Background: Although computed tomography has been considered the diagnostic modality of choice for pediatric patients with blunt abdominal trauma (BAT), it is costly, time-consuming, requires sedation, and may be associated with complications in young children. Abdominal ultrasonography (US) is a promising modality in the evaluation of BAT that is quick, noninvasive, repeatable, and cost-effective. We hypothesized that emergency department US, performed by trauma surgeons, is a useful triage tool for pediatric BAT that reduces the need for computed tomography.
Methods: The 230 children (<18 years old) with suspected BAT were initially evaluated with US in the emergency department by surgeons. Subsequent computed tomographic scan or exploratory laparotomy was performed as indicated by the key clinical pathway.
Results: Twelve children (5.2%) had documented intra-abdominal injuries. All five injured children with significant intraperitoneal fluid were identified by US. Of the seven patients who had intra-abdominal injury not detected by US, six sustained solid organ injuries that were managed nonoperatively. Extrapolated reductions in hospital charges due to the decreased number of computed tomographic scans total $130,000.
Conclusions: Using US as a triage tool may dramatically reduce the cost of pediatric BAT evaluation while being able to quickly identify significant intraperitoneal fluid that requires further evaluation and possible laparotomy.