Identification of children at very low risk of clinically-important brain injuries after head trauma: a prospective cohort study.

BACKGROUND: CT imaging of head-injured children has risks of radiation-induced malignancy. Our aim was to identify children at very low risk of clinically-important traumatic brain injuries (ciTBI) for whom CT might be unnecessary. METHODS: We enrolled patients younger than 18 years presenting within 24 h of head trauma with Glasgow Coma Scale scores of 14-15 in 25 North American emergency departments. We derived and validated age-specific prediction rules for ciTBI (death from traumatic brain injury, neurosurgery, intubation >24 h, or hospital admission >or=2 nights). FINDINGS: We enrolled and analysed 42 412 children (derivation and validation populations: 8502 and 2216 younger than 2 years, and 25 283 and 6411 aged 2 years and older). We obtained CT scans on 14 969 (35.3%); ciTBIs occurred in 376 (0.9%), and 60 (0.1%) underwent neurosurgery. In the validation population, the prediction rule for children younger than 2 years (normal mental status, no scalp haematoma except frontal, no loss of consciousness or loss of consciousness for less than 5 s, non-severe injury mechanism, no palpable skull fracture, and acting normally according to the parents) had a negative predictive value for ciTBI of 1176/1176 (100.0%, 95% CI 99.7-100 0) and sensitivity of 25/25 (100%, 86.3-100.0). 167 (24.1%) of 694 CT-imaged patients younger than 2 years were in this low-risk group. The prediction rule for children aged 2 years and older (normal mental status, no loss of consciousness, no vomiting, non-severe injury mechanism, no signs of basilar skull fracture, and no severe headache) had a negative predictive value of 3798/3800 (99.95%, 99.81-99.99) and sensitivity of 61/63 (96.8%, 89.0-99.6). 446 (20.1%) of 2223 CT-imaged patients aged 2 years and older were in this low-risk group. Neither rule missed neurosurgery in validation populations. INTERPRETATION: These validated prediction rules identified children at very low risk of ciTBIs for whom CT can routinely be obviated. FUNDING: The Emergency Medical Services for Children Programme of the Maternal and Child Health Bureau, and the Maternal and Child Health Bureau Research Programme, Health Resources and Services Administration, US Department of Health and Human Services.

Prevalence of Brain Injuries and Recurrence of Seizures in Children With Posttraumatic Seizures.

OBJECTIVES: Computed tomography (CT) is often used in the emergency department (ED) evaluation of children with posttraumatic seizures (PTS); however, the frequency of traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) and short-term seizure recurrence is lacking. Our main objective was to evaluate the frequency of TBIs on CT and short-term seizure recurrence in children with PTS. We also aimed to determine the associations between the likelihood of TBI on CT with the timing of onset of PTS after the traumatic event and duration of PTS. Finally, we aimed to determine whether patients with normal CT scans and normal neurological examinations are safe for discharge from the ED. METHODS: This was a planned secondary analysis from a prospective observational cohort study to derive and validate a neuroimaging decision rule for children after blunt head trauma at 25 EDs in the Pediatric Emergency Care Applied Research Network. We evaluated children < 18 years with head trauma and PTS between June 2004 and September 2006. We assessed TBI on CT, neurosurgical interventions, and recurrent seizures within 1 week. Patients discharged from the ED were contacted by telephone 1 week to 3 months later. RESULTS: Of 42,424 children enrolled, 536 (1.3%, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.2%-1.4%) had PTS. A total of 466 of 536 (86.9%, 95% CI = 83.8%-89.7%) underwent CT in the ED. TBIs on CT were identified in 72 (15.5%, 95% CI = 12.3%-19.1%), of whom 20 (27.8%, 95% CI = 17.9%-39.6%) underwent neurosurgical intervention and 15 (20.8%, 95% CI = 12.2%-32.0%) had recurrent seizures. Of the 464 without TBIs on CT (or no CTs performed), 457 had recurrent seizure status known, and five (1.1%, 95 CI = 0.4%-2.5%) had recurrent seizures; four of five presented with Glasgow Coma Scale scores < 15. None of the 464 underwent neurosurgical intervention. We found significant associations between likelihood of TBI on CT with longer time until the PTS after the traumatic event (p = 0.006) and longer duration of PTS (p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Children with PTS have a high likelihood of TBI on CT, and those with TBI on CT frequently require neurosurgical interventions and frequently have recurrent seizures. Those without TBIs on CT, however, are at low risk of short-term recurrent seizures, and none required neurosurgical interventions. Therefore, if CT-negative and neurologically normal, patients with PTS may be safely considered for discharge from the ED.

Isolated loss of consciousness in children with minor blunt head trauma.

IMPORTANCE: A history of loss of consciousness (LOC) is frequently a driving factor for computed tomography use in the emergency department evaluation of children with blunt head trauma. Computed tomography carries a nonnegligible risk for lethal radiation-induced malignancy. The Pediatric Emergency Care Applied Research Network (PECARN) derived 2 age-specific prediction rules with 6 variables for clinically important traumatic brain injury (ciTBI), which included LOC as one of the risk factors. OBJECTIVE: To determine the risk for ciTBIs in children with isolated LOC. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: This was a planned secondary analysis of a large prospective multicenter cohort study. The study included 42 ,412 children aged 0 to 18 years with blunt head trauma and Glasgow Coma Scale scores of 14 and 15 evaluated in 25 emergency departments from 2004-2006. EXPOSURE: A history of LOC after minor blunt head trauma. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: The main outcome measures were ciTBIs (resulting in death, neurosurgery, intubation for >24 hours, or hospitalization for ≥2 nights) and a comparison of the rates of ciTBIs in children with no LOC, any LOC, and isolated LOC (ie, with no other PECARN ciTBI predictors). RESULTS: A total of 42 412 children were enrolled in the parent study, with 40 693 remaining in the current analysis after exclusions. Of these, LOC occurred in 15.4% (6286 children). The prevalence of ciTBI with any history of LOC was 2.5% and for no history of LOC was 0.5% (difference, 2.0%; 95% CI, 1.7-2.5). The ciTBI rate in children with isolated LOC, with no other PECARN predictors, was 0.5% (95% CI, 0.2-0.8; 13 of 2780). When comparing children who have isolated LOC with those who have LOC and other PECARN predictors, the risk ratio for ciTBI in children younger than 2 years was 0.13 (95% CI, 0.005-0.72) and for children 2 years or older was 0.10 (95% CI, 0.06-0.19). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: Children with minor blunt head trauma presenting to the emergency department with isolated LOC are at very low risk for ciTBI and do not routinely require computed tomographic evaluation.