Management of the paediatric patient with acute head trauma

Head trauma leading to brain injury is an important cause of morbidity and mortality in childhood. Injury severity is related to the mechanism of trauma, which itself varies with age. The vast majority of head trauma in paediatric patients is mild, requires no specific therapy and leaves no sequelae. However, it is important to identify individuals at risk of significant injury, and thus in need of specific evaluation. The purpose of this statement is to describe issues related to head trauma in infants, children and youth, including clinical manifestations, initial management priorities, guidelines for imaging, and subsequent observation and treatment. It addresses the evaluation of patients with acute trauma to the head at the time of initial assessment; it does not describe the subsequent management of such patients in the paediatric intensive care unit.