Pediatric Pelvic and Acetabular Fractures: Discerning Severity by Classification and Clinical Management.

BACKGROUND: Existing classification systems may not adequately describe the injury patterns seen pelvic ring and acetabular fractures in the skeletally immature population. Pediatric patients, once stabilized, are often transferred for these injuries. We evaluated which commonly used systems correlate with clinical management in pediatric patients, including transfer patterns based on injury severity. METHODS: A retrospective review of patients aged 1 to 15 treated for traumatic pelvic or acetabular fractures over a 10-year period at an academic level I Pediatric Trauma Center reviewed demographic, radiographic, and clinical data. RESULTS: A total of 188 pediatric patients (average age 10.1 y) were included. Increasing injury severity based on classification Arbeitsgemeinschaft für Osteosynthesefragen/Orthopaedic Trauma Association (AO/OTA P <0.001; Young and Burgess P <0.001; Torode/Zieg P <0.001), increasing Injury Severity Score ( P =0.0017), and decreasing hemoglobin levels ( P =0.0144) were significantly associated with operative management. Injury characteristics did not differ between patients who were transferred versus patients who were brought in directly from the field. Air transport was significantly associated with surgical treatment, pediatric intensive care unit admission, polytrauma, and Torode/Zieg classification ( P =0.036, <0.0001, 0.0297, 0.0003, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Although not fully descriptive of skeletally immature fracture patterns, the AO/OTA and Young and Burgess classification systems adequately assess the severity of pelvic rings and injuries in pediatric patients and predict management patterns. The Torode and Zieg classification also predicts management. In a large cohort, air transport was significantly associated with surgical treatment, need for pediatric intensive care unit stay, the presence of an additional injury, and instability in the Torode and Zieg classification. These findings suggest that air transfers are being utilized to expedite advanced-level care in more severe injuries. Further studies with long-term follow-up are required to assess the clinical outcomes of both nonoperatively and operatively treated pediatric pelvic fractures and to guide both triage and treatment decisions for these rare but severe injuries. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level III.

Risk Factors for Venous Thromboembolic Events in Children With Acute Musculoskeletal Infections.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Venous thromboembolic events (VTE) complicate acute hematogenous musculoskeletal infections (MSKIs) among hospitalized children. However, there is limited guidance for which specific MSKI patients are at the greatest VTE risk. This study aimed to identify VTE risk factors for children hospitalized with MSKIs. METHODS: A retrospective chart review was performed of children hospitalized with MSKIs at a single quaternary care pediatric hospital during a 9-year period. Patients with chronic MSKIs, non-hematogenous infections, or significant contributing comorbidities were excluded. Demographic and clinical characteristics were compared between patients with and without VTE using forward stepwise conditional multivariable logistic regression to identify VTE risk factors. RESULTS: Among 335 included patients, 7 (2.1%) developed a VTE. There was no difference in age, sex, or obesity rates for those with or without VTE. Patients with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infections and/or critical illness were more likely to develop a VTE with summative adjusted odds ratios of 31.7 and 26.4, respectively. In addition, patients with VTEs had longer hospitalizations (median 4.7 vs. 12.8 d, P <0.001), longer courses of intravenous antimicrobials (median 3.7 vs. 13.5 d, P =0.001), and longer time to fever resolution (median 25.7 vs. 162 h, P =0.004). CONCLUSIONS: VTE prevalence among children with acute MSKIs is low. MRSA infection and critical illness significantly increase the risk for VTE development in these patients. Future prospective studies are needed to determine if VTEs in high-risk MSKI patients can be prevented.