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Assessment of a Child with Abdominal Trauma

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Abstract

Trauma involving the abdomen is the most common cause of death in children due to unrecognized injury. In pediatric emergency a significant portion of workloads on pediatric surgeon to assess the injured child with a focus on abdominal trauma. Pediatric trauma differs from adult trauma in many ways, e.g., mechanisms, injury patterns, anatomy, and long-term effects on growth and development. A focused clinical examination diagnoses most of the important injuries and avoids unnecessary management delays and investigations. Diagnosing intra-abdominal injury is the crux of the examination. Intra-abdominal organs can be injured either by blunt or penetrating injuries. Blunt injuries are much more common than penetrating injuries (85% vs 15%). Pediatric internal organs are more likely to be injured owing to a smaller torso, larger and more mobile viscera, and decreased amount of intra-abdominal fat [1, 2].

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Khan, R.A. (2018). Assessment of a Child with Abdominal Trauma. In: Ahmad Khan, R., Wahab, S. (eds) Blunt Abdominal Trauma in Children. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-0692-1_6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-0692-1_6

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Singapore

  • Print ISBN: 978-981-13-0691-4

  • Online ISBN: 978-981-13-0692-1

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