Evaluation of patients aged 0-18 years admitted to emergency department with minor head trauma

EVALUATION OF PATIENTS AGED 0-18 YEARS ADMITTED TO EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT WITH MINOR HEAD TRAUMA Objectives: The frequency of admissions due to head trauma has significantly increased in parallel with atotal number of emergency department admissions in recent years. Increased number of patients with head trauma leads to an increase in the number of patients undergone computerised tomography. In this study, symptom-based data that can help emergency physicians in diagnosis, follow-up and prognosis of 0-18 years old minor head trauma patients have been gathered. Computed tomography (CT) scan, which plays a major role in the diagnosis of 0-18 years old patients with minor head trauma, has increased frequency of use together with increasing number of patients. Since brain CT contains too much radiation compared to X-ray, it is aimed to determine indications more clearly and to minimise radiation exposure and risks of associated malignancy and other side effects. Materials and Methods: Three hundred and seventy patients with minor head trauma aged between 0-18 years whoappliedtoDüzce UniversityResearchandPracticeHospitalEmergency Department between 01.01.2015 and 01.01.2016were included in thestudy. Ourstudywas designed as a prospectivecase-controlstudy. Computerized brain tomography scans of the patients were interpreted by an experienced radiologist,and the reports were recorded. The data were evaluated with SPSS v15.0 analysis program. Results: No surgical procedure was needed in 0-18 years old patients with minor head trauma who applied to the emergency department and needed head CT. Life threatening conditions like an epidural hematoma, linear fracture, pneumocephalus, suture dissociation were seen in some of our patients. Complaint of headache was a more common symptom compared to symptoms like amnesia, nausea, vomiting and dizziness.There was no significant difference regarding abnormal head CT findings between the patient group with additional injury and the patient group without it. Conclusion: Before digital CT scan was performed in patients between 0-18 years old with minor head trauma, symptoms of the patient must be questioned, Glasgow coma scale (GCS) score must be calculated, and the existence of additional injuries must be examined. Patients without an active complaint and patients with GCS score of 15 may be discharged with recommendations and followed-up at outpatient basis. With this approach, patients will be protected from radiation-induced side effects of CT, and the extra cost of CT will be reduced.