The influence of the COVID‑19 pandemic on pediatric head trauma

Abstract

Background: We compared the pre-COVID-19 (2019–2020) and COVID-19 (2020–2021) periods in terms of the incidence of pediatric head trauma (PHT) cases. The incidence of PHT during the pre- COVID-19 pandemic (PCP) and COVID-19 pandemic (CP) periods was investigated. Materials and Methods: A total of 6,158 patients with PHT seen in a tertiary emergency department between March 15, 2019 and March 15, 2021 were retrospectively reviewed. 1,198 patients for whom were included in the study. The age, gender, type of trauma, Glasgow Coma Scale score, computerized brain tomography findings, and consultation results of the patients were recorded. Results: The records of 729 and 469 PHT cases in the PCP and CP periods were analyzed, respectively. The number of patients with PHT was significantly lower in the CP period (p < 0.001). While the incidence rates of falls, traffic accidents, and bicycle accidents were higher in the PCP period (p > 0.05), trauma rates were lower in the CP period (p < 0.001). The incidence of falling from a height was highest in the 7–12 years age group (p < 0.05). Cranial fracture, and epidural, subdural, and intracranial bleeding rates, were higher (p > 0.05) in the PCP period. While the mortality rate was higher in the PCP period, the treatment refusal rate was higher in the CP period (p < 0.001). Conclusion: The rate of PHT decreased, while treatment refusal rates increased during the CP period. However, mortality rates due to PHTs were higher before the CP.