Health Impact:
Cervical spine injuries (CSI) are serious, but rare events in children. Immobilization of children with CSI in the out-of-hospital setting may be beneficial, but is poorly studied. In contrast, immobilization for transport of pediatric trauma patients without CSI is common and known to be associated with adverse effects. As a result, more than 99% of immobilized children have no CSI and are exposed to harm with no demonstrable benefit. The purpose of this study is to identify a set of variables that separate injured children with negligible risk of CSI from those at non-negligible risk for CSI. Specifically, project goals are to describe CSI and to identify factors associated with increased risk for CSI among a diverse pediatric blunt trauma population. This retrospective study concluded data collection at the end of 2007. Several abstracts have been presented in 2008 and 2009 at national meetings. The <a href=”https://test.pecarn.org/publications/index.html”>main manuscript </a>has been published. You can also find the newest publication released June 4th, 2024 on TheLancet.com.
Study Summary:
Develop and test a Pediatric CSI Risk Assessment Tool that can be used by EMS and ED providers to determine which children warrant spinal precautions and cervical spine imaging after blunt trauma. Cervical spine injuries (CSI) are serious, but rare events in children. Spinal precautions in the prehospital setting may be beneficial for children with CSI, but are poorly studied. In contrast, spinal precautions for pediatric trauma patients without CSI are common and may be associated with harm.
Hot Off The Press: PECARN Cervical Spine Injury Rule
Health Impact:
The findings of this study have the potential to fundamentally change how moderate to severe pain is managed in children cared for in the ED by providing evidence to support the use of a non-opioid analgesic to treat acute pain and improve both short- and long-term health outcomes.
Study Summary:
This is a multicenter double-blind randomized controlled trial of 1010 children with moderate to severe acute pain presenting to the ED. This study aims to determine if IV sub-dissociative ketamine is non-inferior to IV morphine for decreasing pain intensity; compare the rate of adverse events associated with both treatments; and determine the relationship between sub-dissociative ketamine and the long-term sequelae of acute pain.
