Prehospital time and mortality in pediatric trauma.

PURPOSE: The "Golden Hour" of transportation to a hospital has long been accepted as a central principal of trauma care. However, this has not been studied in pediatric populations. We assessed for non-linearity of the relationship between prehospital time and mortality in pediatric trauma patients, redefining the threshold at which reducing this time led to more favorable outcomes. METHODS: We performed an analysis of the 2017-2018 American College of Surgeons Trauma Quality Improvement Program, including trauma patients age < 18 years. We examined the association between prehospital time and odds of in-hospital mortality using linear, polynomial, and restricted cubic spline (RCS) models, ultimately selecting the non-linear RCS model as the best fit. RESULTS: 60,670 patients were included in the study, of whom 1525 died and 3074 experienced complications. Prolonged prehospital time was associated with lower mortality and fewer complications. Both models demonstrated that mortality risk was lowest at 45-60 min, after which time was no longer associated with reduced probability of mortality. CONCLUSIONS: The demonstration of a non-linear relationship between pre-hospital time and patient mortality is a novel finding. We highlight the need to improve prehospital treatment and access to pediatric trauma centers while aiming for hospital transportation within 45 min.

Outcomes of farm compared to nonfarm pediatric injuries: A propensity-matched analysis.

OBJECTIVES: Pediatric farm-related injuries are rare but tend to be severe relative to other types of pediatric injury and may result in worse clinical outcomes. However, the comparison of farm and nonfarm injuries is confounded by different injury mechanisms, patient characteristics, and treating facilities. Therefore, we used propensity score matching to compare outcomes of pediatric farm and nonfarm injuries in the United States. METHODS: Data were obtained from the 2017-2019 Trauma Quality Program database. Farm as compared to nonfarm injury was defined as the location of an injury and served as the independent variable analyzed in this study. The outcome variables analyzed were in-hospital mortality, hospital length of stay (LOS), and admission to the intensive care unit (ICU). RESULTS: We identified 2,040 farm injuries and 201,865 nonfarm injuries meeting inclusion criteria. In this cohort, the mortality rate was 1%, median LOS was 2 days, and 14% of patients were admitted to the ICU. In the propensity-matched analysis (including 2,039 farm cases matched to 2,039 nonfarm controls), farm as compared to nonfarm injuries were associated with 5% longer LOS (95% CI: 1%, 8%; P = .01), but not mortality or ICU admission. CONCLUSIONS: In a propensity-matched analysis, pediatric farm injuries resulted in prolonged hospital stay compared to nonfarm injuries. Identifying patient- and health care system-level factors contributing to prolonged LOS may help optimize the care of children injured on farms.

Facility Size and Risk Factors for Mortality in Pediatric Trauma.

BACKGROUND: Pediatric trauma outcomes can vary across facilities, yet evidence on the relationship between facility bed size and pediatric trauma outcomes has been mixed. We aimed to identify how facility bed size might modify the impact of patient-level risk factors on mortality in pediatric trauma. We hypothesized that patient-level risk factors would have a stronger association with mortality at smaller trauma centers, and a weaker association with mortality at larger centers. METHODS: We used deidentified data obtained from the 2017-2018 Trauma Quality Programs registry, including patients ages 0-18 years of age who were admitted to the hospital. The primary outcome was in-hospital mortality. Facility bed size was dichotomized as large (>600 beds) vs small/medium (≤600 beds). Sensitivity analyses used 200 and 400 beds as alternative cutoffs. Interaction between facility bed size and patient characteristics was assessed using unadjusted logistic regression, with statistically significant interactions entered in a final, fully adjusted model. RESULTS: The analysis included 171 810 patients (mean age 10 ± 5 years; 65%/35% male/female), including 28% treated in a large hospital and 1.2% who died during the hospitalization. Controlling for trauma center level (or subsetting to pediatric trauma centers only), larger bed size did not reduce mortality risk associated with patient characteristics such as injury mechanism, injury severity, or patient demographics. CONCLUSIONS: Contrary to our hypothesis, greater facility bed size was not associated with reduced mortality risk associated with patient characteristics. Future studies are needed to identify hospital practices or characteristics that can attenuate the excess risk of known patient-level risk factors.

Lack of Health Insurance Coverage and Emergency Medical Service Transport for Pediatric Trauma Patients.

INTRODUCTION: Pediatric trauma patients who lack insurance coverage may have less access to transport other than emergency medical services (EMS) or face financial barriers that prevent utilization of these services. We analyzed the association between health insurance coverage and EMS transport while controlling for injury and patient characteristics. MATERIALS AND METHODS: De-identified Trauma Quality Programs registry data were queried for pediatric trauma patients age <18 y. The primary outcome was arrival by EMS (excluding interfacility transfer) versus private transport or walk-in, and the primary exposure was insurance coverage (any versus none). After exact matching on injury and facility characteristics, propensity matching was used to balance demographic covariates and comorbidities between insured and uninsured patients. RESULTS: Of the 130,246 patients analyzed, 9501 (7%) did not have insurance coverage. After matching 9494 uninsured cases to 9494 insured controls, fixed-effects logistic regression found that uninsured patients had 18% greater odds of using EMS transport, compared to insured patients (odds ratio: 1.18; 95% confidence interval: 1.11, 1.26; P < 0.001). Results were similar when comparing uninsured patients to privately insured or publicly insured patients only. CONCLUSIONS: Uninsured pediatric trauma patients have a higher likelihood of using EMS transport compared to insured patients with similar demographic and clinical characteristics, including the exact same score of injury severity. Lack of access to private transport may drive higher EMS utilization in uninsured patients with minor injuries and contribute to higher costs of pediatric trauma care borne by institutions and families.

