Evaluation of intentional and unintentional injuries in children and adolescents with trauma scoring systems

Abstract

Aim: To evaluate the general characteristics of cases under the age of 18 years who presented at our forensic medicine clinic due to intentional or unintentional trauma and to evaluate the severity of injury using trauma scoring systems.

Methods: This study included all cases under the age of 18 years with a forensic report prepared due to trauma in the forensic medicine clinic between 2017-2021. The cases included in the study were evaluated in terms of the following parameters: “gender, age, forensic event, cause of accidental injury, intentional or unintentional injury, injury site, location of traffic accident victims, safety belt using, degree of forensic injury, trauma scores [Injury Severity Score (ISS) and New Injury Severity Score (NISS)]. The ISS and NISS were calculated using the Abbreviated Injury Scale (AIS)   2008 update. The results were statistically compared and evaluated.

Results: The majority of the cases were male (n=281, 75.13%), and the mean age was 12.03±4.83 years. More than half of the cases (n:190, 50.80%) were unintentional injuries. The victims were injured most frequently due to battery (n=180, 48.10%). The most common injury sites were the head and neck (n=136, 36.40%). The majority of child and adolescent victims of traffic accidents under the age of 18 did not use helmets, seat belts, and protective equipment. The mean injury severity score (ISS) of the cases was 3.66±5.79, and the mean new-injury severity score (NISS) was 5.03±7.58. The ISS and NISS values were significantly higher in unintentional injuries than in intentional injuries.

Conclusion: More severe injuries were caused unintentionally in children and adolescents. Pedestrians, cyclists, and motorcyclists were at the greatest risk for serious injury. It is necessary to provide necessary training on the importance of protective equipment for this age group and to increase the controls.