急診留觀可減少小兒頭部外傷病患做斷層掃描

Emergency Department Observation of Children with Minor Head Injury Reduces Use of Computed Tomography
But does not impair identification of clinically important traumatic brain injuries

In a secondary analysis of data from the Pediatric Emergency Care Applied Research Network, researchers evaluated whether observing children (age, less than 18 years) with minor head injury before deciding whether to obtain a head computed tomography (CT) scan affects use of CT and diagnosis of traumatic brain injury (TBI). Data on duration of observation were not collected.

Of 40,113 patients (median age, 5.6 years), 5433 (14%) were observed. Observed patients were significantly less likely to undergo CT than patients who were not observed (31% vs. 35%). After adjustment for clinical covariates, the likelihood of CT scanning remained lower for patients who were observed (adjusted odds ratio, 0.53). Rates of clinically important TBI (defined as intracranial injury resulting in death, neurosurgical intervention, intubation for more than 24 hours, or hospital admission for 2 or more nights) were similar between groups (0.75% and 0.87%, respectively).

The authors conclude that observing intermediate-risk patients would result in approximately 39 fewer CT scans per 1000 children who present to the emergency department with blunt head trauma; intermediate-risk children were defined as those with normal mental status and no evidence of skull fracture and at least one of the following: loss of consciousness, severe mechanism of injury, vomiting, not acting normally per parents (children less than 2 years), or severe headache (children above 2 years).

Comment: The lack of data on duration of observation makes practical application of these findings difficult. However, neurologically normal children with a history of loss of consciousness, transient vomiting, or headache can be observed before deciding about CT. Children with persistent symptoms or any sign of clinical deterioration should undergo immediate CT.

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Katherine Bakes, MD
Published in Journal Watch Emergency Medicine May 27, 2011

Citation(s): Nigrovic LE et al. The effect of observation on cranial computed tomography utilization for children after blunt head trauma. Pediatrics 2011 Jun; 127:1067.