368 MULTIPLE TRAUMA IN CHILDHOOD: REVIEW OF 130 CASES

Trauma remains the leading cause of death in the pediatric age group, despite recent advances in prevention and treatment. In this study we retrospectively analyzed 130 multiple trauma pediatric patients out of 726 pediatric patients with simple injuries treated at Rambam Medical Center during the years 1988-1989. Road accidents and falls from height were the most common causes of injury. Mean age was 7 years (range 0.5 to 15 years) with male to female ratio of 2.7:1. Overall mortality in this series was 9.2%. Fifty seven patients (44%) did not get any prehospital medical care and 5 of them with Injury Severity Score (ISS) >25 - all died. In contrast 11/18 (61%) patients with ISS>25 who were treated by medical teams survived. On arrival to the Emergency Room 15% of patients were hypothermic ( 25 and severe head injury. There was no mortality in patients with PTS>=7 or ISS<25.