Evaluation of Pediatric Trauma Patients Requiring Pediatric Intensive Care Follow-up and Identifying the Differences in Refugee Children

Abstract

Objective: This study aimed to examine the causes and clinical course of trauma in trauma patients requiring pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) follow-up and evaluate possible differences related to demographic characteristics, trauma mechanism, trauma severity, and prognosis in refugee children. Material and Methods:The records of 175 patients admitted to our PICU between May 1, 2020 and April 30, 2021 with a preliminary diagnosis of trauma were retrospectively reviewed. The patients were divided into two groups as Turkish citizens and Syrian citizens (refugee children). The obtained data were compared between these two groups.Results: 119 (68%) were Turkish citizens and 56 (32%) were refugees. The median age of the Turkish citizens was 6 (3-12; IQR) years and the median age of the refugee patients was 4 (2-10; IQR) years (p = 0.092). Further, 70 (58.8%) of the Turkish citizens and 43 (76.8%) of the refugee patients were males (p = 0.027). In-vehicle traffic accidents were observed in 27 (22.7%) of the Turkish citizens and 4 (7.2%) of the refugee patients, with the difference being statistically significant (p = 0.011). The rate of non-vehicle traffic accident in the refugee patients was higher than that in the Turkish citizens (23.2% and 10%, respectively) (p = 0.035). Ten patients died due to trauma, of which 7 (5.8%) patients were Turkish citizens and 3 (5.3%) were refugee patients. Conclusion:In our study, we found that non-vehicle traffic accidents were more common in refugee patients, but there was no clinical difference between Turkish citizens and refugee patients. We think that more careful evaluation of immigrant problems, projects, and studies focused on the child population, improvement of socioeconomic conditions, and regular participation in the education system can reduce injury rates.

Retrospective evaluation of pediatric trauma patients: a single-center experience of a tertiary pediatric intensive care unit

“…In another study from our country by Emeksiz et al (22), it was shown that the most common cause of trauma was falling and all the patients who followed up had head trauma. In our study, 66.6% of trauma patients had head trauma and subdural hemorrhage was the most common finding in CT. As in previous studies, we would like to draw attention to the fact that head trauma due to falling is very common and affects mortality.…”

COVİD-19 Enfeksiyonunun İkinci Dalgasında Çocuklarda Ev Kazaları: Tek Merkez Deneyimi

“…Although the exact incidence of falls from great heights in children is not known in Türkiye, in a Turkish study it was demonstrated that the most common two causes of injury in the zero to four-yearold age group were burns and falls, and the most common cause of injury in the five to nine-year-old age group was falls (12). In a pediatric ICU study conducted in this hospital, 106 cases of falls from great heights were reported in one year (13).…”