survey (in 4), and head ultrasound examination (in 1), with some babies having more than 1 study. Two babies had nondepressed linear parietal fractures diagnosed by skull radiograph, and 2 babies had small subdural hemorrhages diagnosed by head CT scan. All 24 babies had normal findings on examination at discharge. CONCLUSIONS There is a high incidence of nondepressed linear parietal skull fractures associated with NFs. However, since associated intracranial injury is uncommon, imaging studies may not be routinely performed. Neonatal intensive care unit admission, head CT, and neurosurgical evaluation are reserved for the rare baby with abnormal physical examination or neurological findings.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Dean A Hertzler
- Neurosurgery, Joe DiMaggio Children's Hospital, Hollywood, Florida
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Children presenting in delayed fashion after minor head trauma with scalp swelling: do they require further workup? Childs Nerv Syst 2017; 33:647-652. [PMID: 28050641 DOI: 10.1007/s00381-016-3332-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2016] [Accepted: 12/20/2016] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE It is common to evaluate children who have sustained minor head trauma with computed tomography (CT) of the head. Scalp swelling, in particular, has been associated with intracranial injury. A subset of patients, however, present in delayed fashion, often days after the head trauma, as soft tissue edema progresses and their caregiver notices scalp swelling. We explore the value of further workup in this setting. METHODS We conducted a retrospective review of a prospectively collected cohort of children ≤24 months of age presenting to the Texas Children's Hospital with scalp swelling more than 24 h following a head trauma. Cases were collected over a 2-year study period from June 1, 2014 to May 31, 2016. RESULTS Seventy-six patients comprising 78 patient encounters were included in our study. The mean age at presentation was 8.8 months (range 3 days-24 months). All patients had noncontrast CT of the head as part of their evaluation by emergency medicine, as well as screening for nonaccidental trauma (NAT) by the Child Protection Team. The most common finding on CT head was a linear/nondisplaced skull fracture (SF) with associated extra-axial hemorrhage (epidural or subdural hematoma), which was found in 31/78 patient encounters (40%). Of all 78 patient encounters, 43 patients (55%) were discharged from the emergency room (ER), 17 patients (22%) were admitted for neurologic monitoring, and 18 patients (23%) were admitted solely to allow further NAT evaluation. Of those patients admitted, none experienced a neurologic decline and all had nonfocal neurologic exams on discharge. No patient returned to the ER in delayed fashion for a neurologic decline. Of all the patient encounters, no patient required surgery. CONCLUSIONS Pediatric patients ≤24 months of age presenting to the ER in delayed fashion with scalp swelling after minor head trauma-who were otherwise nonfocal on examination-did not require surgical intervention and did not experience any neurologic decline. Further radiographic investigation did not alter neurosurgical management in these patients; however, it should be noted that workup for child abuse and social care may have been influenced by CT findings, suggesting the need for the future development of a clinical decision-making tool to help safely avoid CT imaging in this setting.
