Characteristics of Pediatric Concussion across Different Mechanisms of Injury in 5 through 12-Year-Olds.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate characteristics of sport-related concussion (SRC), recreation-related concussion (RRC), and nonsport or recreation-related concussion (non-SRRC) in patients 5 through 12 years old, an understudied population in youth concussion. STUDY DESIGN: This observational study included patients aged 5 through 12 years presenting to a specialty care concussion setting at ≤28 days postinjury from 2018 through 2022. The following characteristics were assessed: demographics, injury mechanism (SRC, RRC, or SRRC), point of healthcare entry, and clinical signs and symptoms. Kruskal-Wallis and chi-square tests were used to assess group differences. Posthoc pairwise comparisons were employed for all analyses (α = 0.017). RESULTS: One thousand one hundred forty-one patients reported at ≤28 days of injury (female = 42.9%, median age = 11, interquartile range (IQR) = 9-12) with the most common mechanism being RRC (37.3%), followed by non-SRRC (31.9%). More non-SRRCs (39.6%) and RRC (35.7%) were first seen in the emergency department (P < .001) compared with SRC (27.9%). Patients with RRC and non-SRRC were first evaluated at specialists 2 and 3 days later than SRC (P < .001). Patients with non-SRRC reported with higher symptom burden, more frequent visio-vestibular abnormalities, and more changes to sleep and daily habits (P < .001) compared with RRC and SRC (P < .001). CONCLUSIONS: In concussion patients 5 through 12 years, RRCs and non-SRRC were more prevalent than SRC, presenting first more commonly to the emergency department and taking longer to present to specialists. Non-SRRC had more severe clinical features. RRC and non-SRRC are distinct from SRC in potential for less supervision at time of injury and less direct access to established concussion health care following injury.

Disparities in Adherence to Concussion Clinical Care Recommendations in a Pediatric Population.

OBJECTIVE: To characterize the relationship of sociodemographic factors to adherence to provider recommendations for pediatric concussion. SETTING: Primary care (PC) practices within the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia network. PARTICIPANTS: Patients aged 5 to 18 years old who presented to any PC site for concussion from September 26, 2019, to December 31, 2019. DESIGN: Retrospective medical record review. MAIN MEASURES: The primary outcome was adherence to follow-up recommendations as defined by (1) continued follow-up until provider clearance to return to full activity; (2) no more than 2 no-show visits; and (3) for those referred to specialty care (SC), attending at least 1 visit. We compared adherence by race/ethnicity, insurance, age, sex, injury mechanism, and repeat head injury using bivariate and multivariate analyses. A secondary outcome of referral to SC was compared by sociodemographic factors. RESULTS: A total of 755 patients were included. Overall, 80.5% of the patients met adherence criteria. Following adjustment, non-Hispanic Black patients and publicly insured/self-pay patients were less likely to adhere to recommendations than non-Hispanic White patients (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 0.60; 95% CI, 0.37-1.00) and privately insured patients (AOR = 0.48; 95% CI, 0.30-0.75), respectively. When assessing differences in referral to SC, non-Hispanic Black patients and publicly insured/self-pay patients were more likely to receive a referral than their non-Hispanic White peers (OR = 1.56; 95% CI, 1.00-2.45) and privately insured patients (OR = 1.56; 95% CI, 1.05-2.32), respectively. CONCLUSION: This study highlights disparities in adherence to concussion care recommendations, with non-Hispanic Black and publicly insured/self-pay patients less likely to adhere to follow-up recommendations than non-Hispanic White and privately insured patients, respectively. These disparities may impact recovery trajectories. Future studies should aim to identify specific individual- and system-level barriers preventing adherence to care in order to ultimately inform targeted interventions to achieve equity in care delivery and outcomes.

Documented Visio-Vestibular Examination and Anticipatory Guidance for Pediatric Concussion Patients.

