Injured Adolescents Fare Better at Pediatric Trauma Centers

Using data from the 2010 National Trauma Data Bank, researchers compared mortality among adolescents treated at adult or mixed trauma centers with those treated at pediatric trauma centers.

Of nearly 30,000 patients 15 to 19 years of age, 69% were treated in adult trauma centers, 26% in mixed centers (which treat both adults and children), and 6% in pediatric centers. Patients treated in adult and mixed centers were older and more likely to have hypotension, higher injury severity scores, and severe injuries of the head, chest, and upper extremity. Patients treated in pediatric centers were more likely to have unintentional injuries and blunt mechanism of injury and to be transferred from another facility (rather than transported directly fr…