SVIBOR - Project code: 3-01-351

MINISTRY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

Strossmayerov trg 4, HR - 10000 ZAGREB
tel.: +385 1 459 44 44, fax: +385 1 459 44 69
E-mail: ured@znanost.hr

SVIBOR

SVIBOR - Collecting Data on Projects in Croatia

Project code: 3-01-351


CHILD TRAUMATISM


Main researcher: TOMIĆ, KRUNOSLAV (65910)


Assistants
Type of research: applied
Duration from: 04/30/91. to 04/30/95.
Papers on project (total): 15
Institution name: Institut za zaštitu majki i djece, Zagreb (72)
Department/Institute: Department of Pediatric Surgery
Address: Klaićeva 16
City: 10000 - Zagreb, Croatia
Communication
Phone: +385 (0)1 44-0455
Phone: +385 (0)1 44-1611
Fax: +385 (0)1 45-1308
E-mail: ktomic@white.kdb.hr
Summary: The epidemiological, clinical and preventative aspects of traumatism in children have been examined. The analysis involved 363 children of up to 14 years of age who have sustained a serious, mostly polytraumatic, injury. It has been established that abouth 10-12 percent of the observed population in Croatia suffers an injury every year. Injuries have been found to occur more frequently with an increase in cases of serious form of injuries. This inevitably results in a high percentage of disablement (about 500-700 per year in Croatia). There is a high rate of traumatic lethality, predominantly of traffic-related aetiology. There is also a significantly higher frequency of injuries among children from 5 to 7 years of age. Attention is drawn to the inadequately examined problem of the physical maltreatment of children which results in severe psychophysical changes, including cases of death (a group of 35 maltreated children has been examined). Parameters have been proposed for a Paediatric Trauma Scale (PTS), by dind of which the degree and seriousness of head injuries in children with or without multiple bone fractures may precisely be anticipated, so that a seriously injured child could be easily identified and adequate reanimation and appropriate transportation to a medical centre secured. This is a major factor in the prevention of secondary brain damage taking into account the pronounced sensitivity of children to brain hypoxia. A group of 113 seriously injured children has been examined. Attention is drawn to a lack of comprehensive, research-based measures for the prevention of children's injuries, which are currently carried out in a sporadic and uncoordinated fashion. Special attention is drawn to an insufficient participation of legislature in the prevention of children's injuries, which is, as shows the experience of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, a major factor in modern public and health services.

Keywords: children's traumatism, epidemiology of child injuries, head injuries, programme of prevention, pediatric trauma score (PTS), legislation of injuries, buttered child

Research goals: The main aims of the project research were: - to establish the epidemiological and clinical characteristics of children's injuries and explore the possibility of prevention, especially of polytraumatic damage, which is the most serious kind of injury with a high percentage of disablement and lethality. - to establish which age groups of children are most at risk, since preventive measures differ from one age group to another. - from the clinical point of view, project work was to give an answer as to which clinical injuries of children are the most serious, and to establish the most dominant types of polytraumatic injuries in children. - to find out whether there is an adequate organisation of an immediate aid health service, which can deal with serious and polytraumatic injuries in children professionally and effectively. - to establish parameters which are necessary for the triage and prognosis of the most serious types of children's injuries, mainly polytraumatism and head injuries, an index which could establish the time and mode of transport as well as the kind and start of reanimation. Such an index would be called the Paediatric Trauma Scale (PTS). - the sample which was examined included 636 children, which allowed for tenable conclusions to be drawn. - necessary preventive measures could be established after determining the aetiology of the injuries of the observed sample. It was established that there is as lack of legislation which could prevent children's injuries from appearing in Croatia, which can be easily proved by comparing emergency legislation, protecting children from accidents, which has been introduced in OECD countries. - the ever-increasing number of cases of physical maltreatment of children has also been examined, taking a sample of more then 35 children, among whom cases of serious and even lethal injuries could be found.

COOPERATION - PROJECTS


  1. Name of project: 2-13-218 Arhitektonski aspekti sprečavanja nesreća u stambenim objektima; Istraživanje stambenog traumatizma
    Name of institution: HAZU
    City: 10000 - Zagreb, Croatia

  2. Name of project: 3-01-272 Serum amyloida and C-reactive protein in predisting postburn complications and fatal outcome in pacients with severe burns
    Name of institution: Farmakološki fakultet
    City: 10000 - Zagreb, Croatia

COOPERATION - INSTITUTIONS


  1. Name of institution: HRVATSKA AKADEMIJA ZNANOSTI I UMJETNOSTI (HAZU) Savjet za prometnu medicinu
    Type of institution: Other
    Type of cooperation: Joint project
    City: 10000 - Zagreb, Croatia
Other information about the project.
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Last update: 10/12/95
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