The epidemiology of pediatric traumatic brain injury presenting at a referral center in Moshi, Tanzania.
<h4>Background</h4>Over 95% of childhood injury deaths occur in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Patients with severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) have twice the likelihood of dying in LMICs than in high-income countries (HICs). In Africa, TBI estimates are projected to increase...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Public Library of Science (PLoS)
2022-01-01
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| Series: | PLoS ONE |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0273991 |
| _version_ | 1811339161971458048 |
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| author | Loren K Barcenas Roselyn Appenteng Francis Sakita Paige O'Leary Henry Rice Blandina T Mmbaga Joao Ricardo Nickenig Vissoci Catherine A Staton |
| author_facet | Loren K Barcenas Roselyn Appenteng Francis Sakita Paige O'Leary Henry Rice Blandina T Mmbaga Joao Ricardo Nickenig Vissoci Catherine A Staton |
| author_sort | Loren K Barcenas |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | <h4>Background</h4>Over 95% of childhood injury deaths occur in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Patients with severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) have twice the likelihood of dying in LMICs than in high-income countries (HICs). In Africa, TBI estimates are projected to increase to upwards of 14 million new cases in 2050; however, these estimates are based on sparse data, which underscores the need for robust injury surveillance systems. We aim to describe the clinical factors associated with morbidity and mortality in pediatric TBI at the Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Centre (KCMC) in Moshi, Tanzania to guide future prevention efforts.<h4>Methods</h4>We conducted a secondary analysis of a TBI registry of all pediatric (0-18 years of age) TBI patients presenting to the KCMC emergency department (ED) between May 2013 and April 2014. The variables included demographics, acute treatment and diagnostics, Glasgow Coma Scores (GCSs, severe 3-8, moderate 9-13, and mild 14-15), morbidity at discharge as measured by the Glasgow Outcome Scale (GOS, worse functional status 1-3, better functional status 4-6), and mortality status at discharge. The analysis included descriptive statistics, bivariable analysis and multivariable logistic regression to report the predictors of mortality and morbidity. The variables used in the multivariable logistic regression were selected according to their clinical validity in predicting outcomes.<h4>Results</h4>Of the total 419 pediatric TBI patients, 286 (69.3%) were male with an average age of 10.12 years (SD = 5.7). Road traffic injury (RTI) accounted for most TBIs (269, 64.4%), followed by falls (82, 19.62%). Of the 23 patients (5.58%) who had alcohol-involved injuries, most were male (3.6:1). Severe TBI occurred in 54 (13.0%) patients. In total, 90 (24.9%) patients underwent TBI surgery. Of the 21 (5.8%) patients who died, 11 (55.0%) had severe TBI, 6 (30.0%) had moderate TBI (GCS 9-13) and 3 (15.0%) presented with mild TBI (GCS>13). The variables most strongly associated with worse functional status included having severe TBI (OR = 9.45) and waiting on the surgery floor before being moved to the intensive care unit (ICU) (OR = 14.37).<h4>Conclusions</h4>Most pediatric TBI patients were males who suffered RTIs or falls. Even among children under 18 years of age, alcohol was consumed by at least 5% of patients who suffered injuries, and more commonly among boys. Patients becoming unstable and having to be transferred from the surgery floor to the ICU could reflect poor risk identification in the ED or progression of injury severity. The next steps include designing interventions to reduce RTI, mitigate irresponsible alcohol use, and improve risk identification and stratification in the ED. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-13T18:21:11Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-ef359bb26f614046a44f5de73b831e04 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1932-6203 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-13T18:21:11Z |
| publishDate | 2022-01-01 |
| publisher | Public Library of Science (PLoS) |
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| series | PLoS ONE |
