ABSTRACT
Background: Trauma is emerging as an epidemic and a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in children. Children <15 years of age comprise about 32.8% or 1/3th of the total Indian population. In India, up to one-fourth of hospital admissions and approximately 15% of deaths in children are due to injury. The burden of child injuries in India is not clearly known, as there is a lack of proper trauma database in India and even in Indian studies the population covered was metro city based. Aim: The present study aims to analyze the different aspects related to trauma in children particularly from rural background. Materials and Methods: A prospective, observational study was carried out in 510 patients of the age group 0-15 years admitted to the surgical wards of a tertiary care hospital, with a history of trauma during the period from August 2013 to July 2014. Results: Incidence of pediatric trauma was found to be 20.08%. The cases among males were 297 (58.24%) and females were 213 (41.76%) with male:female ratio of 1.39:1. Road traffic accidents (RTA) 32.15% and fall from height (30.78%) were the most common modes of injury. Isolated head injuries 216 (60.5%) were the leading type of injuries. Poly-trauma patients had the highest mortality rates. Conclusion: RTA and fall from height are the most common causes of pediatric trauma. Pediatric trauma and injury are preventable conditions. Educating the health care providers about the pediatric trauma care centers and the establishment of the same at nodal or tertiary care centers is advisable for the proper treatment of pediatric trauma victims. The management of pediatric trauma is specialized teamwork.