Citation

Vajna de Pava M, Milani GP, Zuccotti GV, Tommasi P, Calvi M, Amoroso A, Montesano P, Boselli G, Castellazzi ML, Agosti M. Acta Paediatr. 2022; ePub(ePub): ePub.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2022, John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

10.1111/apa.16507

PMID

35917207

Abstract

AIM: Validated clinical decision rules on neuroimaging are not available for children who are evaluated more than 24 hours after a minor head trauma. We compared clinically important traumatic brain injuries in children who presented with a minor head trauma within, or after, 24 hours.

METHODS: This was a retrospective analysis of patients aged 0-17 years, who were evaluated for minor head traumas by 5 paediatric emergency departments in Northern Italy between January 2019 and June 2020. Children with clinically important traumatic brain injuries were divided into those who had presented within, and after, 24 hours.

RESULTS: The study comprised 5,981 children (59.9% boys), with a median age of 2 years, including 243 (4.1%) who had presented more than 24 hours after their minor head trauma. Neuroimaging was performed on 448 (7.5%) patients and the time of presentation had no impact on the rates of clinically important traumatic brain injuries. Multiple logistic regression did not show any association between clinically important traumatic brain injuries and late presentation.

CONCLUSION: Delayed presentation to a paediatric emergency department after a minor head trauma did not alter the risk of clinically important traumatic brain injuries and the same neuroimaging rules could apply.

Language: en

Keywords

emergency department; traumatic brain injury; delayed presentation; minor head trauma