title: Falls in young children with minor head injury: A prospective analysis of injury mechanisms.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Fall is a common mechanism of injury (MOI) in young children and an important risk factor for traumatic brain injury (TBI). Most children who fall have a minor head injury (MHI), defined as a blunt head trauma that occurred in a patient who is conscious and responsive.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To seek a possible association between MOI and injury severity.
  
  
  METHODS
  A single centre cohort study was conducted. Data were collected on patients aged 0-2 years with MHI. Clinically-significant TBI (csTBI), defined as head injury resulting in death, intubation or neurosurgery, was the primary outcome measure. Traumatic finding on CT scan (TFCT) was the secondary outcome measure.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Five hundred and ninety-five patients were analysed. Eight types of falls were identified: from ground-level, down stairs, from a bed, from a changing table, from furniture, from adult-hold, from a playground-device and from a stroller/baby-carriage. One patient (0.16%) had csTBI. Thirty-one (5.2%) underwent CT scans, TFCT was diagnosed in 17 (2.8%) patients; 10 (1.7%) linear skull-fractures, two (0.3%) depressed skull-fractures and five (0.8%) intracranial haemorrhages. Regression analysis did not reveal a statistically significant association between any of the MOI and the presence of TFCT.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The risk for csTBI was low and no association was found between MOI and injury severity.
authors.affiliation: Pediatric Emergency Department .
authors.forename: Nir
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Samuel
authors.forename: Ron
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Jacob
authors.forename: Yael
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Eilon
authors.forename: Tania
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Mashiach
authors.forename: Itai
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Shavit
mesh_terms: D000058:Accidental Falls / Q000401:mortality / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D001930:Brain Injuries / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D015600:Glasgow Coma Scale; D016489:Head Injuries, Closed / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007557:Israel / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D059906:Neuroimaging; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D015599:Trauma Severity Indices
keywords: Children; fall; head injury; mechanism of injury; paediatric; trauma