Characteristics of Pediatric Head Injury Patients at Abdoel Wahab Sjahranie Hospital Samarinda in 2023–2024

Abstract

Background: Pediatric head injury is an important emergency condition associated with substantial morbidity and mortality. Objectives: To describe the demographic characteristics, injury mechanisms, clinical severity, cranial or intracranial findings, and discharge outcomes of pediatric patients with head injury treated at Abdoel Wahab Sjahranie Hospital, Samarinda, during 2023–2024. Methods: A descriptive retrospective study reviewed 113 medical records of patients younger than 19 years with documented head injury and complete core variables. Data included sex, age group, injury mechanism, initial Glasgow Coma Scale category, cranial or intracranial findings, and discharge outcome. Results: Males comprised 69.91% of patients, while adolescents aged 10–18 years accounted for 74.34%. Traffic accidents were the leading mechanism of injury (80.53%). Mild head injury was recorded in 53.98% of cases, and epidural hematoma was the most frequent isolated finding (30.09%). Full recovery occurred in 51.33%, clinical improvement in 39.82%, and death in 8.85%. Conclusions: Traffic accidents were the predominant cause of pediatric head injury. These findings support strengthened road injury prevention and standardized clinical documentation to improve pediatric trauma surveillance and care.