Child Maltreatment Evaluations Following Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrests.

OBJECTIVE

In children admitted after an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA), this study 1) determines the proportion that undergo physical abuse and toxin exposure evaluation, child protection team (CPT) consultation, and child protective services (CPS) referral, and 2) evaluates the association between demographic, social, clinical characteristics with CPT consultation and CPS referral.

METHODS

A retrospective chart review was conducted of children <4 years old admitted following an OHCA between November 2012 and February 2023. Associations between demographics, caregiver social risk factors, and clinical characteristics with CPT consultation and CPS referral were examined using logistic regression.

RESULTS

Among 157 cases, 70 (45%) had skeletal surveys; 8 (11%) identified an occult fracture. Seventy-five (48%) children had toxicology testing; 16 of the 75 (21%) revealed a toxic ingestion. Sixteen of the 49 (33%) patients receiving ophthalmologic evaluations had significant retinal hemorrhages. Seventy-seven (49%) patients had a CPT consultation, while 74 (47%) were referred to CPS. A history concerning for ingestion perfectly predicted CPT consultation. History of ingestion, injury on exam, positive skeletal survey, and positive toxicology testing perfectly predicted CPS referral. In multivariate analyses, unsafe sleep history (84% versus 41%, P < 0.001) and caregiver social risk factors (82% versus 31%, P < 0.001) were associated with CPT consultation, while caregiver social risk factors (70% versus 34%, P < 0.001) and normal medical work-up (53% versus 38%, P = 0.050) were associated with CPS referral.

CONCLUSIONS

Following OHCA, a child maltreatment evaluation may be underutilized with medical decision-making around CPT consultation and CPS referral driven by knowledge of caregiver social risk factors.