Severe traumatic brain injuries (TBI) are a leading cause of child deaths and disability, with a disproportionate burden on low and middle-income countries (LMICs). Children in these countries often require long-term rehabilitation and care, which are not readily available.
In a new study published in the Injury Journal, researchers were able to study the impacts of severe pediatric TBI with extracranial injuries (ECI) in South American countries. Findings reveal these injuries to other body regions are common in South American patients with severe TBI.
The most common mechanism of injury were road traffic injuries and falls. Road traffic injuries were also associated with more severe ECI than falls, resulting in a higher rate of surgical procedures, ICU stay duration, and hospital length of stay. While a patient injured in a fall was more likely to have an isolated TBI.
Researchers suggest further strategies are needed to characterize the prevention and treatment of severe pediatric TBI in the South American countries.
This research was funded by the National Institutes of Health National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS).
Investigators on this study represent the Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine at Florida Atlantic University; Department of Surgery, Anesthesiology & Pain Medicine, and Pediatrics at the University of Washington School of Medicine; The Harborview Injury Prevention & Research Center at the University of Washington; Hospital Sor María Ludovica (La Plata, Argentina); Centro de Informática e Investigación Clínica (Rosario, Argentina); and the Children’s National Hospital Critical Care Medicine.