E. Groh1, P. Feingold2, B. Hashimoto3, L. McDuffie1, T. Markel1 1Indiana University School Of Medicine,Surgery,Indianapolis, IN, USA 2National Cancer Institute,Bethesda, MD, USA 3American University Of Sharjah,Sharjah, , United Arab Emirates
Introduction: An understanding of temporal variations in pediatric trauma may have significant implications for appropriate allocation of hospital resources and optimal timing of community prevention and education programs. The goal of this study was to characterize the temporal trends in pediatric trauma activations from a Pediatric Trauma Center.
Methods: Prospectively collected data from all trauma patients who were evaluated at an ACS-certified Level 1 Pediatric Trauma Center between the years 2011-2015 were retrospectively reviewed after IRB approval was obtained. Demographics, date and time of injury, type of injury (blunt vs. penetrating), and post emergency department disposition were reviewed. All patients requiring admission between 2011-2015 were further analyzed to assess temporal trends. A database consisting of all consecutive hours during the entire study period was constructed including total trauma counts per-hour. To assess temporal trends, heat maps were constructed and a Poisson regression model was used to assess statistical significance. A p value less than 0.05 was significant.
Results:The average number of trauma admissions per year was relatively consistent throughout the 5-year analysis period. Trauma admissions from both blunt and penetrating injuries occured at a higher rate in months with warm weather as compared to months with cold weather. Analysis of average trauma counts across the 168 hours in each week revealed that there were specific time points, most commonly between 6pm and midnight, where trauma admissions occur at a statistically higher frequency (Figure 1). This held true as a trend for blunt-trauma specific admissions. Analysis of penetrating trauma admissions revealed no statistically significant time point, likely related to the overall low number of subjects in this category.
Conclusion:Temporal variations in trauma do occur with most trauma admissions occurring more frequently in the summer months. Trauma admissions occur more frequently between the hours of 6pm and midnight. These data can provide useful information for hospital resource utilization. The emergency department, operating rooms and intensive care units should be prepared for increased trauma related volume during these times. Additionally, community prevention and education programs for children should be increased during summer months of the year when trauma is most prevalent.
