Objective: To describe the pattern of injuries sustained in pediatric victims of train accidents.
Design: Retrospective review of patients identified in a search of two trauma registries for the years 1984-1994.
Setting: Two pediatric level one trauma centers in one metropolitan area.
Patients: Between 1984 and 1994, seventeen children were identified as treated for injuries sustained in train accidents. Children pronounced dead at the scene and those injured when a car was struck by a train were excluded.
Intervention: ATLS protocols were followed. All open musculoskeletal injuries were treated with multiple operative irrigation and debridement procedures and broad spectrum antibiotics.
Main outcome measurements: Variables included the following: age, sex, mechanism of injury, circumstances surrounding the injuries, all injuries sustained, operations performed during the acute hospitalization, subsequent operations, level of amputation(s), complications, and cost and length of hospitalization.
Results: Presenting injuries included eight patients with ten complete amputations and eight patients with ten near-complete amputations. The average number of operative procedures for the survivors during the initial hospitalization was 5.7 (range three to sixteen). Five patients (five extremities) required amputation revision to a more proximal level after the initial surgical intervention but prior to definitive wound closure. Secondary surgical procedures have been required in 50% of survivors to date. The financial cost of these injuries is substantial, with acute hospitalization costs averaging $61,000.
Conclusion: Pediatric survivors of train-pedestrian accidents are likely to suffer isolated musculoskeletal injuries, the majority of which are amputations of the lower extremity. These injuries require multiple operative debridements and frequent revision to higher levels of amputation are expected. The percentage of these injuries in children at play around railroad tracks emphasizes the need for limitation of access to railroad areas and for prevention through public education.