Abstract:

Objective: The aim of the study was to evaluate the causes of trauma, diagnostic treatment methods and the results in the patients who were admitted to the emergency department with pediatric thoracic and abdominal trauma. Method: In this study, between January 2014 and December 2018, 959 patients under 18 years of age who were admitted to emergency department due to thorax and abdominal trauma were included. Of these, 557 (58.1%) were male, with a mean age of 9.3 years (range, 1-16 years). Demographic characteristics, trauma patterns and mortality results of these patients were evaluated retrospectively.       Results: 933 (97.3%) of the cases were blunt and 2 (2.7%) were penetrating traumas. Of the trauma cases, 436 (4.5%) were falls from lower than one meter, 323 (33.7%) were falls from higher than one meter, 174 (18.1%) were in or non vehicle traffic accidents, 26 (2.7%) were penetrating or sharp object injuries. Mortality was most common in men. In addition, mortality was observed in 11 (1.14%) cases with a fall from height and then 4 (0.4%) cases in a non-vehicle traffic accident. Abdominal organ injury was mostly in the liver, but mortality was more frequent in spleen injuries. Thoracal, lumbar and simple rib fractures were detected mostly in falls, and hemo and pneumothorax were detected in non-vehicle traffic accidents. Conclusions: Most of the thoracic and abdominal traumas can be treated by conservative methods. Mortality and morbidity rates can be decreased by determining the multidisciplinary approach of other system injuries and by giving early decision of procedures.

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