Perforating small bowel injuries in children: Influence of time to operation on outcome

The purpose of this study was to determine whether delay in the diagnosis of small bowel injury (SBI) affected the outcome of paediatric patients who required surgical interventions in the treatment of small bowel injuries. A retrospective chart review was performed on children with traumatic SBI requiring surgical management between January 2000 and December 2002. Diagnostic interval was defined as the time from presentation to operative treatment and delay was an interval of greater than 8 h. Thirteen patients were admitted for operative treatment of SBI. Nine cases were the result of motor vehicle trauma. The mean diagnostic interval for all patients was 9.1 h ± 7.4 h (range 0.6 h-22.5 h). Six patients had a diagnostic delay with a mean diagnostic interval of 15.5 h ± 5.5 h. There was no statistically significant difference found between the prompt and delayed diagnosis groups in terms of complications or length of hospital stay. Our finding of no difference between the prompt and delayed diagnosis groups and a diagnostic delay no longer than 22.5 h may suggest that our local methods of diagnosis and treatment assist in the prevention of unnecessary complications and death.