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Ohbuchi H, Hagiwara S, Hirota K, Koseki H, Kuroi Y, Arai N, Kasuya H. Clinical Predictors of Intracranial Injuries in Infants with Minor Head Trauma. World Neurosurg 2017; 98:479-483. [DOI: 10.1016/j.wneu.2016.11.045] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/15/2016] [Revised: 11/08/2016] [Accepted: 11/10/2016] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
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Haut RC, Wei F. Biomechanical Studies on Patterns of Cranial Bone Fracture Using the Immature Porcine Model. J Biomech Eng 2017; 139:2545811. [DOI: 10.1115/1.4034430] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2016] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
This review was prepared for the American Society of Mechanical Engineers Lissner Medal. It specifically discusses research performed in the Orthopaedic Biomechanics Laboratories on pediatric cranial bone mechanics and patterns of fracture in collaboration with the Forensic Anthropology Laboratory at Michigan State University. Cranial fractures are often an important element seen by forensic anthropologists during the investigation of pediatric trauma cases litigated in courts. While forensic anthropologists and forensic biomechanists are often called on to testify in these cases, there is little basic science developed in support of their testimony. The following is a review of studies conducted in the above laboratories and supported by the National Institute of Justice to begin an understanding of the mechanics and patterns of pediatric cranial bone fracture. With the lack of human pediatric specimens, the studies utilize an immature porcine model. Because much case evidence involves cranial bone fracture, the studies described below focus on determining input loading based on the resultant bone fracture pattern. The studies involve impact to the parietal bone, the most often fractured cranial bone, and begin with experiments on entrapped heads, progressing to those involving free-falling heads. The studies involve head drops onto different types and shapes of interfaces with variations of impact energy. The studies show linear fractures initiating from sutural boundaries, away from the impact site, for flat surface impacts, in contrast to depressed fractures for more focal impacts. The results have been incorporated into a “Fracture Printing Interface (FPI),” using machine learning and pattern recognition algorithms. The interface has been used to help interpret mechanisms of injury in pediatric death cases collected from medical examiner offices. The ultimate aim of this program of study is to develop a “Human Fracture Printing Interface” that can be used by forensic investigators in determining mechanisms of pediatric cranial bone fracture.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roger C. Haut
- Orthopaedic Biomechanics Laboratories, Department of Radiology, College of Osteopathic Medicine
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, College of Engineering, Michigan State University, A407 East Fee Hall, East Lansing, MI 48824 e-mail:
| | - Feng Wei
- Orthopaedic Biomechanics Laboratories, Department of Radiology, College of Osteopathic Medicine
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, College of Engineering, Michigan State University, A-414B East Fee Hall, East Lansing, MI 48824 e-mail:
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Lyons TW, Stack AM, Monuteaux MC, Parver SL, Gordon CR, Gordon CD, Proctor MR, Nigrovic LE. A QI Initiative to Reduce Hospitalization for Children With Isolated Skull Fractures. Pediatrics 2016; 137:peds.2015-3370. [PMID: 27244848 PMCID: PMC4894255 DOI: 10.1542/peds.2015-3370] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 01/04/2016] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE Although children with isolated skull fractures rarely require acute interventions, most are hospitalized. Our aim was to safely decrease the hospitalization rate for children with isolated skull fractures. METHODS We designed and executed this multifaceted quality improvement (QI) initiative between January 2008 and July 2015 to reduce hospitalization rates for children ≤21 years old with isolated skull fractures at a single tertiary care pediatric institution. We defined an isolated skull fracture as a skull fracture without intracranial injury. The QI intervention consisted of 2 steps: (1) development and implementation of an evidence-based guideline, and (2) dissemination of a provider survey designed to reinforce guideline awareness and adherence. Our primary outcome was hospitalization rate and our balancing measure was hospital readmission within 72 hours. We used standard statistical process control methodology to assess change over time. To assess for secular trends, we examined admission rates for children with an isolated skull fracture in the Pediatric Health Information System administrative database. RESULTS We identified 321 children with an isolated skull fracture with a median age of 11 months (interquartile range 5-16 months). The baseline admission rate was 71% (179/249, 95% confidence interval, 66%-77%) and decreased to 46% (34/72, 95% confidence interval, 35%-60%) after implementation of our QI initiative. No child was readmitted after discharge. The admission rate in our secular trend control group remained unchanged at 78%. CONCLUSIONS We safely reduced the hospitalization rate for children with isolated skull fractures without an increase in the readmissions.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Mark R. Proctor
- Department of Neurosurgery, Boston Children’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
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Shiomi N, Echigo T, Hino A, Hashimoto N, Yamaki T. Criteria for CT and Initial Management of Head Injured Infants: A Review. Neurol Med Chir (Tokyo) 2016; 56:442-8. [PMID: 27194179 PMCID: PMC4945601 DOI: 10.2176/nmc.ra.2015-0318] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Criteria for computed tomography (CT) to head injured infants have not been established. Since the identification of neurological findings is difficult in infants, examination by CT may be necessary in some cases, but it may be difficult to perform CT because of problems with radiation exposure and body movement. Moreover, even though no intracranial abnormality was found immediately after injury, abnormal findings may appear after several hours. From this viewpoint, course observation after injury may be more important than CT in the initial treatment of head trauma in infants. The complaints and neurological manifestations of infants, particularly those aged 2 or younger, are frequently unclear; therefore, there is an opinion that CT is recommended for all pediatric patients. However, the appropriateness of its use should be determined after confirming the mechanism of injury, consciousness level, neurological findings, and presence/absence of a history of abuse. Among the currently available rules specifying criteria for CT of infants with head trauma, the Pediatric Emergency Care Applied Research Network (PECARN) study may be regarded as reliable at present. In Japan, where the majority of emergency hospitals are using CT, it may be necessary to develop criteria for CT in consideration of the actual situation. CT diagnosis for pediatric head trauma is not always necessary. When no imaging is performed, this should be fully explained at the initial treatment before selecting course observation at home. Checking on a state of the patients by telephone is useful for both patients and physicians.
