Do Abdominal Pain and Tenderness Predict Injury in Children with Blunt Abdominal Trauma?

Abdominal tenderness, more than abdominal pain, predicted intra-abdominal injury and need for acute intervention.

To evaluate the accuracy of patient-reported abdominal pain and physician-assessed abdominal tenderness for predicting intra-abdominal injuries in children, investigators conducted a planned secondary analysis of patients <18 years of age presenting with blunt abdominal trauma to one of 20 emergency departments participating in the Pediatric Emergency Care Applied Research Network (PECARN). Accuracy of findings was compared for patients with Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) scores of 13, 14, and 15.

Of 11,277 patients (median age, 11 years), 665 (6%) had intra-abdominal injuries, and 143 (1%) required acute intervention. Multivariable analyses controlling for the PECARN predictors of intra-abdominal injury (NEJM JW Emerg Med Mar 15 2013) found that …

Reviewing Author

Katherine Bakes, MD

Disclosures

RoyaltiesEmergency Medicine Secrets (Elsevier)

Grant/Research SupportDepartment of Justice

Editorial BoardsEmergency Medicine Secrets (Elsevier); Rosen’s Emergency Medicine (Elsevier)

Katherine Bakes, MD

Disclosures

RoyaltiesEmergency Medicine Secrets (Elsevier)

Grant/Research SupportDepartment of Justice

Editorial BoardsEmergency Medicine Secrets (Elsevier); Rosen’s Emergency Medicine (Elsevier)

Do Abdominal Pain and Tenderness Predict Injury in Children with Blunt Abdominal Trauma?

Topics

Reviewing Author