In-hospital treated pediatric injuries are increasing in Finland--a population based study between 1997 and 2006.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS

Injuries are an important public health problem as well as the leading cause of death and disability among children. Our aim was to longitudinally explore the incidence of in-hospital treated traumas, their operative treatment and related mortality among pediatric patients in Finland.

METHODS

The National Hospital Discharge Register and the Official Cause-of-Death Statistics data of in-hospital treated pediatric trauma patients between 1997 and 2006 in Finland were evaluated for hospitalizations, treatment modality and mortality.

RESULTS

Fractures (69%) and head injuries (28%) were the most common in-hospital treated traumas (477/100,000 persons/year). These were followed by injuries of intra-abdominal (1.4%), thoracic (1.2%) and urological organs (0.6%). Head traumas constituted 67% of injury-related deaths. During the ten-year follow-up period, the annual incidence (per 100,000 persons) of head injuries decreased by 13.6% (152 in 1997 vs. 131 in 2006, p < 0.0001) mainly contributing to a 30% decrease in overall injury-related mortality incidence (from 5.7 in 1997 to 4.0 in 2006, p = 0.0519). The overall trauma incidence, and incidence of fractures and abdominal injuries significantly increased by 5.0% (p < 0.0001), 13.5% (p < 0.0001) and 37% (p < 0.05), respectively, while the incidence of thoracic and urological injuries remained unchanged. Up to 15% of spleen injuries lead to splenectomy.

CONCLUSIONS

Although overall and head trauma-related mortality is decreasing, the increasing incidence of fractures and abdominal injuries has amplified the overall incidence of severe injuries among children in Finland. A significant number of unnecessary splenectomies are still performed among children.