Objective:

To describe the demography, clinical presentation and complications associated with traumatic brain injury (TBI) in a cohort of children, ages 0-10, treated at Hospital General de Medellín and Clínica Somer between 2010-2017.

Methods:

Cross sectional retrospective study chart review of all children with a diagnosis of TBI between 2010 and 2017. There were systematic review and recording of demographic information, mechanism of injury, clinical presentation, and associated complications.

Results:

A total of 224 patients with TBI were identified. Among them, 64.7% were males and mean age was 4.5 years. Injuries most frequently occurred at the patient’s home, during the afternoon hours and between Monday and Friday. The most common mechanisms of injury were falls (75%), followed by motor vehicle accidents (13.3%). Severity of injury, measured by Glasgow coma scale, found that 78% of cases were mild. Seven (3%) of cases had neuromuscular complications during hospitalization and one TBI related death was identified.

Conclusion:

Findings of this study are consistent with the known characteristics of pediatric TBI worldwide. This information may be used to improve prevention, diagnosis, and long term follow-up.

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