Differences in injury patterns and mortality exist between different age groups and high-risk injury patterns can be identified. With increasing age, a decline in the proportion of children with head injury and an increase in the proportion with limb injury were observed. This information is useful for directing ongoing care of severely injured children. Future analyses of the TARN database may help to evaluate the management of high-risk children and to identify the most effective care.

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Twenty-four patients with postoperative external duodenal fistulas were managed in general surgical units over a six-year period. Management included aggressive nutritional support, localization and drainage of intraabdominal sepsis, and definitive surgical closure for those fistulas which did not close spontaneously. Spontaneous closure occurred in 92% of cases. All but one patient survived admission to hospital, and one patient died following readmission with intraabdominal sepsis resulting in a mortality of 8%. Provision of appropriate nutritional support and prompt control of sepsis has been associated with a low mortality rate and high rate of spontaneous fistula closure.

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