Abstract:

Aim: The aim of this study is to document the annual incidence and annual incidence trends of pediatric traumatic brain injury from January 2020 to December 2022 in BUGANDO medical Centre.

Methodology: A retrospective hospital based study was conducted, data were extracted from the BMC emergency and neurosurgical electronic registers. A cohort of January 2020 to December 2022 which included all patients aged less than 18 years at the time of injury. Including all emergency department visits and those who subsequently got admitted for at least one night in hospital

Results: A total of 302 pediatric were included in the study in which 109 children were attended at EMD as outpatient and discharged from EMD and193 were subsequently admitted. Children were categorized into the following age groups, children less than 1 year where only 4 children were included in our study, 1-3 years where 125 children were included in our study, Children with 4-6 years and 120 children were found, 7-10 years 51 children were found and 11-18 only 2 children were found. The mostly affected age group were children aged between 1 years to 3 years who made a total of 41.4 % of all children in my study and males dominating females with the male to female ratio of 1.5:1 respectively. MVA was the leading mode of injury contributing to 178 (58.9%), followed by falling from height which contributed to about 77 (25.5%), interpersonal violence was the third leading cause pTBI that contributed to about 25 (8.3%) children, hit by heavy object was the forth in the list of causes of pTBI contributing to about 18 (6%) children, animal kick, assault and child abuse were the least cause of pTBI where each contributed to about 2 (0.7 %) children. The incidences of pTBI were rapidly increasing with time in 2020, 39 children were attended as OPD and inpatient due to pTBI. While in 2021, 65 children which is about 1.65 folds’ increase compared to 2020 and in 2022, 198 children equal to five folds’ increase to those of 2020 and three folds’ increase to those of 2021. Rural 170 children equal to 56.3% and 132 urban equal to 43.7%, health status 90 (29.8%) children had missing information 29 (29.6 %) had neurological deficits 3 (1%)had milestone regression and 12 (4%)died and 168 children (55.6%) were normal

Conclusion: The overall three-year incidence trends of pTBI was found to be increasing2020 39 children, 2021 65 children and 2022 198 children had pTBI. The most common cause was road traffic accidents as pedestrians, followed by falls from heights. Most of these children 171 (89.3%)were treated by conservative management minority 31( 10.7%) required surgical intervention .most of these children had good outcome in one month follow up where by 168children (55.6%)were normal ,3 children(1%) had milestone regression, 29 children (9.6%)had neurological deficit, 12 children (3%)d and 90 (30%)had missing information.