OBJECTIVES: Pediatric concussion patients are frequently managed in the primary care or acute care settings. Optimal care includes vision and vestibular assessments, as well as targeted anticipatory guidance for return to school and activity. We aimed to examine clinical practices related to the evaluation and management of concussion patients at children's hospital-based emergency department (ED) and primary care/urgent care settings. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective chart review of children aged 5 to 18 years who presented to either the ED or the primary and urgent care settings during a 2-year period. We evaluated 2 concussion management practices: (1) completion of the visio-vestibular examination and (2) provision of anticipatory guidance and follow-up. RESULTS: Among patients seen in the ED (n = 500), only 12.4% had at least 1 component of the visio-vestibular examination performed compared with 51.3% of patients (n = 78) in the primary and urgent care settings ( P < 0.05). Regarding anticipatory guidance, 86.2% of ED patients were advised to engage in cognitive rest, and 94.2% were told to physically rest compared with 67.9% and 72.8% in the primary and urgent care settings ( P < 0.05), respectively. Follow-up recommendations were provided similarly for both settings (92.0% in the ED and 85.9% in the primary/urgent care, P = 0.077). CONCLUSIONS: Although most pediatric concussion patients receive instructions acutely about cognitive and physical rest, there is opportunity to increase the frequency of visio-vestibular testing in both the ED and the primary care settings. Future efforts should focus on strategies to consistently optimize visio-vestibular assessment given its value in concussion diagnosis.

A Randomized Trial of Incentivization to Maximize Retention for Real-Time Symptom and Activity Monitoring Using Ecological Momentary Assessment in Pediatric Concussion.

OBJECTIVE: The aims of this study were to determine the incentivization strategy that maximizes patient adherence to report symptoms and activity via ecological momentary assessment (EMA) after pediatric concussion, and assess the feasibility of tracking concussed youth using EMA from the emergency department (ED) setting. METHODS: This study was a randomized controlled trial of participants ages 13 to 18 years with concussion presenting to an urban, academic pediatric ED within 5 days of injury. Participants were randomized to 1 of 4 incentive arms: 2 dynamic (loss-based and streak) and 2 control flat-rate (monetary and electronic device). Participants reported symptoms 3 times per day and cognitive activity once each evening for 3 weeks. Physical activity (step count) and sleep were monitored using a Fitbit (kept by participants in the device flat-rate arm). The primary outcome was proportion of prompts to which participants responded. Secondary outcomes included differential response rates by demographics, and comparison of outcome determination between EMA and subsequent clinical visits. RESULTS: Thirty participants were enrolled, with a median age of 15.5 years and 60% female. Median cumulative proportion of prompts responded to was 68.3% (interquartile range, 47.6%-82.5%) in the dynamic arms versus 54.0% (interquartile range. 20.6%-68.3%) in the flat-rate arms, P = 0.065. There were nonsignificant differences in median response by sex (65.9% for female vs 40.0% for male, P = 0.072), race/ethnicity (61.9% for non-Hispanic White vs 43.7% for non-Hispanic Black participants, P = 0.097), and insurance (61.9% for private insurance vs 47.6% for public insurance, P = 0.305). Recovery at 3 weeks was discernible for all but 2 participants (93.3%) using EMA data, compared with only 9 participants (30.0%) ( P < 0.001) from clinical visits. CONCLUSIONS: Dynamic incentivization showed higher rates of response to tridaily symptom prompts compared with flat-rate incentivization. These data show tracking concussed youth using EMA from the ED is feasible using a dynamic incentivization strategy, with improved ability to discern outcomes compared with prospective monitoring using follow-up clinical visits.

Visio-Vestibular Deficits in Healthy Child and Adolescent Athletes.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the relationship between patient characteristics and performance on the visio-vestibular examination (VVE) in a cohort of healthy youth athletes and explore the potential association between the VVE and other standardized concussion batteries. DESIGN: Cross-sectional. SETTING: Suburban middle and high school. PATIENTS: One hundred ninety subjects age 11 to 18 enrolled before their respective scholastic sport season between August 2017 and March 2020. ASSESSMENT OF INDEPENDENT VARIABLES: Patient age, sex, concussion history, comorbidities, hours of weekly exercise, Sport Concussion Assessment Tool, 5th edition (SCAT-5), King-Devick (K-D), Postconcussion Symptom Inventory (PCSI). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Visio-vestibular examination abnormalities (smooth pursuit, horizontal and vertical saccades, horizontal and vertical gaze stability, convergence, right and left monocular accommodation, complex tandem gait). RESULTS: Overall, 29.5% of subjects had at least one of 9 VVE elements abnormal, 7.9% at least 2, and 3.2% at least 3. None of 72 comparisons of the VVE elements, when stratified by age, sex, concussion history, history of headaches, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, learning issues, psychiatric problems, motion sickness, or weekly hours of exercise, reached significance using the Benjamini-Hochberg procedure at a false discovery rate of 5%. There were no significant associations between VVE elements and the SCAT-5, K-D, or PCSI. CONCLUSIONS: The VVE is robust across multiple patient characteristics. Although healthy subjects may have one abnormal element, multiple abnormal elements are a less common feature, making multiple abnormal elements more indicative of concussion, highlighting the use of this assessment in the setting of injury. The VVE tests unique domains when compared with the PCSI, SCAT-5, and K-D.