Outpatient Follow-up Care After Hospital Discharge of Children With Complex Chronic Conditions at a Rural Tertiary Care Hospital.

OBJECTIVE: To determine factors associated with completion of recommended outpatient follow-up visits in children with complex chronic conditions (CCCs) following hospital discharge. METHODS: We retrospectively identified children aged 1 to 17 years diagnosed with a CCC who were discharged from our rural tertiary care children's hospital between 2017 and 2018 with a diagnosis meeting published CCC criteria. Patients discharged from the neonatal intensive care unit and patients enrolled in a care coordination program for technology-dependent children were excluded. RESULTS: Of 113 eligible patients, 77 (68%) had outpatient follow-up consistent with discharge instructions. Intensive care unit (ICU) admission (P = .020) and prolonged length of stay (P = .004) were associated with decreased likelihood of completing recommended follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: Among children with CCCs who were not already enrolled in a care coordination program, ICU admission was associated with increased risk of not completing recommended outpatient follow-up. This population could be targeted for expanded care coordination efforts.

Documentation of drug abuse in the family or household of children admitted to the hospital for non-accidental trauma.

BACKGROUND: Drug abuse in the family is known to increase the risk of child abuse, but its impact on outcomes of hospitalizations for non-accidental trauma (NAT) has not been characterized. OBJECTIVE: We aimed to identify how frequently drug abuse in the household was documented among children with known or suspected NAT, and to correlate drug abuse in the family with hospitalization outcomes. PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING: At our tertiary care hospital, we retrospectively queried hospital admissions of children ages 0-17 who had a Child Abuse and Neglect consultation ordered during an inpatient stay. METHODS: Case manager documentation and consult notes from the inpatient response team were used to determine suspected or confirmed presence of household substance abuse. RESULTS: We identified 185 children meeting inclusion criteria (59 % <1 year; 34 % 1-5 years; 7% 6-14 years of age). Drug abuse in the family was documented in 44 cases (24 %). Among 178 children surviving to discharge, drug abuse was associated with lower likelihood of discharge home (50 % vs. 70 % among children with no documented drug abuse, p = 0.018). After discharge, we found no statistically significant differences in rehospitalizations or emergency department visits according to documentation of drug abuse in the family. CONCLUSION: Our study addresses the role of family drug abuse in outcomes of hospitalizations for NAT. Significantly, half of cases with suspected or known drug abuse had no prior CPS involvement, and drug abuse was associated with discharge outcomes after controlling for prior CPS involvement.

Care Coordination Program for Children With Complex Chronic Conditions Discharged From a Rural Tertiary-Care Academic Medical Center.

OBJECTIVES: Hospital discharge offers an opportunity to initiate coordination of follow-up care, preventing readmissions or emergency department (ED) recidivism. We evaluated how revisits and costs of care varied in a 12-month period between children in a care coordination program at our center (enrolled after hospital discharge with a tracheostomy or on a ventilator) and children with complex chronic condition discharges who were not enrolled. METHODS: Children ages 1 to 17 years were retrospectively included if they had a hospital discharge in 2017 with an International Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision code meeting complex chronic condition criteria or if they were in active follow-up with the care coordination program. Revisits and total costs of care were compared over 2018 for included patients. RESULTS: Seventy patients in the program were compared with 56 patients in the control group. On bivariate analysis, the median combined number of hospitalizations and ED visits in 2018 was lower among program participants (0 vs 1; P = .033), and program participation was associated with lower median total costs of care in 2018 ($700 vs $3200; P = .024). On multivariable analysis, care coordination program participation was associated with 59% fewer hospitalizations in 2018 (incidence rate ratio: 0.41; 95% confidence interval: 0.23 to 0.75; P = .004) but was not significantly associated with reduced ED visits or costs. CONCLUSIONS: The care coordination program is a robust service spanning the continuum of patient care. We found program participation to be associated with reduced rehospitalization, which is an important driver of costs for children with medical complexity.

When a Mother Changes Her Mind About a DNR.

Generally, wide latitude is granted to parents when making decisions for their child on the basis of the wide acceptance of the special relationship between parent and child and the important role played by parents in the lives of children. However, when high-risk decisions are made, health care teams serve as an important societal safeguard that questions whether a parent is an appropriate decision-maker for their child. Child advocacy is an essential function of the pediatric health care team. In this ethics rounds, we examine a case of an infant with a complex medical condition requiring prolonged hospitalization that results in a clash of understanding between a mother and medical team when the mother abruptly requests removal of life-sustaining treatment. We present an ethical decision-making framework for such cases and examine the impact of barriers and unconscious bias that can exclude parents from their rightful role in directing care for their child.