Defenestration in children younger than 6 years old: mortality predictors in severe head trauma.

Purpose: This study aims to describe the characteristics of severe head injuries in children less than 6 years old, victims of falls from windows, and identify the main predictive factors of mortality in this population.

Patients And Methods: A cross-sectional study was designed through data derived from medical records of less than 6-year-old children victims of falls from windows presenting with a severe head injury defined by an initial Glasgow coma scale (GCS) < or =8, hospitalized at a Pediatric Trauma center level III, between January 2000 and December 2005. Statistical analysis used univariate analysis and multiple logistic regressions.

Results: We identified 58 severe head injuries in children victims of falls from windows. The mean age was 2.8 +/- 1.4 years, with a male prevalence (64%); 48% of patients had a GCS < or =5; 62.1% had a Pediatric Trauma Score (PTS) < or =3 at hospital admission. The mortality rate was 41% (24/58) and most of them (88%; 21/24) died within 48 h. An increased death rate was noted in children admitted with hypoxemia (p = 0.001), low systolic blood pressure (p = 0.002), hypothermia (p = 0.0001), GCS < or =5 (p = 10(-5)), PTS < or =3 (p = 0.008), hyperglycemia (p = 0.023), coagulation disorders (p = 0.02), and initial intracranial pressure > or =20 mmHg (p = 0.03). Initial hypothermia, hyperglycemia, and coagulation disorders were the only independent predictive factors of mortality.

Conclusion: Severe head injuries resulting from falls from windows carry a high risk of mortality in less than 6-year-old children. Hypothermia, hyperglycemia, and coagulation's disorders are independent predictive factors of mortality. Early deaths could be considered as direct consequences of uncontrollable brain lesions.