Journal of pediatric surgery
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Major trauma is the leading cause of death in children of developed countries. However, little is known about its long-term health consequences in survivors. Our aim was to describe the health condition in children at long-term after major trauma. ⋯ This long-term follow-up study after major trauma revealed that most children had a health condition comparable to healthy peers; about 40% of the respondents was physically impaired or restricted in daily activities. Our experiences with different measures may be helpful to apply age-appropriate outcome measures for the clinical follow-up of children after major trauma and to design future longitudinal studies.
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The aim of the study is to test the effect of age and preextracorporeal membrane oxygenation (pre-ECMO) days of ventilation on ECMO survival in the pediatric population. ⋯ In the pediatric population, survival decreases significantly as pre-ECMO ventilator days increase. Survival is also inversely related to patient age. Thus, patient age and duration of ventilation should be considered when evaluating suitability for ECMO.
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Obesity is an independent risk factor in trauma-related morbidity in adults. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of obesity in the pediatric trauma population. ⋯ In pediatric trauma patients, obesity may be a risk factor for sustaining an extremity fracture requiring operative intervention and having a higher risk for certain complications (ie, deep venous thrombosis [DVT] and decubitus ulcers) despite having a lower incidence of intracranial and intraabdominal injuries. Results are similar to reports examining the effect(s) of obesity on the adult population.