Assessment of Saccades and Gaze Stability in the Diagnosis of Pediatric Concussion.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the discriminatory ability of different repetition increments of saccades and gaze stability testing for diagnosing concussion in adolescents. DESIGN: Cross-sectional. SETTING: Suburban high school and academic pediatric tertiary care center. PARTICIPANTS: Sixty-nine adolescent athletes within 28 days of a sports- or recreation-related concussion and 69 adolescent athletes without recent concussion. ASSESSMENT OF INDEPENDENT VARIABLES: Symptom provocation with horizontal and vertical saccades and gaze stability testing performed up to 30 repetitions. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Sensitivity and specificity at 10-repetition increments (≤10, ≤20, ≤30) and area under the receiver operating characteristic curves (AUC) of a visio-vestibular examination (VVE) subscore, scored 0 to 4 based on the number of assessments with symptom provocation, at each repetition increment. RESULTS: Sensitivity improved when increasing from ≤10 to ≤20 to ≤30 repetitions for horizontal (25% to 50% to 69%) and vertical (32% to 52% to 74%) saccades and horizontal (19% to 45% to 71%) and vertical (23% to 45% to 72%) gaze stability. Specificity was comparable at ≤10 and ≤20 repetitions, but decreased at ≤30 repetitions across assessments. For a VVE subscore (0-4) based on the number of symptomatic assessments, the discriminatory ability of the test was highest at ≤20 repetitions (AUC of 0.79) with an optimal subscore of one (sensitivity 59%, specificity 96%). CONCLUSIONS: A VVE including a higher threshold level of repetitions for saccades and gaze stability has improved discriminatory ability for concussion, with an optimized AUC of 0.79 at ≤20 repetitions. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: The findings in this study suggest that a higher threshold level of repetitions of 2 commonly used visio-vestibular assessments enables clinicians to more accurately diagnose youth concussion.

Concussion Referral and Practice Patterns by Pediatric Emergency Medicine Providers.

OBJECTIVES: Concussion is a commonly encountered diagnosis for pediatric emergency medicine (PEM) providers, yet little is known regarding referral patterns to specialists. Our goal was to assess PEM providers' referral patterns and current usage of standardized evaluation tools. METHODS: This study was conducted as cross-sectional survey of PEM providers recruited from the American Academy of Pediatrics Section on Emergency Medicine Listserv. Surveys were distributed at 3 time points between December 1, 2020, and February 28, 2021, and included multiple choice, Likert scale, and free text questions. Descriptive statistics and bivariate analyses were used to describe the sample and compare responses between those with variable experience and confidence in concussion management. RESULTS: In total, 162 of 491 Listserv members (33.0%) completed the survey. The factors most often reported to assist in referral decisions were history of severe (92.6%) or multiple (90.7%) prior concussions, prolonged symptom duration (89.5%), and severity of current symptoms (84.6%). Most providers reported having large experience (63.0%) and confidence (54.9%) in managing concussion. Standardized symptom scales (8.0%), vestibular (11.7%) and balance assessments (13.0%), and prognostic tools (6.8%) were infrequently used. Most (64.2%) providers felt specialty referral was important. More than 80% reported high likelihood to use an accurate risk stratification tool to facilitate referral. CONCLUSIONS: Although most PEM providers reported significant experience and confidence in managing pediatric concussion, standardized assessment tools were infrequently used. Most were likely to use a risk stratification tool to assist in specialty referral. Future studies should assess the ability of targeted referral strategies to improve recovery for concussed youth.

