Emergency management of blunt trauma in children

Article Abstract:

In North America, accidents are the largest cause of death among children over one year of age. Most deaths and injuries are the result of automobile accidents. Among the trauma deaths that might have been prevented in the emergency room or hospital are airway obstructions (blockages), pneumothorax (collapsed lung), unrecognized internal bleeding, and shock. Another common cause of traumatic death is the expansion of an intracranial hematoma (a collection of blood within the skull); a mass of blood resulting from a head injury grows in size until death results from the pressure placed on the brain. Various aspects of medical practice contribute to the successful treatment of blunt trauma in children, and these are discussed. Careful diagnosis and evaluation for life-threatening internal injuries should take place for any accident victim, but the physical characteristic of children make them particularly susceptible to certain types of injuries. Children have thinner skulls and the white matter in their brains has had less time to develop; both conditions make children more susceptible to severe injuries resulting from head trauma. Unfortunately, in many children's accidents, the head is the leading contact point of impact. Children also have much smaller bodies in comparison to their surface area. They therefore lose heat more rapidly and are more susceptible to hypothermia (abnormally low body temperature) when injured. It is only in the use of computed tomography (CT scanning) to evaluate abdominal injuries that modern science has affected the treatment of injured children to any great degree. The most important aspect of the treatment of injured children is organizational, not medical. Rapid resuscitation, triage, appropriate diagnosis and referral to a trauma center when necessary, and comprehensive intensive care are the most critical features of a successful team effort for the treatment of trauma in children. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)

---

Intentional injuries among children and adolescents in Massachusetts

Article Abstract:

Data collected by the Statewide Childhood Injury Prevention Program in Massachusetts is reexamined and evaluated in this report. A study was conducted on a population of 87,022 children and adolescents under the age of 20 between 1979 and 1982. Data was based on hospital reports. The definition of intentional injury was derived from the system that appears in the International Classification of Diseases, ninth revision (ICD-9-CM). This includes suicide, homicide, and deliberate injury that is self-inflicted or directed towards another person. Annual figures indicated that one in 130 children was treated each year for an intentional injury. Most of these injuries (more than 85 percent) were the result of an assault; 11.4 percent were found to be self-inflicted. Intentional injury accounted for 3.4 percent of the total injuries reported but represented 15.7 percent of all deaths from injuries. Suicidal behavior was found to be very prevalent in this age group and it was noted that from 1950 to 1980 suicide rates for adolescents tripled. Researchers also point out that under-reporting the incidence of intentional injury is due to lack of identification of the source of injury, intentional withholding of information by family members, and the occurrence of intentional injuries that are not treated in the hospital. A strong relationship was observed between socioeconomic status and rates of assault and, to a lesser degree, self-inflicted injury. Researchers recommend that prevention should be focused upon high risk children and warn that, in general, this type of violence is quite prevalent in the population.

Case studies, Suicide, Teenagers, Youth, Pediatric emergencies, Violence, Self-destructive behavior, Self injurious behavior, Assault and battery

---

Injuries due to firearms in three cities

Article Abstract:

Handguns are responsible for a large number of injuries in many large cities. Researchers tallied the number of injuries from firearms in Memphis, Galveston and Seattle in a 2-year period. Between Nov, 1992 and May, 1994, there were 1,915 cases of injury from a firearm overall. The rate in Memphis was 222.6 per 100,000, compared to 143.6 per 100,000 in Galveston and 54.1 per 100,000 in Seattle. Handguns were involved in 88% of the cases in which the weapon was known. Eighty-eight percent of the injuries occurred during an assault. Total hospital charges to treat the injuries exceeded $16.5 million.

Health aspects, Firearms, Pistols

Similar abstracts:

• Abstracts: Ventilatory management of respiratory failure in asthma. Outcomes analysis in asthma. Asthma: Prevalence, Pathogenesis, and Prospects for Novel Therapies
• Abstracts: Seroprevalence of antibody against poliovirus in inner-city preschool children: implications for vaccination policy in the United States
• Abstracts: Anesthetic techniques for the management of cancer pain. Neurosurgery in the treatment of cancer pain. Controlled-release morphine (MST Contin) in advanced cancer: the European experience
• Abstracts: Estimation of body fat in healthy Swedish women during pregnancy and lactation
• Abstracts: Trace element nutrition status and dietary intake of children with phenylketonuria. Trace element status in multiple sclerosis

This website is not affiliated with document authors or copyright owners. This page is provided for informational purposes only. Unintentional errors are possible.