The Predictors for Positive Yield Abdominal Computed Tomography in Pediatric Abdominal Trauma

Objectives Abdominal computed tomography (ACT) use in the initial evaluation of pediatric abdominal trauma is liberal in most instances. The aim of this study was to identify the predictors for a positive yield ACT scan in this population. Methods A prospective, cohort, single-center observational study was conducted at Children’s Hospital at Westmead, New South Wales, from January 2008 to June 2015 on 240 pediatric abdominal trauma patients who had abdominal computed tomography. Clinical, laboratory, imaging, and interventional variables were explored with univariate and multivariate analyses among children who sustained abdominal trauma. Results Of 240 patients, positive ACT scans were found in 161 patients (67%), 112 patients (47%) had intra-abdominal injury, and 20 patients (8%) required invasive therapeutic interventions. Mortality rate was 1.7% (4 patients) due to nonabdominal causes. Multivariate analyses revealed that increasing age (odds ratio [OR], 1.12; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.02–1.24; P = 0.024), high injury severity score (OR, 1.14; 95% CI, 1.07–1.21; P
Source: Pediatric Emergency Care - Category: Emergency Medicine Tags: Original Articles Source Type: research