Head Injury in Kids

This is a VERY common concern that I see at work.  “My kid has fallen and hit their head.”

This article clarifies that the VAST majority of head injuries in kids are nothing to worry about and do not need imaging.

Kids under 2:  If they have “normal mental status, no scalp haematoma except frontal, no loss of consciousness or loss of consciousness for less than 5 s, non-severe injury mechanism, no palpable skull fracture, and acting normally according to the parents”, then they are at very low risk, and they do NOT need imaging.

Kids over 2:  If they have “normal mental status, no loss of consciousness, no vomiting, non-severe injury mechanism, no signs of basilar skull fracture, and no severe headache”, then they are at very low risk, and they do NOT need imaging.

They obtained a total of  14,969 CT scans and only 0.1% needed neurosurgical intervention.

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Categories: medicine, Parenting, Vital Signs of Healing
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