Analysis of the efficacy and safety of conservative treatment of blunt abdominal trauma in children: retrospective study. Conservative treatment of blunt abdominal trauma in children

INTRODUCTION: in Brazil, trauma is responsible for 40% of deaths in the age group between 5 and 9 years old, and 18% between 1 and 4 years, and bleeding is the leading cause of preventable death in the traumatized child. Conservative management of blunt abdominal trauma with solid organs injury - started in the 60s - is the current world trend, with studies showing survival rates above 90%. The objective was to assess the efficacy and safety of conservative treatment in children with blunt abdominal trauma treated at the Clinical Hospital of the University of Campinas, in the last five years. METHODS: retrospective analysis of medical records of patients classified by levels of injury severity, in 27 children. RESULTS: only one child underwent surgery for initial failure of conservative treatment (persistent hemodynamic instability), resulting in a 96% overall success rate of the conservative treatment. Five other children (22%) developed late complications that required elective surgery: a bladder injury, two cases of infected perirenal collections (secondary to injury of renal collecting system), a pancreatic pseudocyst and a splenic cyst. Resolution of the complications was attained in all children, with anatomical and functional preservation of the affected organ. There were no deaths in this series. CONCLUSION: the conservative initial approach in the treatment of blunt abdominal trauma was effective and safe with high resolution and low rate of complications leading to a high preservation rate of the affected organs. Level of evidence III - prognostic and therapeutic study.