Trauma in children , also known as pediatric trauma , refers to traumatic injuries occurring in infants, children or adolescents. Because of the anatomical and physiological differences between children and adults the care and management of these populations are different.
Video Trauma in children
Anatomical and physiological differences
There are significant anatomical and physiological differences between children and adults. For example, internal organs are closer to each other in children than in adults; this puts children at higher risk of traumatic injury.
Children present unique challenges in the treatment of trauma because they are very different from adults - anatomically, progressively, physiologically and emotionally. A 2006 study concluded that the risk of death for injured children is lower when care is provided in pediatric trauma centers than in non-pediatric trauma centers. But about 10% of injured children are being treated in a pediatric trauma center. The highest death rates occur in children treated in rural areas without access trauma centers.
An important part of managing trauma in children is weight estimation. A number of methods to estimate weight exist, including Broselow ribbon, Leffler formula, and Theron formula. Of these three methods, Broselow ribbons are the most accurate for the estimated weight in children <= 25 kg, while Theron's formula works better with patients weighing & gt; 40 kg.
Because of the geometric basis, the weight of the child against the ratio of surface area is lower than that of adults, children are more likely to lose their body heat through radiation and have a higher risk of becoming hypothermia. Smaller body size in children often makes them more susceptible to poly traumatic injury.
Maps Trauma in children
Diagnosis
Pediatric Trauma Score
Several classification systems have been developed that use some combination of subjective and objective data in an attempt to measure the severity of trauma. Examples include the Severity Injury Score and a modified version of Glasgow Coma Scale. More complex classification systems, such as Revised Trauma Score, APACHE II, and SAPS II add physiological data to equations in an effort to more precisely determine severity, which can be useful in sorting out victims as well as in determining medical management and predicting prognosis.
Although useful, all of these measures have significant limits when applied to pediatric patients. For this reason, health care providers often use a modified classification system or even specifically developed for use in pediatric populations. For example, the Glasgow Coma Scale Pediatric is a modification of the Glasgow Coma Scale that is useful in patients who have not yet developed language skills.
Emphasizing the importance of weight and airway diameter, Pediatric Trauma Score (PTS) was developed to specifically reflect the vulnerability of children to traumatic injury. The minimum score is -6 and the maximum score is 12. There is a linear relationship between the decrease in private universities and the risk of death (ie the lower the PTS, the higher the risk of death). Mortality estimated 9% with PTS & gt; 8, and 100% with PTS <= 0.
In most cases the severity of pediatric injury trauma is determined by the pediatric trauma score despite the fact that some studies have shown no benefit between it and the revised trauma scale.
Management
Pediatric trauma management depends on knowledge of physiological, anatomical, and developmental differences compared to adult patients, this requires expertise in this area. In the case of pre-hospital setting may arise with the treatment of pediatric patients due to lack of knowledge and resources involved in the treatment of this injury. Despite the fact there is little variation in outcomes in adult trauma centers, definitive care is best achieved in pediatric trauma centers.
Epidemiology
Based on the WISQARS Disease Control and Prevention Center (CDC) database for the last year of data (2010), serious injuries kill nearly 10,000 children in America each year.
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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