Golf cart injuries have similar severity to all-terrain vehicle injuries in children: a multicenter comparison over a 5-year period.

Background: Golf carts (GCs) and all-terrain vehicles (ATVs) are popular forms of personal transport. Although ATVs are considered adventurous and dangerous, GCs are perceived to be safer. Anecdotal experience suggests increasing numbers of both GC and ATV injuries, as well as high severity of GC injuries in children. This multicenter study examined GC and ATV injuries and compared their injury patterns, resource utilization, and outcomes. Methods: Pediatric trauma centers in Florida submitted trauma registry patients age <16 years from January 2016 to June 2021. Patients with GC or ATV mechanisms were identified. Temporal trends were evaluated. Injury patterns, resource utilization, and outcomes for GCs and ATVs were compared. Intensive care unit admission and immediate surgery needs were compared using multivariable logistic regression. Results: We identified 179 GC and 496 ATV injuries from 10 trauma centers. GC and ATV injuries both increased during the study period (R2 0.4286, 0.5946, respectively). GC patients were younger (median 11 vs 12 years, p=0.003) and had more intracranial injuries (34% vs 19%, p<0.0001). Overall Injury Severity Score (5 vs 5, p=0.27), intensive care unit (ICU) admission (20% vs 16%, p=0.24), immediate surgery (11% vs 11%, p=0.96), and mortality (1.7% vs 1.4%, p=0.72) were similar for GCs and ATVs, respectively. The risk of ICU admission (OR 1.19, 95% CI 0.74 to 1.93, p=0.47) and immediate surgery (OR 1.04, 95% CI 0.58 to 1.84, p=0.90) remained similar on multivariable logistic regression. Conclusions: During the study period, GC and ATV injuries increased. Despite their innocuous perception, GCs had a similar injury burden to ATVs. Heightened safety measures for GCs should be considered. Level of evidence: III, prognostic/epidemiological.

Social determinants of health in pediatric trauma: Associations with injury mechanisms and outcomes in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.

BACKGROUND: Relationships between social determinants of health and pediatric trauma mechanisms and outcomes are unclear in context of COVID-19. METHODS: Children <16 years old injured between 2016 and 2021 from ten pediatric trauma centers in Florida were included. Patients were stratified by high vs. low Social Vulnerability Index (SVI). Injury mechanisms studied were child abuse, ATV/golf carts, and firearms. Mechanism incidence trends and mortality were evaluated by interrupted time series and multivariable logistic regression. RESULTS: Of 19,319 children, 68% and 32% had high and low SVI, respectively. Child abuse increased across SVI strata and did not change with COVID. ATV/golf cart injuries increased after COVID among children with low SVI. Firearm injuries increased after COVID among children with high SVI. Mortality was predicted by injury mechanism, but was not independently associated with SVI, race, or COVID. CONCLUSION: Social vulnerability influences pediatric trauma mechanisms and COVID effects. Child abuse and firearm injuries should be targeted for prevention.

Pediatric aortoiliac injury following blunt abdominal trauma: A case report.

INTRODUCTION: The most common mechanism of aortic injury involves motor vehicle collisions resulting in aortic disruptions, occurring almost exclusively in the chest. Injury to the abdominal aorta following blunt trauma is nearly twenty times less likely to occur than the thoracic aorta. Because of the low incidence, there are few reports regarding the presentation and repair of these particular injuries, especially in the pediatric population. PRESENTATION OF CASE: We present a case of a 7-year-old boy involved in a high speed motor vehicle accident with an abdominal aorta transection at the aortic bifurcation extending into the left iliac artery. The injury was repaired using bovine pericardium with the adventitia and intima of the vessel approximated over the bovine bridge. DISCUSSION: Primary repair of thoracic aortic injury has been thoroughly described in the literature with good outcomes yet, abdominal aortic repair remains ambiguous. Few techniques and materials have been described with even less data surrounding the long-term outcomes. CONCLUSION: Bovine pericardium is a strong and stable acellular collagenous material with the potential to accelerate endothelialization and tissue regeneration. This remains an interesting field of research as stenosis and pseudo-coarction data have yet to be determined.

Trichobezoar presenting as a gastric outlet obstruction: A case report.

INTRODUCTION: Rapunzel syndrome is a rare intestinal condition that starts with the ingestion of a trichobezoar. The condition is predominately found in females and can be associated with trichotillomania, or the compulsive urge to pull one's own hair out. There are less than 40 cases described in the literature with the prevention of recurrence aimed at psychological treatment. PRESENTATION OF CASE: The patient is a 7 year-old girl with a history of trichotillomania with trichophagia as a young child who presented with abdominal pain, nausea, and vomiting, consistent with a gastric outlet obstruction. She had an exploratory laparotomy with gastrostomy performed revealing a 18cm by 18cm trichobezoar with extension into the small bowel. DISCUSSION: Bezoars, an already rare entity, can occasionally lead to gastric and small bowel obstructions. Small collections of ingested hair build up in the intestinal tract causing significant symptoms. These obstructions can sometimes be treated through minimally invasive techniques but, in our case described, it is unlikely to have been treated any other way due to the substantial size of the trichobezoar. CONCLUSION: Early consideration of Rapunzel syndrome is important in young females presenting with a gastric outlet obstruction.

Management of spontaneous pneumomediastinum in children.

