A National Analysis of Pediatric Traumatic Duodenal Injuries

Introduction

Traumatic duodenal injuries can be difficult to diagnose and manage due to their severity, rarity, and complexity. This study aimed to analyze demographic and clinical characteristics of children with duodenal injuries using a weighted, national database.

Methods

Cases of duodenal injury in patients <18 y of age were identified in a cross-sectional analysis of the 2016 Kids’ Inpatient Database using International Classification of Diseases, 10^th Revision Clinical Modification codes. These were compared to all other trauma hospitalizations age <18 y old through multivariable logistic regression to determine odds of hospitalization for duodenal injuries. Secondary analysis was performed on patients with nonaccidental trauma (NAT).

Results

Duodenal injury patients (n = 237) were frequently older, male, or victims of NAT. They had a higher injury severity score, and longer length of stay. The most common mechanism was motor vehicle collision. Patients with duodenal injuries more often had concomitant lung, liver, pancreas, and large bowel injuries. They more frequently underwent laparotomy, large bowel resection, required parenteral nutrition, and received more blood transfusions. NAT subanalysis demonstrated that as compared to non-NAT duodenal injuries, those with duodenal injuries due to NAT were younger, more often in the Northeast, and more often had government insurance. Multivariable logistic regression demonstrated increased odds of hospitalization of duodenal injury for males as compared to females (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 1.88; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.31-2.67), older age (aOR 1.04, 95% CI 1.01-1.07), and victims of NAT (aOR 4.18, 95% CI 2.19-7.97)

Conclusions

Pediatric duodenal injuries most commonly occur in male patients as a result of motor vehicle collisions. Duodenal injury in patients under 3 y of age should raise the index of suspicion for NAT. These injuries overall are severe, are associated with other significant injuries that require intervention, and have a longer length of stay as compared to all other trauma hospitalizations.