Acil Serviste Çocuklarda Düşme Olgularının Yönetimi: 261 Çocuk Olgunun Analizi

Abstract

Objective: Pediatric falls cause a significant burden for emergency departments and have negative patient outcomes such as prolonged length of stay and increased costs. The objective of this study was to evaluate results of the management of pediatric fall cases in an emergency department.Material and Methods: Pediatric patients who presented to our emergency department due to falling injury were evaluated and analyzed according to the demographic data, including age and gender, Glasgow Coma Scale, Injury Severity Score time of presentation, site of injury, diagnosis, department of consultation, department of hospitalization, length of stay and cost. After the initial management in the emergency department, patients were consulted and referred to other departments, if deemed necessary.Results: A total of 261 children were included in the study. Hospital admissions were most frequently made in summer, in August and on Saturdays. The children were most diagnosed by fractures followed by soft tissue trauma. The most injured body part was the head-neck region followed by extremities. The most frequently consulted departments included neurosurgery and orthopedics and traumatology. A total of 101 (38.7%) children were hospitalized. The median Injury Severity Score value of the patients was found as 3 and the median Glasgow Coma Scale value was found as 15 (8-15). The median treatment cost was found to be ₺278.8. The median length of stay was found as 31 (interquartile range, 21-63.5) (interquartile range için 2 sayısal değer verilmeli) hours. A strong positive correlation was found between length of stay and costs (r=0.629, p<0.001).Conclusion: Pediatric age group fall injuries are common events that increase the workload of the emergency department and create a significant burden and cost for the health system and society. Our results show that, as expected, there is a very strong relationship between length of stay and treatment costs.