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Affiliation(s)
- Naoto Shiomi
- Emergency and critical care medicine, Saiseikai Shiga Hospital
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Burns EC, Grool AM, Klassen TP, Correll R, Jarvis A, Joubert G, Bailey B, Chauvin-Kimoff L, Pusic M, McConnell D, Nijssen-Jordan C, Silver N, Taylor B, Osmond MH. Scalp Hematoma Characteristics Associated With Intracranial Injury in Pediatric Minor Head Injury. Acad Emerg Med 2016; 23:576-83. [PMID: 26947778 DOI: 10.1111/acem.12957] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/07/2015] [Revised: 11/09/2015] [Accepted: 11/15/2015] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Minor head trauma accounts for a significant proportion of pediatric emergency department (ED) visits. In children younger than 24 months, scalp hematomas are thought to be associated with the presence of intracranial injury (ICI). We investigated which scalp hematoma characteristics were associated with increased odds of ICI in children less than 17 years who presented to the ED following minor head injury and whether an underlying linear skull fracture may explain this relationship. METHODS This was a secondary analysis of 3,866 patients enrolled in the Canadian Assessment of Tomography of Childhood Head Injury (CATCH) study. Information about scalp hematoma presence (yes/no), location (frontal, temporal/parietal, occipital), and size (small and localized, large and boggy) was collected by emergency physicians using a structured data collection form. ICI was defined as the presence of an acute brain lesion on computed tomography. Logistic regression analyses were adjusted for age, sex, dangerous injury mechanism, irritability on examination, suspected open or depressed skull fracture, and clinical signs of basal skull fracture. RESULTS ICI was present in 159 (4.1%) patients. The presence of a scalp hematoma (n = 1,189) in any location was associated with significantly greater odds of ICI (odds ratio [OR] = 4.4, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 3.06 to 6.02), particularly for those located in temporal/parietal (OR = 6.0, 95% CI = 3.9 to 9.3) and occipital regions (OR = 5.6, 95% CI = 3.5 to 8.9). Both small and localized and large and boggy hematomas were significantly associated with ICI, although larger hematomas conferred larger odds (OR = 9.9, 95% CI = 6.3 to 15.5). Although the presence of a scalp hematoma was associated with greater odds of ICI in all age groups, odds were greatest in children aged 0 to 6 months (OR = 13.5, 95% CI = 1.5 to 119.3). Linear skull fractures were present in 156 (4.0%) patients. Of the 111 patients with scalp hematoma and ICI, 57 (51%) patients had a linear skull fracture and 54 (49%) did not. The association between scalp hematoma and ICI attenuated but remained significant after excluding patients with linear skull fracture (OR = 3.3, 95% CI = 2.1 to 5.1). CONCLUSIONS Large and boggy and nonfrontal scalp hematomas had the strongest association with the presence of ICI in this large pediatric cohort. Although children 0 to 6 months of age were at highest odds, the presence of a scalp hematoma also independently increased the odds of ICI in older children and adolescents. The presence of a linear skull fracture only partially explained this relation, indicating that ruling out a skull fracture beneath a hematoma does not obviate the risk of intracranial pathology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emma C.M. Burns
- Department of Emergency Medicine; Dalhousie University; Halifax Nova Scotia Canada
| | - Anne M. Grool
- Pediatric Emergency Research Group; Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario Research Institute; Ottawa Ontario Canada
| | - Terry P. Klassen
- Department of Pediatrics; University of Alberta; Edmonton Alberta Canada
| | - Rhonda Correll
- Clinical Research Unit; Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario Research Institute; Ottawa Ontario Canada
