Purpose: Restraint status has not been combined with mechanistic criteria for trauma team activation. This study aims to assess the relationship between motor vehicle crash rollover (MVC-R) mechanism with and without proper restraint and need for trauma team activation.
Methods: Patients <16years old involved in an MVC-R between November 2007 and November 2012 at 6 Level 1 pediatric trauma centers were included. Restraint status, the need for transfusion or intervention in the emergency department (ED), hospital and intensive care length of stay and mortality were assessed.
Results: Of 690 cases reviewed, 48% were improperly restrained. Improperly restrained children were more likely to require intubation (OR 10.24; 95% CI 2.42 to 91.69), receive blood in the ED (OR 4.06; 95% CI 1.43 to 14.17) and require intensive care (ICU) (OR; 3.11; 95% CI 1.96 to 4.93) than the properly restrained group. The improperly restrained group had a longer hospital length of stay (p<0.001), and a higher mortality (3.4% vs. 0.8%; OR 4.09; 95% CI 1.07 to 23.02) than the properly restrained group.
Conclusion: Unrestrained children in MVC-R had higher injury severity and were significantly more likely to need urgent interventions compared to properly restrained children. This supports a modification to include restraint status with the rollover criterion for trauma team activation.
Keywords: Mechanistic criteria; Pediatric trauma; Rollover crash.
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