The effect of patient observation on cranial computed tomography rates in children with minor head trauma

BackgroundManagement of children with minor blunt head trauma often includes a period of observation to determine the need for cranial computed tomography (CT). Our objective was to estimate the effect of planned observation on CT use for each Pediatric Emergency Care Applied Research Network (PECARN) traumatic brain injury (TBI) risk group among children with minor head trauma.MethodsThis was a secondary analysis of a prospective observational study at 10 emergency departments (EDs) in Australia and New Zealand, including 18,471 children 24 hours for head trauma, or hospitalization for ≥ 2 nights in association with a positive cranial CT scan. We estimated the odds of cranial CT use with planned observation, adjusting for patient characteristics, PECARN TBI risk group, history of seizure, time from injury, and hospital clustering, using a generalized linear model with mixed effects.ResultsThe cranial CT rate in the total cohort was 8.6%, and 0.8% had ciTBI. The planned observation group had 4,945 (27%) children compared to 13,526 (73%) in the no planned observation group. Cranial CT use was significantly lower with planned observation (adjusted odds ratio [OR] = 0.2, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.1 to 0.1), with no difference in missed ciTBI rates. There was no difference in the odds of cranial CT use with planned observation for the group at very low risk for ciTBI (adjusted OR = 0.9, 95% CI = 0.5 to 1.4). Planned observation was associated with significantly lower cranial CT use in patients at intermediate risk (adjusted OR = 0.2, 95% CI = 0.2 to 0.3) and high risk (adjusted OR = 0.1, 95% CI = 0.0 to 0.1) for ciTBI.ConclusionsEven in a setting with low overall cranial CT rates in children with minor head trauma, planned observation was associated with decreased cranial CT use. This strategy can be safely implemented on selected patients in the PECARN intermediate‐ and higher‐risk groups for ciTBI

Incidence of traumatic brain injuries in head-injured children with seizures

OnlinePublObjective Incidence and short-term outcomes of clinically important traumatic brain injury (ciTBI) in head-injured children presenting to ED with post-traumatic seizure (PTS) is not described in current literature. Methods Planned secondary analysis of a prospective observational study undertaken in 10 Australasian Paediatric Research in Emergency Department International Collaborative (PREDICT) network EDs between 2011 and 2014 of head-injured children 24 h (9 [2.7%] AR 2.5 [95% CI 0.8–4.2]) and neurosurgery (8 [2.4%] AR 2.0 [95% CI 0.4–3.7]), were higher than those without PTS. Children with PTS and GCS 15 or 14 had no neurosurgery, intubations or death, with two deaths in children with PTS and GCS ≤13. Conclusions PTS was uncommon in head-injured children presenting to the ED but associated with an increased risk of ciTBI in those with reduced GCS on arrival.Meredith L BORLAND, Stuart R DALZIEL, Natalie PHILLIPS, Sarah DALTON, Mark D LYTTLE, Silvia BRESSAN, Ed OAKLEY, Amit KOCHAR, Jeremy FURYK, John A CHEEK, Jocelyn NEUTZE, Nitaa EAPEN, Stephen JC HEARPS, Vanessa C RAUSA, and Franz E BABL, on behalf of the Paediatric Research in Emergency Department International Collaborative, PREDICT, grou

PECARN algorithms for minor head trauma: Risk stratification estimates from a prospective PREDICT cohort study