Assault-Related Concussion in a Pediatric Population.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to compare demographic characteristics, medical care, and outcomes among patients with assault-related concussion (ARC) versus sports and recreation-related concussion (SRC). METHODS: We conducted a retrospective chart review of 124 patients (62 ARC, 62 SRC) aged 8 to 17 years presenting to the care network of a large tertiary care pediatric hospital between July 1, 2012, and June 30, 2014 with a concussion diagnosis at time of presentation. We abstracted patient demographics, initial medical care visit characteristics, and outcome data, and compared proportions using χ2 testing and Fisher exact test and medians using Wilcoxon rank sum test. RESULTS: Patients with ARC were more likely to be Black, publicly insured, and present first for care to the emergency department. Significantly fewer patients with ARC received visio-vestibular testing at initial visit (27% vs 74%, P < 0.001). During recovery, the total number of reported physical, cognitive, emotional, and sleep symptoms did not differ between groups; however, more than twice as many patients with ARC reported decline in grades postinjury compared with patients with SRC (47% vs 20%, P = 0.012). There were trends toward prolonged symptom recovery and time to physician clearance for full return to activities among patients with ARC compared with SRC. CONCLUSIONS: This study highlights potential disparities in the initial evaluation and outcomes of pediatric concussion patients based on mechanism of injury. Patients with ARC were less likely to receive a concussion-specific diagnostic evaluation and reported a greater impact on educational outcomes, suggesting differences in concussion diagnosis and management among assault-injured patients. Further examination in larger populations with prospective studies is needed to address potential inequities in concussion care and outcomes among patients with ARC.

Trends in Emergent Head Computed Tomography Utilization for Minor Head Trauma After Implementation of a Clinical Pathway.

OBJECTIVE: The aims of this study were to evaluate trends over time in computed tomography (CT) scan utilization after implementation of a clinical pathway in a tertiary care children's hospital emergency department (ED), to determine how ED throughput differs by CT utilization, and to determine provider reasoning for obtaining head CT in low-risk patients. METHODS: This was a retrospective cohort study of patients 21 years or younger discharged from our ED with head trauma (Glasgow Coma Scale score ≥13 and a head trauma International Classification of Diseases code) over a 5-year period, starting 1 year after pathway implementation (January 2012 to December 2016). A manual chart review of 10% of patients who received a CT was performed to determine reasoning for CT utilization and guideline compliance. RESULTS: In total, 6.3% (95% confidence interval [CI], 5.9%-6.6%) of 21,129 discharged patients received a head CT, decreasing annually by an average of 0.9%. Pediatricians were more likely to obtain a CT than pediatric emergency medicine physicians after adjusting for acuity (odds ratio, 1.37; 95% CI, 1.02-1.82). Those who received a CT stayed 90 minutes longer (95% CI, 79-101 minutes) than those who did not after propensity score matching. Thirty percent of patients who received a CT in our manual chart review met low-risk Pediatric Emergency Care Applied Research Network criteria. CONCLUSIONS: Head CT rates in patients with minor head trauma consistently decreased each year after guideline implementation. Children who received head CT did not have prolonged lengths of stay compared with those who did not. A minority of patients who received a CT and were discharged met low-risk criteria by standardized guidelines.

Evaluation and Management of Pediatric Concussion in the Acute Setting.

ABSTRACT: Concussion, a type of mild traumatic brain injury, is a common injury encountered by providers caring for pediatric patients in the emergency department (ED) setting. Our understanding of the pathophysiologic basis for symptom and recovery trajectories for pediatric concussion continues to rapidly evolve. As this understanding changes, so do recommendations for optimal management of concussed youth. As more and more children present to EDs across the country for concussion, it is imperative that providers caring for children in these settings remain up-to-date with diagnostic recommendations and management techniques. This article will review the definition, epidemiology, pathophysiology, diagnosis, and management of pediatric concussion in the ED setting.

Reliability of the visio-vestibular examination for concussion among providers in a pediatric emergency department.

