Review of children with severe trauma or thermal injury requiring intensive care in a Hong Kong hospital: retrospective study.

OBJECTIVE To study the injury pattern of children admitted for management of severe trauma or thermal injury. DESIGN Retrospective review. SETTING Paediatric intensive care unit of a regional hospital, Hong Kong. PATIENTS Twenty-eight children were admitted under this category from July 1996 to December 1999. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Mechanisms, severity, and circumstances of injury. RESULTS Road traffic accident was the most common cause of admission, followed by thermal injury, accidental fall, and non-accidental injury. However, children with non-accidental injury were admitted in a significantly more severe condition, as measured by the paediatric risk of mortality score, than those admitted for the other three reasons. Non-accidental injury was also associated with significantly higher morbidity and mortality than the other causes of admission. CONCLUSIONS During the 42-month study period, trauma and thermal injury accounted for 7% of all admissions to the paediatric intensive care unit. Road traffic accident was the most common reason, while non-accidental injury accounted for the most serious injury. Detailed analysis of these cases identified certain preventable risk factors.