Paediatric Trauma at a Tertiary Hospital in Niger-Delta, Nigeria: A 5-Year Review.

Background: Paediatric trauma has become a major cause of mortality and morbidity, disability and socio-economic burden worldwide. It is projected by WHO that paediatric trauma will become the number 1 disease in children by 2020 globally. It constitutes a common cause for admission into many paediatric surgical wards in developing countries putting an enormous strain on the resources and personnel. Most cases are preventable. The aim of this study was to evaluate the common causes of paediatric trauma in a teaching hospital in Niger-Delta region of Nigeria.
Methods: The study was a retrospective study of patients who are 15years and below presenting with history of trauma to the hospital.
Results: A total of 412 cases were analyzed with a M: F ratio of approximately 6:1. RTA was the commonest cause (50%), followed by burns (29.3%). Patients between 11- 15 years presented most commonly accounting for 48.7%.Most of the patients were multiply-injured. The ward admission rate was 93.7% while the ICU admission rate was 8.5%. The mortality rate was 19%.
Conclusion: The male child is at a greater risk of being involved in trauma arising from RTA and contact sports. Burns from petroleum products contributed largely to the burn cases seen following the high petroleum related activities going on in the Niger-Delta.