BACKGROUND: Visio-vestibular examination (VVE) deficits are common following pediatric concussion. Guidelines recommend assessing these deficits on all potentially concussed youth given their diagnostic and prognostic value, however test psychometrics of the VVE in the emergency department (ED) setting are unknown. Our objective was to determine the inter-rater (IRR) and test-retest reliability (TRR) of the VVE in a pediatric ED. METHODS: We enrolled 155 patients (112 IRR; 43 TRR) age 6-18 years with head injury presenting to the ED of a tertiary care children's hospital. Exams were performed by a group of 65 attending/fellow physicians, pediatricians, and advanced practice providers. The VVE consisted of 9 maneuvers (smooth pursuits, horizontal/vertical saccades and gaze stability, binocular convergence, left/right monocular accommodation, complex tandem gait). Cohen's kappa was calculated for IRR and TRR for each element. RESULTS: For IRR, 5/9 kappas (saccades, gaze stability, monocular accommodation) were in the moderate agreement range (0.40 to 0.60); remaining kappas showed fair agreement. For TRR, 6/9 maneuvers (saccades, horizontal gaze stability, monocular accommodation, tandem gait) showed substantial agreement (0.60 to 0.80). Kappas of 7/9 elements for subjects age 15-18 showed improved IRR and TRR. CONCLUSIONS: The individual elements of the VVE show fair to moderate agreement between providers and moderate to substantial agreement among the same provider in the ED setting. These findings suggest a role in the VVE in evaluating concussion acutely, particularly given its previously demonstrated ability to assist in risk stratification of concussed youth and the importance of early diagnosis for improved outcomes.

The Economic Burden of Pediatric Postconcussive Syndrome.

OBJECTIVE: To estimate the direct costs of pediatric postconcussive syndrome (PCS). DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study. SETTING: Subspecialty sports medicine clinics of a large pediatric tertiary care network in the United States. PATIENTS: One hundred fifty-four patients aged 5 to 18 years with PCS, evaluated between 2010 and 2011. ASSESSMENT OF INDEPENDENT VARIABLES: Direct costs included visits to sports medicine clinic, visio-vestibular therapy, homebound education, subspecialist referral, and prescription-only medications (amantadine and amitriptyline), all measured beginning at 28 days after injury. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Postconcussive syndrome was defined as persistence beyond 28 days from injury. RESULTS: The cost incurred by each PCS patient for sports medicine visits was $1575, for visio-vestibular therapy was $985, for homebound tutoring was $55, for prescription medications was $22, and for subspecialist referral was $120, totaling $3557 per patient, with a 95% confidence interval range of $2886 to $4257. CONCLUSIONS: Given the high economic costs of PCS determined in this study, therapies that mitigate this syndrome may have the potential to be cost-effective and even cost saving.

Characteristics and Outcomes for Delayed Diagnosis of Concussion in Pediatric Patients Presenting to the Emergency Department.

BACKGROUND: Concussions are common pediatric injuries. Previous studies have found concussed youth may be underdiagnosed in the emergency department (ED), but outcomes for those with delayed diagnosis have yet to be described. OBJECTIVE: Our aim was to compare visit characteristics and outcomes of patients who present to the ED with head injury who receive immediate vs. delayed diagnosis. METHODS: Retrospective chart review of patients aged 6 to 18 years diagnosed with concussion on their first ED or urgent care (UC) visit and patients requiring a second visit for diagnosis between July 1, 2017 and June 20, 2019. We compared demographic information, ED or UC visit features, and recovery outcomes using χ2 tests, Student's t-tests, and Wilcoxon rank-sum tests. RESULTS: Overall, we included 85 patients with delayed concussion diagnosis and 159 with immediate diagnosis. Those with immediate diagnosis had more symptoms inquired at initial visit (5 vs. 4; p = 0.003) and a higher likelihood of receiving concussion-specific physical examinations (80% vs. 36.5%; p < 0.001); 76.5% of delayed diagnosis patients had at least 1 symptom at follow-up visit that was not inquired about at initial visit. Those with delayed diagnosis had more medical visits during recovery (3 vs. 2; p < 0.001), longer average time to symptom resolution (21 vs. 11 days; p = 0.004), and a higher likelihood of having persistent concussion symptoms (odds ratio 2.9; 95% confidence interval 1.4-5.9). CONCLUSIONS: Concussed children evaluated acutely for head injury who do not receive an immediate diagnosis may be at risk for persistent symptoms. Performance of a concussion-specific physical examination and use of a standardized symptom scale may aid in identification of concussed youth acutely.