| spelling | doaj.art-ef359bb26f614046a44f5de73b831e042022-12-22T02:35:27ZengPublic Library of Science (PLoS)PLoS ONE1932-62032022-01-011710e027399110.1371/journal.pone.0273991The epidemiology of pediatric traumatic brain injury presenting at a referral center in Moshi, Tanzania.Loren K BarcenasRoselyn AppentengFrancis SakitaPaige O'LearyHenry RiceBlandina T MmbagaJoao Ricardo Nickenig VissociCatherine A Staton<h4>Background</h4>Over 95% of childhood injury deaths occur in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Patients with severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) have twice the likelihood of dying in LMICs than in high-income countries (HICs). In Africa, TBI estimates are projected to increase to upwards of 14 million new cases in 2050; however, these estimates are based on sparse data, which underscores the need for robust injury surveillance systems. We aim to describe the clinical factors associated with morbidity and mortality in pediatric TBI at the Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Centre (KCMC) in Moshi, Tanzania to guide future prevention efforts.<h4>Methods</h4>We conducted a secondary analysis of a TBI registry of all pediatric (0-18 years of age) TBI patients presenting to the KCMC emergency department (ED) between May 2013 and April 2014. The variables included demographics, acute treatment and diagnostics, Glasgow Coma Scores (GCSs, severe 3-8, moderate 9-13, and mild 14-15), morbidity at discharge as measured by the Glasgow Outcome Scale (GOS, worse functional status 1-3, better functional status 4-6), and mortality status at discharge. The analysis included descriptive statistics, bivariable analysis and multivariable logistic regression to report the predictors of mortality and morbidity. The variables used in the multivariable logistic regression were selected according to their clinical validity in predicting outcomes.<h4>Results</h4>Of the total 419 pediatric TBI patients, 286 (69.3%) were male with an average age of 10.12 years (SD = 5.7). Road traffic injury (RTI) accounted for most TBIs (269, 64.4%), followed by falls (82, 19.62%). Of the 23 patients (5.58%) who had alcohol-involved injuries, most were male (3.6:1). Severe TBI occurred in 54 (13.0%) patients. In total, 90 (24.9%) patients underwent TBI surgery. Of the 21 (5.8%) patients who died, 11 (55.0%) had severe TBI, 6 (30.0%) had moderate TBI (GCS 9-13) and 3 (15.0%) presented with mild TBI (GCS>13). The variables most strongly associated with worse functional status included having severe TBI (OR = 9.45) and waiting on the surgery floor before being moved to the intensive care unit (ICU) (OR = 14.37).<h4>Conclusions</h4>Most pediatric TBI patients were males who suffered RTIs or falls. Even among children under 18 years of age, alcohol was consumed by at least 5% of patients who suffered injuries, and more commonly among boys. Patients becoming unstable and having to be transferred from the surgery floor to the ICU could reflect poor risk identification in the ED or progression of injury severity. The next steps include designing interventions to reduce RTI, mitigate irresponsible alcohol use, and improve risk identification and stratification in the ED.https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0273991 |
| spellingShingle | Loren K Barcenas Roselyn Appenteng Francis Sakita Paige O'Leary Henry Rice Blandina T Mmbaga Joao Ricardo Nickenig Vissoci Catherine A Staton The epidemiology of pediatric traumatic brain injury presenting at a referral center in Moshi, Tanzania. PLoS ONE |
| title | The epidemiology of pediatric traumatic brain injury presenting at a referral center in Moshi, Tanzania. |
| title_full | The epidemiology of pediatric traumatic brain injury presenting at a referral center in Moshi, Tanzania. |
| title_fullStr | The epidemiology of pediatric traumatic brain injury presenting at a referral center in Moshi, Tanzania. |
| title_full_unstemmed | The epidemiology of pediatric traumatic brain injury presenting at a referral center in Moshi, Tanzania. |
| title_short | The epidemiology of pediatric traumatic brain injury presenting at a referral center in Moshi, Tanzania. |
| title_sort | epidemiology of pediatric traumatic brain injury presenting at a referral center in moshi tanzania |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0273991 |
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