Traumatic Cardiac Arrest in Pediatric Patients: An Analysis of the National Trauma Database 2007-2016. Issue 9 (September 2022)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Faulkner, Justin; Carballo, Christopher; Colosimo, Christina; Gratton, Austin; Mentzer, Caleb; Yon, James
• Is Part Of: American surgeon. Volume 88:Issue 9(2022)
• Page Start: 2252
• Page End: 2254
• Publication Date: 2022-09
• Subjects: trauma -- traumatic cardiac arrest -- emergency department thoracotomy -- pediatric trauma resuscitation; Surgery -- Periodicals; Surgery -- United States -- Periodicals; 617.0973
• DOI: 10.1177/00031348221091937
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0003-1348

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to identify the population of pediatric patients who arrive without signs of life and describe outcomes using a national database. Patients eighteen and younger with no signs of life were pulled from the National Trauma Database (NTDB) from the years 2007-2016. A total of N = 7503 patients were separated into two cohorts for comparison. Subset analysis was also conducted for patients undergoing a thoracotomy. Statistical analysis was performed on the collected data. Over the 9-year period most patients died in the ED or hospital (95.7%), very few patients were discharged home (1.3%), and ED thoracotomies were performed rarely (9%) with most patients dying (97%). Arrival to the trauma bay without signs of life is associated with a dismal prognosis. Clinical judgment must be carefully applied to choose the small number of patients who would benefit from an aggressive approach.