Identification of Risk Factors for Disabilities in Children Following Clinically Important Traumatic Brain Injury: a prospective cohort study

Abstract

Background: Head injury is a common occurrence in children and is one of the leading causes of death and disability in this age group. Accurately predicting the outcome of children with head injuries is critical for appropriate treatment and management of these patients. Purpose: The aim of this study was to determine the risk factors that can help predict the outcome of children who were admitted after a clinically important head injury. Methods: We prospectively analysed the data of 65 patients under the age of 13 years who were admitted to our hospital after a clinically important head traumatic brain injury (TBI). We statistically analysed various parameters such as age, gender, mechanism of trauma, consciousness level, convulsion, vomiting, radiological investigation, duration of hospitalization, and the need for mechanical ventilation. Results: Our study showed that some parameters gave significant predictive value for the final outcome, such as the mechanism of trauma, consciousness level, convulsion, radiological investigation, duration of hospitalization, and the need for mechanical ventilation. However, age, gender, and vomiting had no significant predictive value. Conclusion: Our findings suggest that accurate prediction of the outcome of children with head injuries is possible by considering certain risk factors. This can aid in appropriate treatment and management of these patients, which is critical for their recovery and rehabilitation. Further studies with larger sample sizes are needed to confirm our findings.