| | - Anna Jarvis
- Department of Pediatrics; University of Toronto; Toronto Ontario Canada
| | - Gary Joubert
- Department of Pediatrics; University of Western Ontario; London Ontario Canada
| | - Benoit Bailey
- Department of Pediatrics; CHU Sainte-Justine; Montreal Quebec Canada
| | | | - Martin Pusic
- Pediatric Emergency Medicine; Columbia University Medical Centre; New York NY
| | - Don McConnell
- Department of Pediatrics; University of Calgary; Calgary Alberta Canada
| | | | - Norm Silver
- Department of Pediatrics; University of Manitoba; Winnipeg Manitoba Canada
| | - Brett Taylor
- Department of Pediatrics; Dalhousie University; Halifax Nova Scotia Canada
| | - Martin H. Osmond
- Pediatric Emergency Research Group; Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario Research Institute; Ottawa Ontario Canada
- Department of Pediatrics; University of Ottawa; Ottawa Ontario Canada
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Astrand R, Rosenlund C, Undén J. Scandinavian guidelines for initial management of minor and moderate head trauma in children. BMC Med 2016; 14:33. [PMID: 26888597 PMCID: PMC4758024 DOI: 10.1186/s12916-016-0574-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/09/2015] [Accepted: 02/02/2016] [Indexed: 01/13/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The management of minor and moderate head trauma in children differs widely between countries. Presently, there are no existing guidelines for management of these children in Scandinavia. The purpose of this study was to produce new evidence-based guidelines for the initial management of head trauma in the paediatric population in Scandinavia. The primary aim was to detect all children in need of neurosurgical intervention. Detection of any traumatic intracranial injury on CT scan was an important secondary aim. METHODS General methodology according to the Appraisal of Guidelines for Research and Evaluation (AGREE) II and the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) system was used. Systematic evidence-based review was performed according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) methodology and based upon relevant clinical questions with respect to patient-important outcomes. Quality ratings of the included studies were performed using Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies (QUADAS)-2 and Centre of Evidence Based Medicine (CEBM)-2 tools. Based upon the results, GRADE recommendations, a guideline, discharge instructions and in-hospital observation instructions were drafted. For elements with low evidence, a modified Delphi process was used for consensus, which included relevant clinical stakeholders. RESULTS The guidelines include criteria for selecting children for CT scans, in-hospital observation or early discharge, and suggestions for monitoring routines and discharge advice for children and guardians. The guidelines separate mild head trauma patients into high-, medium- and low-risk categories, favouring observation for mild, low-risk patients as an attempt to reduce CT scans in children. CONCLUSIONS We present new evidence and consensus based Scandinavian Neurotrauma Committee guidelines for initial management of minor and moderate head trauma in children. These guidelines should be validated before extensive clinical use and updated within four years due to rapid development of new diagnostic tools within paediatric neurotrauma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ramona Astrand
- Department of Neurosurgery, Neurocenter 2091, Rigshospitalet, Blegdamsvej 9, 2100, Copenhagen, Denmark.
| | - Christina Rosenlund
- Department of Neurosurgery, Odense University Hospital, Sdr. Boulevard 29, 5000, Odense C, Denmark
| | - Johan Undén
- Department of Intensive Care and Perioperative Medicine, Institute for Clinical Sciences, Skåne University Hospital, Södra Förstadsgatan 101, 20502, Malmö, Sweden.
