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The practice of admitting children with blunt abdominal trauma for 24 hours of observation was established in the era of early-generation computed tomography (CT). These authors assessed the value of this practice in children with normal findings on scans obtained with newer-generation 16-slice CT scanners.
In a prospective, observational cohort study at a level I trauma center, the authors evaluated 1085 children (age, <18 years) with blunt abdominal trauma and no evidence of predefined intra-abdominal injury on CT. Of these patients, 737 (68%) were admitted for observation and 348 were discharged to home. All patients’ medical records were reviewed to identify return visits within 30 days of initial presentation. None of the discharged pat…