Children with blunt abdominal trauma (BAT) and positive CT scans for abdomen/pelvis (CT a/p) have more severe injuries and longer hospital stays, whereas those with negative scans may not require transfer to a trauma center, a study suggests.
"Compared to those with positive CT a/p at OSF, children who had positive CT a/p at PTC were younger, had higher ISS scores, and longer LOS, suggesting they were more seriously injured. Additionally, patients with a negative CT a/p who were admitted to our PTC had short LOS and very low rates of ICU [intensive care unit] or OR [operating room] utilization," the authors wrote.
The study was led by Shannon E. Yancovich, MD, Department of Pediatric Emergency Medicine, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, and was published online on November 23, 2024, in The American Journal of Emergency Medicine.
Missing data may have limited the depth of the analysis, resulting in limited information from OSFs or emergency medical services. Furthermore, the exclusion criteria did not account for coexisting conditions that could influence admission rates, and the method used to assign ISS scores to dead patients may have limited the generalizability of some findings.
The study received no external funding. No conflicts of interest were disclosed by the authors.