none17siBackground: The Pediatric Emergency Care Applied Research Network (PECARN) head trauma clinical decision rules informed the development of algorithms that risk stratify the management of children based on their risk of clinically important traumatic brain injury (ciTBI). We aimed to determine the rate of ciTBI for each PECARN algorithm risk group in an external cohort of patients and that of ciTBI associated with different combinations of high- or intermediate-risk predictors. Methods: This study was a secondary analysis of a large multicenter prospective data set, including patients with Glasgow Coma Scale scores of 14 or 15 conducted in Australia and New Zealand. We calculated ciTBI rates with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for each PECARN risk category and combinations of related predictor variables. Results: Of the 15,163 included children, 4,011 (25.5%) were aged <2 years. The frequency of ciTBI was 8.5% (95% CI = 6.0%–11.6%), 0.2% (95% CI = 0.0%–0.6%), and 0.0% (95% CI = 0.0%–0.2%) in the high-, intermediate-, and very-low-risk groups, respectively, for children <2 years and 5.7% (95% CI = 4.4%–7.2%), 0.7% (95% CI = 0.5%–1.0%), and 0.0% (95% CI = 0.0%–0.1%) in older children. The isolated high-risk predictor with the highest risk of ciTBI was “signs of palpable skull fracture” for younger children (11.4%, 95% CI = 5.3%–20.5%) and “signs of basilar skull fracture” in children ≥2 years (11.1%, 95% CI = 3.7%–24.1%). For older children in the intermediate-risk category, the presence of all four predictors had the highest risk of ciTBI (25.0%, 95% CI = 0.6%–80.6%) followed by the combination of “severe mechanism of injury” and “severe headache” (7.7%, 95% CI = 0.2%–36.0%). The very few children <2 years at intermediate risk with ciTBI precluded further analysis. Conclusions: The risk estimates of ciTBI for each of the PECARN algorithms risk group were consistent with the original PECARN study. The risk estimates of ciTBI within the high- and intermediate-risk predictors will help further refine clinical judgment and decision making on neuroimaging.noneBressan S.; Eapen N.; Phillips N.; Gilhotra Y.; Kochar A.; Dalton S.; Cheek J.A.; Furyk J.; Neutze J.; Williams A.; Hearps S.; Donath S.; Oakley E.; Singh S.; Dalziel S.R.; Borland M.L.; Babl F.E.Bressan, S.; Eapen, N.; Phillips, N.; Gilhotra, Y.; Kochar, A.; Dalton, S.; Cheek, J. A.; Furyk, J.; Neutze, J.; Williams, A.; Hearps, S.; Donath, S.; Oakley, E.; Singh, S.; Dalziel, S. R.; Borland, M. L.; Babl, F. E

Imaging and admission practices in paediatric head injury across emergency departments in Australia and New Zealand: a PREDICT study

First published 26 November 2019OBJECTIVES:Variation in the management of paediatric head injury has been identified worldwide. This prospective study describes imaging and admission practices of children presenting with head injury across 10 hospital EDs in Australia and New Zealand. METHODS:Prospective observational multicentre study of 20 137 children (under 18 years) as a planned secondary analysis of the Australasian Paediatric Head Injury Rules Study. All presentations with head injury without prior imaging were eligible for inclusion. Variations in rates of computed tomography of the brain (CTB) and admission practices between sites, ED type and country were investigated, as were clinically important traumatic brain injuries (ciTBIs) and abnormal CTBs within CTBs. RESULTS:Among the 20 137 enrolled patients, the site adjusted CTB rate was 11.2% (95% confidence interval [CI] 7.8-14.6); individual sites ranged from 2.6 to 18.6%. ciTBI was found in 0.4-2.2%, with abnormal scans documented in 0.7-6.5%. As a percentage of CTBs undertaken, ciTBIs were found in 12.8% (95% CI 10.8-14.7) with individual site variation of 8.8-16.9%, and no statistically significant difference noted, and traumatic abnormalities in 29.3% (95% CI 26.2-32.3) with individual site variation between 19.4 and 35.6%. Among those under 2 years,traumatic abnormalities were found in greater than 50% of CTBs at 90% of sites. Admission rate overall was 24.0% (site adjusted) with wide variation between sites (5.0-48.9%). CONCLUSION:Across the 10 largely tertiary EDs included in this study, the overall CTB rate was low with no significant variation between sites when adjusted for ciTBIs.Natalie Phillips, Stuart R Dalziel, Meredith L Borland, Sarah Dalton, Mark D Lyttle ... Amit Kochar ... et al

Efficacy of Prednisolone for Bell Palsy in Children: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled, Multicenter Trial

