Accidents ✅ Flashcards
What is the leading cause of death in children and young people age 1-19 years?
Traumatic injiry
What other adverse outcomes can result from traumatic injury, other than death?
- Hospitalisation
- Permanent disability or disfigurement
What has happened to the mortality rate due to accidents in England and Wales over the last 20 years?
It has fallen markedly
What is the rate of admission to hospital of children and young people aged 0-17 years in England due to unintentional and deliberate injuries?
About 120 per 10,000 population
How does the mortality rate from injuries in the UK compare to low and middle income countries?
There are much higher mortality rates in low and middle income countries
What types of accidents most commonly lead to death in low and middle income countries?
- Road traffic accidents
- Drowning
Why are accidents particularly common in children and young people?
- Young children do not perceive situation danger, and are unaware of potential dangers in their environment
- Older children and young people indulge in risk-taking behaviours, and often underestimate their potential dangers
What influences the pattern of injuries seen from accidents in young children and adolescents?
Anatomical and physiological differences
What anatomical and physiological differences in young children and adolescents have an impact on the assessment and management of injuries?
- Young children have less fat and more elastic skeleton protecting tightly packed internal organs
- Larger body surface area to mass ratio in young children
- Blood pressure better maintained in young children
What is the implication of young children having less fat and a more elastic skeleton protecting tightly packed internal organs?
Impact force is distributed widely, resulting in a higher incidence of multi-system trauma that adolescents and adults
What is the implication of the large body surface area to mass ratio in young children?
It predisposes them to greater heat and insensible fluid loss
At what level of blood loss can blood pressure be maintained in children?
20%+
What is the implication of blood pressure being maintained even at 20%+ blood loss in children?
Careful attention has to be paid to other physiological parameters when assessing perfusion status
What are the top 5 causes of childhood accidental deaths in the UK?
- RTCs
- Burns and scalds
- Drownings
- Falls
- Poisinings
In order, who are the top 3 most vulnerable individuals in RTCs?
- Pedestrians
- Cyclists
- Vehicle passengers
Where do most RTCs occur?
In built-up areas (rather than higher speed dual carriageways and motorways)
What is the limitation of a blanket approach to accident prevention?
A variety of causes and multitude of factors involved in accident causation mean this approach is ineffective
What approach to accident prevention is more likely to be effective?
Small targeted strategies and campaigns, which can be scaled up once efficacy has been proven
What are the main strategies to accident prevention?
- Child and parent education
- Altering the child’s environment to be safer
- Enforcing environmental change through the law