PURPOSE: We characterize the outcomes of pediatric spontaneous pneumomediastinum in the largest series to date and propose a management pathway. METHODS: All patients at our institution with ICD-9 code 518.1 confirmed to have isolated radiographic findings of spontaneous pneumomediastinum between January 2003 and February 2014 were retrospectively reviewed for admission, intensive care unit (ICU) stay, complications, and outcome. RESULTS: We identified 96 children with 99 episodes, median age 14.1 years (IQR: 8.7-16.4). Primary symptoms were chest pain, cough, and dyspnea. Most were hospitalized (n=91, 91.9%), with 20 (20.2%) admitted to ICU. Median lengths of stay (LOS) were 1 day (IQR: 1-2) for non-ICU admissions and 3 days (IQR: 2-3) for ICU admissions. The surgical service discharged non-ICU patients 0.94 days earlier than medical services (95% CI 0.38-1.50, p=0.0014). Asthma affected neither LOS nor ICU admission rates. Follow-up imaging, when obtained (n=81, 81.8%), did not alter management. Recurrences occurred in three asthmatics, all after one year. Each was rehospitalized and discharged uneventfully. No patient developed pneumomediastinum-related complications (e.g., pneumothorax, pneumopericardium, or mediastinitis). CONCLUSION: Spontaneous pneumomediastinum without associated comorbidities can be managed with expectant outpatient observation without further imaging. Children with asthma should be treated independent of spontaneous pneumomediastinum.

Esophageal cancer in young people: a case series of 109 cases and review of the literature.

Certain geographically distinct areas of the world have very high rates of esophageal cancer (EC). Previous studies have identified western Kenya as a high risk area for EC with an unusual percentage of cases in subjects 30 years of age or younger. To better understand EC in these young patients, we abstracted available data on all 109 young patients diagnosed with EC at Tenwek Hospital, Bomet District, Kenya from January 1996 through June 2009, including age at diagnosis, sex, ethnicity, tumor histology, residence location, and medical interventions. We also attempted to contact all patients or a family member and obtained information on ethnicity, tobacco and alcohol use, family history of cancer, and survival. Sixty (55%) representatives of the 109 young patients were successfully interviewed. The median survival time of these 60 patients was 6.4 months, the most common tumor histology was esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) (98%), the M:F ratio was 1.4∶1, and only a few subjects used tobacco (15%) or alcohol (15%). Seventy-nine percent reported a family history of cancer and 43% reported having a family history of EC. In summary, this case series describes the largest number of young EC patients reported to date, and it highlights the uniqueness of the EC experience in western Kenya.

Stents as sole therapy for oesophageal cancer: a prospective analysis of outcomes after placement.

BACKGROUND: Therapies for inoperable oesophageal cancer include chemoradiotherapy and placement of a self-expanding metal stent (SEMS). Few data are available regarding SEMS as sole therapy for patients with inoperable disease who have not already received, or are unfit for, chemoradiotherapy. The aim of this study was to determine survival, adequacy of palliation, and complications after SEMS placement as sole therapy for inoperable oesophageal cancer in a resource-limited setting. METHODS: Data were prospectively gathered on all patients with oesophageal cancer treated with SEMS between Jan 1, 1999, and May 20, 2008, at a hospital in Kenya where chemoradiotherapy is unavailable. Dysphagia scores, morbidity, mortality, and survival were assessed. Follow-up was done during clinic visits, home visits, and by mobile phone. FINDINGS: 1000 stents were placed in 951 patients. Long-term follow-up was obtained for 334 patients (35%) with a median survival of 250 days (IQR 130-431, 95%CI 217-301). Mean dysphagia scores improved from 3.3 (SD 0.6) pre-SEMS (n=697) to 1.0 (SD 1.3) for patients (n=78) still alive and 1.8 (SD 1.2) at time of death (n=165). Survival of 17 patients with follow-up who had perforation during tumour dilation (treated with SEMS) was 283 days (IQR 227-538) similar to the 317 patients with follow-up data who did not have a perforation (245 days, 124-430). 20 patients with a tracheo-oesophageal fistula lived a median of 142 days (IQR 73-329). Early complications occurred in 6% (54 of 951 patients) and late complications occurred in 19% (62 of 334 patients). SEMS-related mortality was 0.3% (three of 951). INTERPRETATION: SEMS effectively palliate inoperable oesophageal cancer. Survival may be longer than previously reported when SEMS are placed in all patients with inoperable oesophageal cancer, as in our study, rather than those failing or unfit for chemoradiotherapy. SEMS seem to be an appropriate technology for palliation of oesophageal cancer in resource-limited settings. Given the proportion of patients lost to follow up, these findings merit further confirmation.

The risk factors and time course of sepsis and organ dysfunction after burn trauma.

BACKGROUND: Sepsis and organ dysfunction are common and likely contribute to death after burn trauma. We sought to define relationships between sepsis, severe multiple organ dysfunction (MOD), and death after burn trauma. METHODS: Adults with > or = 20% total body surface area burns were prospectively enrolled. Information regarding infection, severity of sepsis, and organ failure was collected daily. Risk factors (e.g., age, burn size, shock) were analyzed for their association with severe MOD, complicated sepsis, and death. We characterized the temporal relationship between organ failure and sepsis. RESULTS: Of 175 patients, 27% developed severe MOD, 17% developed complicated sepsis, and 22% died. Full-thickness burn size, age, and inhalation injury were associated with MOD, sepsis, and death. Infection preceded MOD in 83% of patients with both. A base deficit of > or = 6 mEq/L at 24 hours after injury was associated with death. CONCLUSION: When it occurs, severe MOD is usually preceded by infection. In addition, an elevated base deficit at 24 hours and septic shock are the most important factors associated with and possibly contributing to death after burn trauma.