Distinguishing Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children From Kawasaki Disease and Benign Inflammatory Illnesses in the SARS-CoV-2 Pandemic.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of the study was to compare presenting clinical and laboratory features among children meeting the surveillance definition for multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C) across a range of illness severities. METHODS: This is a retrospective single-center study of patients younger than 21 years presenting between March 1 and May 15, 2020. Included patients met the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention criteria for MIS-C (inflammation, fever, involvement of 2 organ systems, lack of alternative diagnoses). We defined 3 subgroups by clinical outcomes: (1) critical illness requiring intensive care interventions; (2) patients meeting Kawasaki disease (KD) criteria but not requiring critical care; and (3) mild illness not meeting either criteria. A comparator cohort included patients with KD at our institution during the same time frame in 2019. RESULTS: Thirty-three patients were included (5, critical; 8, 2020 KD; 20, mild). The median age for the critical group was 10.9 years (2.7 for 2020 KD; 6.0 for mild, P = 0.033). The critical group had lower median absolute lymphocyte count (850 vs 3005 vs 2940/uL, P = 0.005), platelets (150 vs 361 vs 252 k/uL, P = 0.005), and sodium (129 vs 136 vs 136 mmol/L, P = 0.002), and higher creatinine (0.7 vs 0.2 vs 0.3 mg/dL, P = 0.002). In the critical group, 60% required vasoactive medications, and 40% required mechanical ventilation. Clinical and laboratories features were similar between the 2020 and 2019 KD groups. CONCLUSIONS: We describe 3 groups with inflammatory syndromes during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. The initial profile of lymphopenia, thrombocytopenia, hyponatremia, and abnormal creatinine may help distinguish critically ill MIS-C patients from classic/atypical KD or more benign acute inflammation.

Use of the vestibular and oculomotor examination for concussion in a pediatric emergency department.

BACKGROUND: Concussion guidelines recommend a vestibular and oculomotor (VOM) examination be performed for all patients with concern for concussion, however the feasibility of performing testing is unknown. We aimed to measure rates of exam performance after implementation of training and support tools in a pediatric emergency department. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective study of patients age 6 to 18 years old presenting over a 12-month period. Charts were obtained via natural language processing, where concussion was suggested as a diagnosis in the electronic health record, and then manually reviewed to record patient and provider factors. A multivariable logistic regression was performed to determine factors associated with exam performance, and a classification and regression tree (CART) analysis was performed to determine if a specific patient type was at risk for not having testing performed. RESULTS: Four hundred patients were included in the analysis. Sixty-four percent received a VOM examination (including 73% of those diagnosed with concussion). Provider type, concussion history, symptom burden, injury mechanism, and final diagnosis were all significantly associated with exam performance. CART analysis determined patients with a non-concussion diagnosis, a non-sports injury mechanism, no prior history of concussion, and two or fewer symptoms had the lowest likelihood (46%) of receiving the exam. CONCLUSION: Performing a VOM examination for concussion is feasible in the acute setting following provider education and using clinical support tools. The exam is more likely to be performed on those children with history or exam findings associated with perceived risk for ongoing symptoms.

Factors Affecting Recovery Trajectories in Pediatric Female Concussion.

OBJECTIVE: Up to one-third of children with concussion have persistent postconcussion symptoms lasting beyond 4 weeks. Females have been shown to have prolonged concussion recovery compared with males. This study examined characteristics in pediatric athletes with concussion to investigate the underlying factors that may contribute to this difference and their relation to recovery trajectories in females compared with males. DESIGN: A retrospective cohort study of pediatric patients with sports-related concussion (SRC). SETTING: A subspecialty pediatric concussion program. SUBJECTS: One hundred ninety-two records were reviewed, 75 females and 117 males, ages 7 to 18 years old. ASSESSMENT OF RISK FACTORS: Sex of patient, time to presentation to specialty care after injury, presence of vision, and vestibular deficits on initial clinical examination. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The main outcome of interest was time to clinical recovery, defined by resolution of symptoms, recovery of physical examination deficits, including vision and vestibular examination, recovery of neurocognitive function, and return to school, exercise, and sport. RESULTS: Pediatric females, on average, presented later to specialty care for evaluation after SRC than males. Females also took longer to recover on 5 markers of recovery: time to return to school without accommodations, time to return to noncontact exercise, time to return to full sport, time to recovery of neurocognitive function on computerized testing, and time to clinical recovery of vision and vestibular deficits on examination including smooth pursuits, saccades, gaze stability, near point of convergence, and balance. These sex-based differences in recovery disappeared when controlling for time to presentation to specialty care. CONCLUSIONS: In this cohort of pediatric patients, ages 7 to 18 years old with SRC, females took longer to recover than males. Our results indicate, however, that a modifiable extrinsic factor, time to presentation to specialty care, may contribute to this difference in recovery between the sexes.

