Utility of neurocognitive testing of mild traumatic brain injury in children treated and released from the emergency department.

Primary Objective: To assess feasibility and utility of neurocognitive testing of children evaluated and discharged from the ED with mild traumatic brain injury (MTBI).

Methods: Paediatric blunt trauma patients (aged 11-18 years) evaluated in the ED for MTBI and control patients with isolated lower extremity injury were prospectively enrolled. All patients were administered a validated neurocognitive test (ImPACT(©)).

Behavioural characteristics associated with dog bites to children presenting to an urban trauma centre.

Children are the most frequent victims of dog bites presenting to hospital emergency departments (ED), but there are gaps in understanding of the circumstances of such bites. The objective of this study was to characterise the behavioural circumstances of dog bites by interviewing children ≤17 years (or parent proxies for children ≤6 years) presenting with dog bite injuries to The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia about the bite incident, its setting and associated interactions. Of 203 children enrolled, 51% were <7 years old and 55% were male.

Comparison of telephone with World Wide Web-based responses by parents and teens to a follow-up survey after injury.

Objective: To identify sociodemographic factors associated with completing a follow-up survey about health status on the web versus by telephone, and to examine differences in reported health-related quality of life by method of response.

Data Sources/study Settings: Survey about child health status of 896 parents of children aged 0-17 years treated in a hospital emergency department or admitted for a traumatic brain injury or arm injury, and 227 injured adolescents aged 14-17 years.

Study Design: The main outcomes were characteristics of those who completed a follow-up survey on the web versus by telephone and health-related quality of life by method of response.

Postconcussive symptoms in hospitalized pediatric patients after mild traumatic brain injury.

Background: Mild traumatic brain injury (MTBI) is common in the pediatric population. The symptom complex that might be expected in children after MTBI is not well documented. We sought to clarify the frequency and severity of concussive symptoms reported by children who required hospitalization for MTBI.

The health-related quality of life of children with an extremity fracture: a one-year follow-up study.

Purpose: To document the health-related quality of life (HRQOL) of children with an extremity fracture at 3 and 12 months postinjury and to determine whether it varies significantly by fracture region and site.

Methods: Children hospitalized for an extremity fracture at 4 pediatric trauma centers were studied. A baseline, 3-month, and 12-month telephone interview were completed by a primary caregiver to measure the child's HRQOL using the Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory (PedsQL).

Effective radiation dose from radiologic studies in pediatric trauma patients.

Evaluation of the pediatric trauma patient frequently requires radiologic studies. Although low-dose radiation from diagnostic radiology is considered safe, lifetime risks per unit dose of radiation are increased in children compared to adults. The total effective dose of radiation to a typical pediatric trauma patient is unknown.