Minor head injury in children younger than two years of age: description, prevalence and management in the emergency room of the pediatric university hospital.

BACKGROUND In children less than two years old, minor head trauma can result in intracranial injury. No known studies exist that determine the number of children younger than two years old who visit the emergency room (ER) due to minor head injury in Puerto Rico. OBJECTIVE To determine the prevalence of children with minor head trauma and describe related issues. METHODS Information was gathered from the medical records of children 0 to 2 years old who visited the University Pediatric Hospital ER from 2004-2006. Several factors were analyzed. RESULTS From our 136 subjects, there was a male prevalence of 59%. The predominant reason for head injury was a fall (86%). There was abuse in 7% of the subjects. Eighty-five percent (85%) of injuries occurred at home. CONCLUSIONS The most common etiology of head trauma was a fall at home. The prevalence of abuse in 7% of these children should alert physicians.