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.

Central Nervous System and Cardiac Abnormalities in the Setting of a De Novo Heterozygous Col4a1 Variant.

BACKGROUND The Col4a1 gene encodes a portion of type IV collagen, a major component of the tissue basement membrane. Col4a1 mutations are rare, most frequently affect neonates, and occur at a de novo mutation rate between 27% and 40%. Mutations are commonly missense and pleiotropic, presenting with cerebrovascular, renal, ophthalmological, and muscular abnormalities, collectively known as Gould Syndrome. Cerebral small vessel disease is commonly associated with Gould Syndrome and Col4a1 mutations. Children can present with infantile hemiplegia/quadriplegia, stroke, epilepsy, motor dysfunction, or white matter changes of the eye. CASE REPORT A male infant at 38-week, 4-day gestation presented with microcephaly, scattered multifocal hemorrhagic/ischemic infarcts, ex-vacuo dilatation, polymicrogyria, ventricular septal defect, and narrowed aortic arch, seen on prenatal ultrasound and confirmed by fetal echocardiogram and fetal brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Electroencephalogram showed frequent subclinical seizures that were difficult to control, requiring multiple agents. Ophthalmology evaluation demonstrated small, hypoplastic optic nerves of both eyes, concerning for septo-optic dysplasia. Postnatal brain MRI confirmed fetal findings. Postnatal genetic testing showed a de novo heterozygous variant of Col4a1 and 1 nonspecific contiguous region of copy neutral absence of heterozygosity on chromosome 11. CONCLUSIONS This neonate was prenatally diagnosed with central nervous system (CNS) abnormalities and postnatally found to have a de novo heterozygous Col4a1 variant. CNS, cardiac, renal, and hematological findings were likely associated with the Col4a1 mutation and, possibly, a recessive genetic disorder of chromosome 11. Col4a1 mutations are rare and have no definitive treatments. Subspecialist follow-up and supportive care are essential to reduce long-term complications.