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Orman G, Wagner MW, Seeburg D, Zamora CA, Oshmyansky A, Tekes A, Poretti A, Jallo GI, Huisman TAGM, Bosemani T. Pediatric skull fracture diagnosis: should 3D CT reconstructions be added as routine imaging? J Neurosurg Pediatr 2015; 16:426-31. [PMID: 26186360 DOI: 10.3171/2015.3.peds1553] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
OBJECT The authors compared the efficacy of combining 2D+3D CT reconstructions with standard 2D CT images in the diagnosis of linear skull fractures in children with head trauma. METHODS This was a retrospective evaluation of consecutive head CT studies of children presenting with head trauma. Two experienced pediatric neuroradiologists in consensus created the standard of reference. Three readers independently evaluated the 2D CT images alone and then in combination with the 3D reconstructions for the diagnosis of linear skull fractures. Sensitivity and specificity in the diagnosis of linear skull fractures utilizing 2D and 2D+3D CT in combination were measured for children less than 2 years of age and for all children for analysis by the 3 readers. RESULTS Included in the study were 250 consecutive CT studies of 250 patients (167 boys and 83 girls). The mean age of the children was 7.82 years (range 4 days to 17.4 years). 2D+3D CT combined had a higher sensitivity and specificity (83.9% and 97.1%, respectively) compared with 2D alone (78.2% and 92.8%, respectively) with statistical significance for specificity (p < 0.05) in children less than 2 years of age. 2D+3D CT combined had a higher sensitivity and specificity (81.3% and 90.5%, respectively) compared with 2D alone (74.5% and 89.1%, respectively) with statistical significance for sensitivity (p < 0.05) in all children. CONCLUSIONS In this study, 2D+3D CT in combination showed increased sensitivity in the diagnosis of linear skull fractures in all children and increased specificity in children less than 2 years of age. In children less than 2 years of age, added confidence in the interpretation of fractures by distinguishing them from sutures may have a significant implication in the setting of nonaccidental trauma. Furthermore, 3D CT is available at no added cost, scan time, or radiation exposure, providing trainees and clinicians with limited experience an additional valuable tool for routine imaging of pediatric head trauma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gunes Orman
- Section of Pediatric Neuroradiology, Division of Pediatric Radiology, and
| | - Matthias W Wagner
- Section of Pediatric Neuroradiology, Division of Pediatric Radiology, and
| | - Daniel Seeburg
- Section of Pediatric Neuroradiology, Division of Pediatric Radiology, and
| | - Carlos A Zamora
- Division of Neuroradiology, Russell H. Morgan Department of Radiology and Radiological Science; and
| | | | - Aylin Tekes
- Section of Pediatric Neuroradiology, Division of Pediatric Radiology, and
| | - Andrea Poretti
- Section of Pediatric Neuroradiology, Division of Pediatric Radiology, and
| | - George I Jallo
- Division of Pediatric Neurosurgery, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
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Gravel J, Gouin S, Chalut D, Crevier L, Décarie JC, Elazhary N, Mâsse B. Derivation and validation of a clinical decision rule to identify young children with skull fracture following isolated head trauma. CMAJ 2015; 187:1202-1208. [PMID: 26350911 DOI: 10.1503/cmaj.150540] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2015] [Accepted: 07/30/2015] [Indexed: 11/01/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND There is no clear consensus regarding radiologic evaluation of head trauma in young children without traumatic brain injury. We conducted a study to develop and validate a clinical decision rule to identify skull fracture in young children with head trauma and no immediate need for head tomography. METHODS We performed a prospective cohort study in 3 tertiary care emergency departments in the province of Quebec. Participants were children less than 2 years old who had a head trauma and were not at high risk of clinically important traumatic brain injury (Glasgow Coma Scale score < 15, altered level of consciousness or palpable skull fracture). The primary outcome was skull fracture. For each participant, the treating physician completed a standardized report form after physical examination and before radiologic evaluation. The decision to order skull radiography was at the physician's discretion. The clinical decision rule was derived using recursive partitioning. RESULTS A total of 811 patients (49 with skull fracture) were recruited during the derivation phase. The 2 predictors identified through recursive partitioning were parietal or occipital swelling or hematoma and age less than 2 months. The rule had a sensitivity of 94% (95% confidence interval [CI] 83%-99%) and a specificity of 86% (95% CI 84%-89%) in the derivation phase. During the validation phase, 856 participants (44 with skull fracture) were recruited. The rule had a sensitivity of 89% and a specificity of 87% during this phase. INTERPRETATION The clinical decision rule developed in this study identified about 90% of skull fractures among young children with mild head trauma who had no immediate indication for head tomography. Use of the rule would have reduced the number of radiologic evaluations by about 60%.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jocelyn Gravel
- Départements de pédiatrie (Gravel, Gouin), chirurgie (Crevier) and radiologie (Décarie), Centre hospitalier universitaire (CHU) Sainte-Justine, Université de Montréal; Department of Pediatrics (Chalut), Montréal Children's Hospital, McGill University, Montréal, Que.; Département d'urgence (Elazhary), Hôpital Fleurimont (CHU Sherbrooke), Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, Que.; Centre de recherche du CHU Sainte-Justine (Mâsse), Université de Montréal, Montréal, Que.
