Epidemiology of Neurotrauma in Pediatric Intensive Care Unit: A Single-center Experience of 10 Years.

BACKGROUND

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) in children can lead to grave consequences. The mechanism, mode, and management of pediatric neurotrauma are different from adult neurotrauma, and there is a growing demand to study the clinicoepidemiology of pediatric TBI.

OBJECTIVE

To explore the clinicoepidemiological profile and outcome of pediatric neurotrauma.

METHODS

This single-center retrospective study was conducted at a tertiary referral hospital in the PICU involving children (1 month to 18 years) sustaining TBI (2012-2022). Demographic, clinical, and laboratory details at the onset of admission were collected. Predictors of mortality were compared between survivors and non-survivors.

RESULTS

Demographic, clinical, and laboratory data of 316 children with traumatic brain injuries at admission were collected and analyzed. The median (IQR) age was 72 months (36-132 months), with 68% of the cohort being male. The majority of the study population (49.1%) was under the age of 5 years. Injury from a fall was the most frequent mechanism of injury (53.5%), followed by road traffic accidents (5%). More than half of the study population suffered mild-TBI (55%). The overall mortality was 8.9% (28/316), and it was highest in the severe TBI group (31.6%) and under-5 years population (42.9%). Lower pediatric trauma score (PTS) (AOR: 0.52; 95% CI: 0.34-0.82) and polytrauma were significantly associated with mortality (AOR: 4.61; 95% CI: 1.02-20.86).

CONCLUSION

Traumatic brain injury is a significant concern in the pediatric population, particularly those under the age of 5 years. Lower PTS and polytrauma predicted poor outcome.

HOW TO CITE THIS ARTICLE

Pujari CG, Lalitha AV, Raj JM, Ashwini A Meshram. Epidemiology of Neurotrauma in Pediatric Intensive Care Unit: A Single-center Experience of 10 Years. Indian J Crit Care Med 2025;29(1):59-64.