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Evaluating intimate partner violence and response system in leon, Nicaragua: Perspectives from survivors and stakeholders

2015; Elsevier BV; Volume: 81; Issue: 1 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1016/j.aogh.2015.02.779

2214-9996

Jennifer Zelaya,

Trauma and Emergency Care Studies

Background: There are few published papers describing the epidemiology of facial fractures in South Africa, and there is only one published study in pediatric patients.An understanding of the etiologies and distribution of facial fractures in specific population will allow for appropriate preventions and clinical managements.The aim of the present study was to retrospectively determine the distribution of facial fractures in children who presented to a pediatric trauma unit.Methods: This study retrospectively reviewed all medical records in a major metropolitan pediatric hospital in Cape Town, South Africa from September 2006 through May 2014.Inclusion criteria were children aged under the age of 13 with facial fractures.Fractures were assessed through head computed tomography (CT) scans.Patient's age, sex, cause of injury, general condition, existence of concomitant injuries, location of fractures, type of interventions and length of stay were recorded and analyzed.This study was approved by the Institutional Review Board of University of California, Los Angeles and the Hospital Research Review Committee of Red Cross War Memorial Children's Hospital.Findings: Fifty-three male and 37 female patients were included in the study.Motor vehicle collisions (MVC) were the most common cause of facial fractures (56.3%).One-hundred-thirty facial fractures were presented on CT scans.The most common fractures in this study were mandible (43.1%).Comparing unrestrained MVC (UMVC) patients with those of other etiologies (OE), there was an increase in the average number of fractures (OE: 1.1, UMVC:1.9;P < 0.0001), the average length of stay (OE: 4 days, UMVC: 9 days; P¼0.002), and the probabilities of sustaining concomitant injuries (OE: 31.0%,UMVC: 68.8%) and requiring an operation (OE: 42.3%, UMVC: 81.3%).Interpretation: The demographic profile of the cohort was consistent with other reports that more male than female children sustain facial fractures and that the mandible is the most common site in children.This study also establishes motor vehicle accidents as the most common etiology of facial fractures in South Africa.Lastly, it demonstrates an increase in the complexity of facial injuries in unrestrained MVAs, suggesting the need for public awareness campaigns to install restraint devices in automobiles in South Africa.