RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Rate and severity of radiological features of physical abuse in children during the first UK-wide COVID-19 enforced national lockdown
JF Archives of Disease in Childhood
JO Arch Dis Child
FD BMJ Publishing Group Ltd and Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health
SP 575
OP 581
DO 10.1136/archdischild-2021-323444
VO 107
IS 6
A1 Stivaros, Stavros
A1 Paddock, Michael
A1 Rajai, Azita
A1 Cliffe, Helen
A1 Connolly, Daniel JA
A1 Dineen, Robert A
A1 Dixon, Rachel
A1 Edwards, Harriet
A1 Evans, Emily
A1 Halliday, Katherine
A1 Jackson, Kandise
A1 Landes, Caren
A1 Oates, Adam J
A1 Stoodley, Neil
A1 Offiah, Amaka C
YR 2022
UL http://adc.bmj.com/content/107/6/575.abstract
AB Rate and severity of radiological features of physical abuse in children during the first UK-wide COVID-19 enforced national lockdown.Objective To assess the number, type and outcome of radiological investigations for children presenting to hospital with suspected physical abuse (SPA; including abusive head trauma) during the first national COVID-19 enforced lockdown compared with the prelockdown period.Design Multicentre, retrospective, observational, interrupted time series analysis.Setting Eight secondary/tertiary paediatric centres between January 2018 and July 2020 inclusive.Participants 1587 hospital assessed children undergoing radiographic skeletal surveys (SkS) and head CT imaging performed for SPA/child protection concerns.Main outcome measures Incidence and severity of fractures identified on SkS; head injury (composed of incidence rates and ratios of skull fracture, intracranial haemorrhage (ICH) and hypoxic ischaemic injury (HII)) on head CT imaging; and ratio of antemortem and postmortem SkS.Results 1587 SkS were performed: 1282 (81%) antemortem, 762 (48%) male, and positive findings in 582 (37%). Median patient age was 6 months. There were 1.7 fractures/child prelockdown versus 1.1 fractures/child during lockdown. There was no difference between positive/negative SkS rates, the absolute ratio of antemortem/postmortem SkS or absolute numbers of head injury occurring between January 2018 and February 2020 and the lockdown period April–July 2020. Likewise, prelockdown incidence and rates of skull fracture 30/244 (12%), ICH 28/220 (13%) and HIE 10/205 (5%) were similar to lockdown, 142/1304 (11%), 171/1152 (15%) and 68/1089 (6%), respectively.Conclusion The first UK COVID-19 lockdown did not lead to an increase in either the number of antemortem or postmortem radiological investigations performed for SPA, or the number or severity of fractures and intracranial injuries identified by these investigations.All data relevant to the study are included in the article or uploaded as supplementary information. Not applicable.