title: Multiple trauma in pediatric patients.
abstract: We analyzed the causes and diagnoses, the treatment, short and long-term outcome of a consecutive series of 70 pediatric polytrauma patients. From 1989 to 1996, 70 children (aged 10 months to 16 years, mean 7.4 years) presented with multiple trauma. A follow-up investigation was performed 4.2 years (mean) after the accident. Traffic accidents (68%) were the leading cause of injuries. Among all injuries (mean ISS 24.6 range 17-57), injuries of the head/neck area were most frequent (87%) followed by extremity fractures (76%) and 135 operations were performed on 55 children, mostly for fracture stabilisation. All multiple injured children survived. At discharge 25 children were still impaired (36% of 70). At follow-up 58 patients were revisited, 11 (19% of 58) presented with impairments, 8 of those (73% of 11) following severe head trauma. This study showed a 10% rate of late impairment due to the severity of the primary head trauma.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatric Surgery, University of Graz, Auenbruggerplatz 34, 8036 Graz, Austria. Johannes.Schalamon@kfunigraz.ac.at
authors.forename: Johannes
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Schalamon
authors.forename: Sylvester
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: v  Bismarck
authors.forename: Peter H
authors.initials: PH
authors.lastname: Schober
authors.forename: Michael E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Höllwarth
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D005593:Fracture Fixation, Internal; D023261:Glasgow Outcome Scale; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009104:Multiple Trauma / Q000601:surgery*; D011788:Quality of Life; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D016896:Treatment Outcome