| | - Serge Gouin
- Départements de pédiatrie (Gravel, Gouin), chirurgie (Crevier) and radiologie (Décarie), Centre hospitalier universitaire (CHU) Sainte-Justine, Université de Montréal; Department of Pediatrics (Chalut), Montréal Children's Hospital, McGill University, Montréal, Que.; Département d'urgence (Elazhary), Hôpital Fleurimont (CHU Sherbrooke), Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, Que.; Centre de recherche du CHU Sainte-Justine (Mâsse), Université de Montréal, Montréal, Que
| | - Dominic Chalut
- Départements de pédiatrie (Gravel, Gouin), chirurgie (Crevier) and radiologie (Décarie), Centre hospitalier universitaire (CHU) Sainte-Justine, Université de Montréal; Department of Pediatrics (Chalut), Montréal Children's Hospital, McGill University, Montréal, Que.; Département d'urgence (Elazhary), Hôpital Fleurimont (CHU Sherbrooke), Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, Que.; Centre de recherche du CHU Sainte-Justine (Mâsse), Université de Montréal, Montréal, Que
| | - Louis Crevier
- Départements de pédiatrie (Gravel, Gouin), chirurgie (Crevier) and radiologie (Décarie), Centre hospitalier universitaire (CHU) Sainte-Justine, Université de Montréal; Department of Pediatrics (Chalut), Montréal Children's Hospital, McGill University, Montréal, Que.; Département d'urgence (Elazhary), Hôpital Fleurimont (CHU Sherbrooke), Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, Que.; Centre de recherche du CHU Sainte-Justine (Mâsse), Université de Montréal, Montréal, Que
| | - Jean-Claude Décarie
- Départements de pédiatrie (Gravel, Gouin), chirurgie (Crevier) and radiologie (Décarie), Centre hospitalier universitaire (CHU) Sainte-Justine, Université de Montréal; Department of Pediatrics (Chalut), Montréal Children's Hospital, McGill University, Montréal, Que.; Département d'urgence (Elazhary), Hôpital Fleurimont (CHU Sherbrooke), Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, Que.; Centre de recherche du CHU Sainte-Justine (Mâsse), Université de Montréal, Montréal, Que
| | - Nicolas Elazhary
- Départements de pédiatrie (Gravel, Gouin), chirurgie (Crevier) and radiologie (Décarie), Centre hospitalier universitaire (CHU) Sainte-Justine, Université de Montréal; Department of Pediatrics (Chalut), Montréal Children's Hospital, McGill University, Montréal, Que.; Département d'urgence (Elazhary), Hôpital Fleurimont (CHU Sherbrooke), Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, Que.; Centre de recherche du CHU Sainte-Justine (Mâsse), Université de Montréal, Montréal, Que
| | - Benoît Mâsse
- Départements de pédiatrie (Gravel, Gouin), chirurgie (Crevier) and radiologie (Décarie), Centre hospitalier universitaire (CHU) Sainte-Justine, Université de Montréal; Department of Pediatrics (Chalut), Montréal Children's Hospital, McGill University, Montréal, Que.; Département d'urgence (Elazhary), Hôpital Fleurimont (CHU Sherbrooke), Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, Que.; Centre de recherche du CHU Sainte-Justine (Mâsse), Université de Montréal, Montréal, Que
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Stein SC, Attiah MA. Clinical Prediction and Decision Rules in Neurosurgery. Neurosurgery 2015; 77:149-55; discussion 156. [DOI: 10.1227/neu.0000000000000818] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
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Dayan PS, Holmes JF, Schutzman S, Schunk J, Lichenstein R, Foerster LA, Hoyle J, Atabaki S, Miskin M, Wisner D, Zuspan S, Kuppermann N. Risk of Traumatic Brain Injuries in Children Younger than 24 Months With Isolated Scalp Hematomas. Ann Emerg Med 2014; 64:153-62. [DOI: 10.1016/j.annemergmed.2014.02.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2013] [Revised: 01/24/2014] [Accepted: 02/03/2014] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
