The characteristics, management and outcomes of high- and low-grade renal injuries in paediatric trauma patients at a major trauma centre

Introduction: Children, given anatomical variations, are at increased risk of renal injury following trauma. The management of paediatric renal injuries has, similar to other solid organ injuries, largely shifted towards conservative management; however, hemodynamically unstable patients may still warrant surgical exploration or interventional techniques. The aim of this study is to describe the local incidence, demographics, morbidity and outcomes associated with high- and low-grade renal injury in a paediatric major trauma population. Method: This was a 5-year retrospective review of trauma registry data and chart analysis of all paediatric renal injuries from major trauma at a North American level I paediatric trauma centre between January 2016-31 December 2020. Data was analysed using SPSS v27 with p < 0.05 considered significant. Results: Of 1334 major trauma patients, 45 suffered a kidney injury (20 high-grade and 25 low-grade injuries), of which 93.3% underwent conservative management with no difference in outcomes between groups. 80% of patients had concurrent injuries (a quarter requiring surgery for these), with a trend towards higher rates of chest injuries in high-grade renal injury patients (p = 0.08). Bicycle injuries were statistically more likely to cause high-grade renal injury (p = 0.02). Angiography was utilized infrequently (3/45 patients, 6.6%), and no patients underwent embolization in our study population. Overall mortality (4.4%) and length of stay were unaffected by grade of injury. Conclusion: Paediatric renal injury is an uncommon injury in major trauma patients (3.4%). Most cases can be managed conservatively regardless of the grade of injury. Renal injury patients are likely to have concurrent injuries, often requiring surgery. Further studies are needed to measure the success and utilization of interventional radiology techniques for management in children.