This series is a collaboration with the EMS for Children Innovation and Improvement Center (EIIC) and will be part of the pre-hospital resources for its Pediatric Education and Advocacy Kit (PEAK) for multisystem trauma. Click on the link to learn more! https://emscimprovement.center/education-and-resources/peak/. 

In this episode we kick off a multipart series on pediatric trauma just in time for summer and trauma season. Join your two hosts as they tackle the prehospital management of pediatric trauma. Everything from head to toe and the pathophysiology that makes pediatric trauma unique from the adult population. Below are the episode talking points you don't want to miss. 

Objectives

• Assess the current landscape of pediatric trauma.
• Recognize the physiologic differences between adults and children in trauma.
• Evaluate how the mechanism of injury informs the management.
• Analyze how to approach a pediatric trauma patient.
• Summary and take-home points.

Brought to you by The National Association of EMS Physicians (NAEMSP) and Missouri Emergency Medical Services for Children (MO-EMSC).

Hosts: Dr. Joelle Donofrio-Odmann and Dr. Joseph Finney

Website: https://sites.libsyn.com/414020 

GET CEU CREDIT THROUGH PRODIGY EMS 

Content Experts: Joelle Donofrio-Odmann, DO and Joseph Finney, MD

Pediatric Assessment Triangle

 

The Changing Landscape of Traumatic Pediatric Death

 

Goldstick, 2022

Trimodal Distribution of Death

From McLaughlin et al, 2017:

74% of pediatric deaths age 1-14y were in first 24 hours. Of children who die from traumatic injuries, most die within 24 hours of arriving to the hospital. When compared to adult trauma patients, children are more likely to die in the emergency department (ED) rather than surviving long enough for hospital admission or transfer to the operating room.

Where you are treated matters

Theodorou et al in 2021 reviewed over 7000 pediatric trauma admissions and found, of the 134 patients who died, Traumatic brain injury was the most common cause of death (66%), followed by anoxia (9.7%) and hemorrhage (8%).  54% died in the ED. More likely to die if suffered penetrating trauma. 

Pediatric Trauma: ATC vs PTC

The United States Government Accountability Office found 57 percent of the nation's 74 million children lived within 30 miles of a pediatric trauma center that can treat pediatric injuries, regardless of severity. 

The presence of pediatric trauma centers was associated with lower rates of MVC death in children. Adult level 1/2 trauma centers appear to offer comparable risk reduction. Where population differences in pediatric trauma mortality are observed, addressing disparities in county-level access to pediatric trauma care may serve as a viable target for system-level improvement.

Pediatric patients