Abstract text (incl. references and figure legends)
Background: We aimed to describe the injury pattern, treatment, and outcomes of pediatric trauma in a level 1 trauma centre in a rapidly developing country.
Methods: A retrospective analysis of paediatric injury data (2012-2021) was conducted. All trauma patients (<18y) requiring hospitalization were included. Patients were categorized and compared based on mechanism of injuries (MOI), age-group and injury severity.
Results: A 3058 pediatric patients (20% of the total trauma admissions) were included in the study. The incidence rate in 2020 was 86 cases per 100,000 pediatric population in Qatar. The majority were male (78%). Mean age was 9.3±5.7y. Nearly 40% had head injuries. The in-hospital mortality rate was 3.8%. The mean ISS was 10±9 and GCS was 13.6±3.4. Almost 18% required Intensive Care Unit admission. Road Traffic Injuries (RTIs) were more frequent in 15-18y whereas ≤ 4y group was mostly injured by falling objects. The Case Fatality Rate (CFR) was higher among females (5.0%), and in 15-18y (4.6%) and < 4y (4.4%) group. Pedestrian injuries were more lethal among the MOI. One fifth had severe injury with a mean age of 11±6 and 9.5% had ISS of ≥25. The predictors of severe injury were age (10 years and above) and RTI.
Conclusion: Almost one-fifth of the trauma admissions at the level 1 trauma centre in Qatar is pediatric population. Developing strategies that are based on understanding of the age- and mechanism-specific patterns of traumatic injuries among pediatric population is crucial.
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