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Carrière B, Clément K, Gravel J. Variation in the use of skull radiographs by emergency physicians in young children with minor head trauma. CAN J EMERG MED 2014; 16:281-7. [PMID: 25060081 DOI: 10.2310/8000.2013.131081] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Minor head trauma in young children is a major cause of emergency department visits. Conflicting guidelines exist regarding radiologic evaluation in such cases. OBJECTIVE To determine the practice pattern among Canadian emergency physicians for ordering skull radiographs in young children suffering from minor head trauma. Physicians were also surveyed on their willingness to use a clinical decision rule in such cases. DESIGN/METHODS A self-administered email questionnaire was sent to all members of the Pediatric Emergency Research Canada (PERC) group. It consisted of clinical vignettes followed by multiple-option answers on the management plan. The study was conducted using the principles of the Dillman Tailored Design method and included multiple emailings to maximize the response rate. The research protocol received Institutional Review Board approval. RESULTS A total of 158 of 295 (54%) PERC members responded. Most participants were trained in pediatric emergency medicine and assessed more than 500 children per year. Imaging management for the vignettes was highly variable: 6 of the 11 case scenarios had a proportion of radiograph ordering between 20 and 80%. Ninety-five percent of respondents stated that they would apply a validated clinical decision rule for the detection of skull fracture in young children with minor head trauma. The minimum sensitivity deemed acceptable for such a rule was 98%. CONCLUSION Canadian emergency physicians have a wide variation in skull radiography ordering in young children with minor head trauma. This variation, along with the need expressed by physicians, suggests that further research to develop a clinical decision rule is warranted.
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A matched-cohort study of pediatric head injuries: collecting data to inform an evidence-based triage assessment. J Emerg Nurs 2013; 40:98-104. [PMID: 24029043 DOI: 10.1016/j.jen.2013.07.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2012] [Revised: 06/21/2013] [Accepted: 07/02/2013] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
UNLABELLED Triage nurses are the "first stop" for patients who present to the emergency department for care. The assessment of pediatric head injuries is especially challenging because signs and symptoms of head trauma in children do not correlate well with the risk of closed head injury (CHI). METHODS A retrospective matched cohort study was conducted to compare 2 groups of patients who presented to a pediatric emergency department for evaluation of a head injury: a CHI-positive cohort and a CHI-negative cohort as identified by computed tomography scan. The purpose of the chart review was to collect specific information from both cohorts which could be used to inform a nurse-driven pediatric head injury assessment tool. RESULTS The younger the child, the more likely they were to be asymptomatic. Scalp hematomas in infants <3 months were associated with CHI even if the infants were otherwise asymptomatic. Injuries to the temporal-parietal region were associated with CHI at every age. Frequency of caregiver report of loss of consciousness (LOC) was almost identical in both cohorts. Children in every age category sustained CHIs as the result of minor falls based on standard age-related fall criteria. DISCUSSION The infants and children at highest risk for CHI are often the most difficult to assess. The results of this study reinforce the need for a nurse-driven, evidence-based risk scoring system that could be used to aid with early identification of infants and children who are at high risk for CHI.
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