'No need' to hospitalise children with normal CT scansRSS Feed

Children who undergo a CT scan to ensure they have not suffered a brain injury due to head trauma do not need to be hospitalised if the results come back normal, a study has shown.

Research published in the Annals of Emergency Medicine revealed that less than one per cent of children who had normal CT scans had subsequent abnormal CT or MRI scans and none required neurosurgery.

Lead author James Homes, of the University of California Davis, explained that admitting children after normal CT scans could expose them to other health risks such as infections in the hospital, and keeps them away from loved ones.

"One of the goals in the evaluation of children with minor head trauma is to try to avoid CT scan use, if possible. If you do a CT scan and the scan is negative, and the child is well, then for goodness sakes let the child go home," he said.

This follows research conducted at Children's Hospital Boston and the University of California Davis, which found that young people are often given unnecessary CT scans.

The researchers recommended a period of observation to identify any brain injury.

Serious Law, award winning brain injury law firm

Posted by Matthew Heap
 

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