Evaluation of Neonates Presenting to the Pediatric Emergency Department with Non-Birth-Related Trauma.

Authors

Songül Tomar Güneysu, Okşan Derinöz Güleryüz, Ayla Akca Çağlar

Published in

Turkish archives of pediatrics. Volume 61. Issue 10. Pages 919-927. Sep 23, 2026. Epub Sep 23, 2026.

Abstract

This study aimed to evaluate the mechanisms of non-birth-related trauma in term neonates (<28 days old) presenting to a tertiary pediatric emergency department and to propose preventive strategies.
The authors retrospectively reviewed term neonates diagnosed with trauma unrelated to birth who presented to the Pediatric Emergency Department of Gazi University Faculty of Medicine between June 2018 and December 2023.
There were 78 neonates (55.1% male; mean age 18.0 ± 9.8 days) included in this study. All patients were brought by their parents in an outpatient setting. Falls were the leading cause of presentation (69.3%), most commonly involving strollers. Physical examination was unremarkable in 59% of cases. Cranial computed tomography was performed in 69.3%, revealing abnormalities in 40.7% of scans, whereas 12.8% did not undergo any imaging. A significant association was observed between PECARN risk stratification and both computed tomography (CT) utilization and detection of pathological findings. Most neonates (84.6%) were discharged home and the overall hospitalization rate was 7.7%.
Non-birth-related trauma in neonates is predominantly mild and associated with favorable outcomes. However, imaging utilization remains relatively high despite largely benign clinical presentations. The frequent use of CT, even in the presence of normal physical examination findings, reflects the clinical uncertainty inherent in neonatal neurological assessment and the limited applicability of existing pediatric decision rules in this age group. These findings underscore the need for more standardized neonatal trauma assessment pathways to support judicious imaging decisions, reduce unnecessary radiation exposure, and optimize patient safety.

PMID:
42826238
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 03 Oct 2026.

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