Background. A significant number of children are injured by or die from firearm-related incidents every year, although there is a lack of global data on the number of children admitted to pediatric emergency departments (PEDs) and pediatric intensive care units (PICU) with firearm injuries. This study is the most comprehensive analysis of firearm injuries sustained by children in Turkey to date. Methods. This multicenter, retrospective, cohort study was conducted between 2010 and 2020 with the contributions of the PEDs, PICUs, intensive care units, and surgery departments of university hospitals and research hospitals. Results. A total of 508 children were admitted to hospital with firearm-related injuries in the research period, although the medical records of only 489 could be obtained. Of the total admissions to hospitals, 55.0% were identified as unintentional, 8.2% as homicide, 4.5% as self-harm, and 32.3% as undetermined. The Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) and ventilation support were found to be the most significant predictors of mortality, while head/neck injury, length of stay (LOS) in the hospital and surgical interventions were found to be the most significant predictors of disability. The overall mortality of firearm-related injuries was 6.3%, and the mortality for children admitted to the PICU was 19.8%. The probability of disability was calculated as 96.0% for children hospitalized with firearm injuries for longer than 75 days. Conclusions. Head/neck injury, LOS in the hospital, and surgical interventions were found to be the most significant parameters for the prediction of disability. Hospitalization exceeding 6 days was found to be related to disability.

Background: Optic nerve sheath diameter (ONSD) measurement is a noninvasive method that can be used for intracranial pressure monitoring. Several studies have investigated normal ONSD values in children, but no general consensus has been reached yet.Objectives: The aim of our study was to reveal normal ONSD, eyeball transverse diameter (ETD), and ONSD/ETD values on brain Computed tomography (CT) in healthy children aged 1 month to 18 years. Methods: Children admitted to the emergency department with minor head trauma and had normal brain CT were included in the study. The demographic characteristics of the patients (age and sex) were recorded, and the patients were divided into four age groups: 1 month to 2 years, 2 to 4 years, 4 to 10 years, and 10 to 18 years.Results: The images of 332 patients were analyzed. When the median values of all measurement parameters (right and left ONSD, ETD, and ONSD/ETD) were compared between the right and left eyes, no statistically signi cant differences. When the same parameters were compared according to age group, the ONSD and ETD values differed signi cantly (values of males were found to be higher), but the ONSD proximal/ETD and ONSD middle/ETD values did not differ signi cantly.Conclusion: In our study, normal ONSD, ETD, and ONSD/ETD values were determined according to age and sex in healthy children. As the ONSD/ETD index did not statistically signi cantly differ according to age and sex, diagnostic studies for traumatic brain injuries can be performed using the index.

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Background: Optic nerve sheath diameter (ONSD) measurement is a noninvasive method that can be used for intracranial pressure monitoring. Several studies have investigated normal ONSD values in children, but no general consensus has been reached yet. Objectives: The aim of our study was to reveal normal ONSD, eyeball transverse diameter (ETD), and ONSD/ETD values on brain Computed tomography (CT) in healthy children aged 1 month to 18 years. Methods: Children admitted to the emergency department with minor head trauma and had normal brain CT were included in the study. The demographic characteristics of the patients (age and sex) were recorded, and the patients were divided into four age groups: 1 month to 2 years, 2 to 4 years, 4 to 10 years, and 10 to 18 years. Results: The images of 332 patients were analyzed. When the median values of all measurement parameters (right and left ONSD, ETD, and ONSD/ETD) were compared between the right and left eyes, no statistically significant differences. When the same parameters were compared according to age group, the ONSD and ETD values differed significantly (values of males were found to be higher), but the ONSD proximal/ETD and ONSD middle/ETD values did not differ significantly. Conclusion: In our study, normal ONSD, ETD, and ONSD/ETD values were determined according to age and sex in healthy children. As the ONSD/ETD index did not statistically significantly differ according to age and sex, diagnostic studies for traumatic brain injuries can be performed using the index.

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