Background and objective Corticosteroids are used to treat the early stages of idiopathic facial paralysis (Bell's palsy) in children, but their effectiveness is uncertain. We set out to determine if prednisolone improves the proportion of children with Bell's palsy with complete recovery at one month. Methods We conducted a double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomised trial of prednisolone in children presenting to emergency departments with Bell's palsy. Patients aged 6 months to less than 18 years, recruited within 72 hours after symptom onset, were randomly assigned to receive 10 days of treatment with oral prednisolone (approximately 1 mg/kg) or placebo. The primary outcome was complete recovery of facial function at 1 month rated on the House-Brackmann scale. Secondary outcomes included facial function, adverse events and pain up to 6 months. Target recruitment was n=540 (270 per group). Results Between 13 October 2015 to 23 August 2020, 187 children were randomised (94 to prednisolone and 93 to placebo) and included in the intention-to-treat analysis. At 1 month, the proportions of patients who had recovered facial function were 49% (n=43/87) in the prednisolone group compared with 57% (n=50/87) in the placebo group (risk difference -8.1%, 95% CI -22.8 to 6.7; adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 0.7, 95% CI 0.4 to 1.3). At 3 months these proportion were 90% (n=71/79) for the prednisolone group versus 85% (n=72/85) for the placebo group (risk difference 5.2%, 95%, CI -5.0 to 15.3; aOR 1.2, 95% CI 0.4 to 3.0) and at 6 months 99% (n=77/78) and 93% (n=76/82) respectively (risk difference 6.0%, 95% CI -0.1 to 12.2; aOR 3.0 95% CI 0.5 to 17.7) There were no serious adverse events and little evidence for group differences in secondary outcomes. Discussion In children with Bell's palsy the vast majority recover without treatment. The study, although underpowered, does not provide evidence that early treatment with prednisolone improves complete recovery. Registration Registered with the Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry ACTRN12615000563561, registered 1 June 2015, ://www.anzctr.org.au/Trial/Registration/TrialReview.aspx?id=368505&isReview=true CLASSIFICATION OF EVIDENCE: This study provides Class I evidence that for children with Bell's palsy, prednisolone does not significantly change recovery of complete facial function at one month. However, the study lacked the precision to exclude an important harm or benefit from prednisolone.Franz E. Babl, David Herd, View ORCID ProfileMeredith L. Borland, Amit Kochar, Ben Lawton, Jason Hort, Adam West, View ORCID ProfileShane George, Michael Zhang, Karthik Velusamy, View ORCID ProfileFrank Sullivan, Ed Oakley, Andrew Davidson, View ORCID ProfileSandy M. Hopper, View ORCID ProfileJohn A. Cheek, Robert G. Berkowitz, View ORCID ProfileStephen Hearps, Catherine L. Wilson, Amanda Williams, Hannah Elborough, Donna Legge, Mark T. Mackay, Katherine J. Lee, Stuart R. Dalziel, on behalf of Paediatric Research in Emergency Departments International Collaborative, (PREDICT

Paediatric intentional head injuries in the emergency department: a multicentre prospective cohort study

OBJECTIVE:Although there is a large body of research on head injury (HI) inflicted by caregivers in young children, little is known about intentional HI in older children and inflicted HI by perpetrators other than carers. Therefore, we set out to describe epidemiology, demographics and severity of intentional HIs in childhood. METHODS:A planned secondary analysis of a prospective multicentre cohort study was conducted in 10 EDs in Australia and New Zealand, including children aged 1 day or admission ≥2 days with abnormal computed tomography [CT]) was descriptively analysed. RESULTS:Intentional injuries were identified in 372 of 20 137 (1.8%) head-injured children. Injuries were caused by caregivers (103, 27.7%), by peers (97, 26.1%), by siblings (47, 12.6%), by strangers (35, 9.4%), by persons with unknown relation to the patient (21, 5.6%), other intentional injuries (8, 2.2%) or undetermined intent (61, 16.4%). About 75.7% of victims of assault by caregivers were <2 years, whereas in other categories, only 4.9% were <2 years. Overall, 66.9% of victims were male. Rates of CT performance and abnormal CT varied: assault by caregivers 68.9%/47.6%, by peers 18.6%/27.8%, by strangers 37.1%/5.7%. ciTBI rate was 22.3% in assault by caregivers, 3.1% when caused by peers and 0.0% with other perpetrators. CONCLUSIONS:Intentional HI is infrequent in children. The most frequently identified perpetrators are caregivers and peers. Caregiver injuries are particularly severe.Franz E Babl, Helena Pfeiffer, Stuart R Dalziel, Ed Oakley, Vicki Anderson, Meredith L Borland, Natalie Phillips, Amit Kochar, Sarah Dalton, John A Cheek, Yuri Gilhotra, Jeremy Furyk, Jocelyn Neutze, Mark D Lyttle, Silvia Bressan, Susan Donath, Stephen JD Hearps and Louise Crowe, on behalf of the Paediatric Research in Emergency Departments International Collaborative (PREDICT