Is the golden hour optimally used in South Africa for children presenting with polytrauma?

BACKGROUND The major paediatric public health problem worldwide is injury or trauma. In 2004, 950 000 children died as a result of injury. OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to evaluate the logistics of medical care after paediatric polytrauma within the first hours after arrival into a trauma unit - the so-called Golden Hour. METHODS Children presenting with polytrauma to the Trauma Unit at the Red Cross War Memorial Children's Hospital between May 2011 and August 2011 were considered for inclusion in the study. RESULTS Fifty-five children were included in the final analysis. The median duration of stay in the Trauma Unit was 205 minutes (interquartile range 135 - 274). CONCLUSION Several factors were identified that unnecessarily prolonged the time that patients stayed in the trauma unit following arrival in hospital for polytrauma management.