Citation

Ng DK, Cherk SW, Yu WL, Lau MY, Ho JC, Chau CK. Hong Kong Med. J. 2002; 8(2): 82-86.

Affiliation

Department of Paediatrics, Kwong Wah Hospital, 25 Waterloo Road, Hong Kong.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2002, Hong Kong Academy of Medicine and the Hong Kong Medical Association)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

11937661

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To study the injury pattern of children admitted for management of severe trauma or thermal injury. DESIGN: Retrospective review. SETTING: Paediatric intensive care unit of a regional hospital, Hong Kong. PATIENTS: Twenty-eight children were admitted under this category from July 1996 to December 1999. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Mechanisms, severity, and circumstances of injury. RESULTS: Road traffic accident was the most common cause of admission, followed by thermal injury, accidental fall, and non-accidental injury. However, children with non-accidental injury were admitted in a significantly more severe condition, as measured by the paediatric risk of mortality score, than those admitted for the other three reasons. Non-accidental injury was also associated with significantly higher morbidity and mortality than the other causes of admission. CONCLUSIONS: During the 42-month study period, trauma and thermal injury accounted for 7% of all admissions to the paediatric intensive care unit. Road traffic accident was the most common reason, while non-accidental injury accounted for the most serious injury. Detailed analysis of these cases identified certain preventable risk factors.

Language: en