Características clínicas e epidemiológicas do trauma mecânico em crianças e adolescentes em um hospital público terciário do município de Fortaleza

Abstract

Trauma is not only a serious sickness, but also a significant Public Health problem, since it is the primary pediatric mortality cause in developed countries and a determinative factor of transitory or permanent sequelae. AIMS: establish the clinical-epidemiological profile of mechanical trauma in children and adolescents, in a third Fortaleza city Count Hospital in Ceara state. METHOD: hospital based prospective observational study, proceeded with patients from zero to 19 years-old, victims of mechanical trauma, admitted by Instituto Dr. Jose Frota from February to July of 2005, being accompanied until to final moment (hospital discharge, obit or transfer). Studied variables were related to the socioeconomic and demographic conditions of patients and their families. Respect to the trauma, it was studied mechanism, type and consequences. RESULTS: 697 children were studied. Male gender was predominant (80.2%), as well as those 15 to 19 year-olds (47.8%); 53.1% came from country and 73.7% came from urban zone. Sunday was the predominant day of traumatic events (22.2%) and the afternoon time represented 37% of the cases. Mother was the primary caregiver in 69.7%. The main trauma mechanism was the drop (32.5%), followed by aggressions (25%). Skeletal trauma was the major type of trauma (60.1%), followed by traumatic brain injury (41%); 95% had light severity. Most of patients (92.1%) were discharged from hospital, 3.3% evolved to obit, 51% presented sequelae, but in 49.4% functional capacity was preserved and in 1.1% it was completely compromised.CONCLUSIONS: Trauma was more frequent among 15 to 19 year-olds and in male children and adolescents. The main trauma mechanism was the drop, being the skeletal trauma the most found. Most of cases had light severity, having motor transitory sequel as the central consequence. Most of patients were discharged from hospital and had their functional capacities preserved or simply partially compromised. Only 1.1% had invalidating or definitive sequelae.