Management of skull fractures in children less than 1 year of age

BackgroundManagement of skull fracture (SF) in pediatric patients varies from observation in the emergency department (ED) to floor admission. Since 2010, a protocol for admitting children with SF specifically to the trauma service was implemented at our institution. The purpose of our study was to review the management of children with SF younger than 1 year of age.MethodsRetrospective chart review of all patients between 0 and 1 year of age seen in our ED for a SF was done from 2010 to 2013.ResultsA total of 180 patients with a mean age of 4.5 months (1 day–12 months) were identified. Of these, 131 patients (73%) were admitted. Mean length of stay was 1.6 days. Admitted patients had more depressed (21 vs. 8%) and diastatic (43 vs. 14%) fractures. Fifty-seven children had intracranial hemorrhages (32%) but only 8 patients required non-emergent surgery for depressed fractures. Admission to the trauma service increased from none to 76% with phone follow-ups increasing from 12% to 91%.ConclusionsInstituting a protocol allowed a safer management of patients with SF. Moreover, we argue that asymptomatic infants with isolated SF can be safely discharged home after brief observation in the ED.