gms | German Medical Science

Objectives: The aim of this study was to present a relationship between age, injury patterns and outcome of polytraumatized children who were treated in a German trauma center level 1.

Methods: For this retrospective unicenter study, data from polytraumatized children between 0 – 18 years were analyzed. The data are based on the in-hospital polytrauma study. A prospective cohort study conducted since 2007 with the help of study assistants (24 h/ 7days). The children were divided into four groups (A: ≤ 5 years, B: 6 – 10 years, C: 11 – 15 years D: 16 – 18 years). The following parameters were collected, among others: Age, gender, accident mechanism, shock room diagnosis, type of imaging, injury pattern, AIS and ISS score and outcome. The different injury types were car, bicycle, motorcycle, pedestrian, and falls (≥3 meters and <3 meters). After standardized shock room procedures, either CT trauma aspirate or conventional radiographic diagnostics were performed or further imaging was omitted, as judged by the interdisciplinary shock room team.

Descriptive statistics were performed using SPSS Statistics Version 28.

Results and conclusion: Data from 184 children were analyzed, with 65 females and 119 males. 24 were assigned to group A, 27 to group B, 38 to group C, and 95 to group D. Children in group A suffered their serious injuries mainly in the context of falls with a height of ≥3 meters. In the other age groups, injuries due to a traffic accident with passenger cars ranked first. Children in groups A and B showed injuries mainly to the head. Abdominal and extremity injuries were significantly less common in these age groups. In groups C and D with an age of more than 10 years, injuries of the abdomen and extremities were more frequent. There are 2 age peaks of mortality, between 0 - 2 years and 12 - 15 years. Regardless of cause of injury or age, all children who did not sustain a head injury survived.