Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39012503›Full record

ArticlePediatric surgery international2024

Epidemiological changes in the pattern of children's traumatic injuries at Hong Kong emergency departments during the COVID-19 pandemic: a retrospective, single-institutional, serial and comparative study.

Jaime Tsz-Wing Tsang, Adrian Chi-Heng Fung, Heidi Hay-Tai Wong, Wing Chiu Dai, Kenneth Kak-Yuen Wong

Abstract readComparative Study
In one paragraph

Article in Pediatric surgery international, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

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2citing papers in PubMed
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1 · What the graph read from it

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2 · The registry

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3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed.

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4 · The record

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors.

Jaime Tsz-Wing Tsang *Department of Surgery, School of Clinical Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China.
Adrian Chi-Heng Fung *Department of Surgery, School of Clinical Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China.
Heidi Hay-Tai WongTrauma Service, Queen Mary Hospital, Hong Kong, China.
Wing Chiu DaiDepartment of Surgery, School of Clinical Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China.
Kenneth Kak-Yuen WongDepartment of Surgery, School of Clinical Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China. kkywong@hku.hk.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

introductionTrauma is the leading cause of paediatric mortality and morbidity. Stay-home regulations for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) reportedly changed trauma severity, yet data from Hong Kong were lacking. This study examined Hong Kong's spectrum of paediatric trauma and addressed knowledge gaps concerning epidemiological changes during COVID-19.

methodsChildren with traumatic injuries who attended a tertiary trauma centre from January 2010 to March 2022 were included in this retrospective, cross-sectional study. We analysed demographic and clinical data and conducted unadjusted bivariate analyses of injury patterns before and after the pandemic.

resultsIn total, 725 children attended the Accident and Emergency Department due to trauma, 585 before and 140 during COVID-19. The male-to-female ratio was 1.84:1. The 90-day trauma-related mortality was 0.7%. The overall Injury Severity Score was 3.52 ± 5.95. The paediatric trauma incidence was similar before and after social-distancing policies (both 5.8 cases monthly). Gender, ISS distribution, intensive care unit stay length, and hospital stay length values were similar (p > 0.05). Trauma call activation (8.4% vs. 5.7%, p = 0.002) and road traffic accidents (10.6% vs. 5.7%, p = 0.009) significantly decreased, yet younger-patient injuries (< 10 years old; 85.7% vs. 71%, p < 0.001), burns (28% vs. 45.7%, p < 0.001), and domestic injuries (65.5% vs. 85.7%, p < 0.001) significantly increased. No significant self-harm, assault, or abuse increases were found.

conclusionsThe paediatric trauma incidences were similar before and during the pandemic. However, domestic and burn injuries significantly increased, highlighting the importance of injury prevention.

Indexed as

COVID-19Emergency Service, HospitalInjury Severity ScoreWounds and InjuriesAdolescentChildChild, PreschoolCross-Sectional StudiesFemaleHong KongHumansIncidenceInfantLength of StayMalePandemicsChildrenCOVID-19 pandemicEpidemiologyPaediatric trauma

Identifiers

PMID39012503
PMCPMC11252212

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.