Vestibular and oculomotor findings in neurologically-normal, non-concussed children.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the proportion of non-concussed, neurologically normal children with failures on a vestibular and oculomotor examination for concussion performed in an acute setting. DESIGN: This was a cross-sectional study of subjects 6-18 years old presenting to a paediatric emergency department with non-neurologic chief complaints. The examination was administered by a paediatric emergency medicine physician, and includes assessments of dysmetria, nystagmus, smooth pursuits, saccades, gaze stability, near-point of convergence, and gait/balance testing. RESULTS: Of the 295 subjects enrolled, 24% failed at least one element of testing. About 13% had >1 failed element and 5% had >2 failed elements. About 29% of females and 19% of males had failed examinations. By age, 15% of subjects 6-8 years old, 32% 9-11 years, 32% 12-14 years, and 26% 15-18 years had failed examinations. Overall, 10% were unable to complete the exam due to developmental age. CONCLUSIONS: The provider should be aware that a proportion of non-concussed children may demonstrate failure on a single element of the vestibular and oculomotor exam. While this testing is of benefit to the acute care provider in diagnosing paediatric concussion, its utility is greatest in the context of an injury history with acute onset of concussion symptoms.

Supraventricular Tachycardia Associated With Severe Anemia.

We present the unusual case of a 7-year-old girl with severe iron-deficiency anemia who concurrently was determined to be in a supraventricular tachycardia (SVT) rhythm. To our knowledge, the association of anemia with SVT has not been reported previously. We review the presentation of SVT, management strategies for treating both severe anemia and SVT, risks and benefits of using the classic treatments for SVT in a severely anemic patient and discuss iron-deficiency anemia-related cardiac disease.

Pediatric Mild Traumatic Brain Injury in the Acute Setting.

Pediatric mild traumatic brain injuries, most of which are concussions, are an increasingly common reason for presentation to emergency departments. The diagnosis of concussion has increased dramatically over the past decade, necessitating the acute care provider to have up-to-date knowledge of the definition, pathophysiology, signs and symptoms, physical examination findings, and acute management of pediatric concussion. This article also addresses populations most vulnerable to prolonged recovery from pediatric concussion and referral recommendations.

Vestibular Deficits following Youth Concussion.

OBJECTIVE: To characterize the prevalence and recovery of pediatric patients with concussion who manifest clinical vestibular deficits and to describe the correlation of these deficits with neurocognitive function, based on computerized neurocognitive testing, in a sample of pediatric patients with concussion. METHODS: This was a retrospective cohort study of patients ages 5-18 years with concussion referred to a tertiary pediatric hospital-affiliated sports medicine clinic from July 1, 2010 to December 31, 2011. A random sample of all eligible patient visits was obtained, and all related visits for those patients were reviewed. RESULTS: A total of 247 patients were chosen from 3740 eligible visits for detailed review and abstraction; 81% showed a vestibular abnormality on initial clinical examination. Those patients with vestibular signs on the initial examination took a significantly longer time to return to school (median 59 days vs 6 days, P=.001) or to be fully cleared (median 106 days vs 29 days, P=.001). They additionally scored more poorly on initial computerized neurocognitive testing, and it took longer for them to recover from neurocognitive deficits. Those patients with 3 or more previous concussions had a greater prevalence of vestibular deficits, and it took longer for those deficits to resolve. CONCLUSION: Vestibular deficits in children and adolescents with a history of concussion are highly prevalent. These deficits appear to be associated with extended recovery times and poorer performance on neurocognitive testing. Further studies evaluating the effectiveness of vestibular therapy on improving such deficits are warranted.