Skip to content
DraconiticResearch
Search Sources API
197,768 studies31 sourcesUpdated 10 min ago
Peer-reviewedCC BY-NCOrthopedic Reviews

Seatbelt Use and Traumatic Brain Injury Outcomes After Pediatric Motor Vehicle Collisions

  • Victoria Melendez-Placa1
  • Samuel Andrade2
  • Omar Viswanath3
  • Latha Ganti4
4 affiliations
  1. 1Lake Nona HS
  2. 2Brown University
  3. 3Creighton University School of Medicine
  4. 4The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University
Read full textPDFDOICite

Abstract

Background: Seatbelts and age-appropriate restraints reduce crash-related injuries, but associations with specific pediatric traumatic brain injury (TBI) outcomes require further characterization. Objective: To examine associations between documented seatbelt use, TBI severity, head computed tomography (CT) findings, and hospital admission after pediatric motor vehicle collisions. Methods: This retrospective study reviewed trauma registry and medical record data from a Level I pediatric trauma center. Of 179 collision-related cases identified among 1,095 pediatric trauma records, 138 had documented seatbelt status. Categorical outcomes were compared using chi-square and exact tests. A multivariable logistic regression examined hospital admission in 96 complete cases. Results: ED TBI severity was available for 97 patients: 74 mild, 6 moderate, and 17 severe. Seatbelt use was not significantly associated with severity (P = .098). Among 107 patients with available CT results, abnormal findings occurred in 17/56 (30.4%) with seatbelt use and 25/51 (49.0%) without seatbelt use (Pearson P = .048; Fisher exact P = .074). The prehospital Glasgow Coma Scale comparison was not significant (P = .075). Loss of consciousness and transfer status were associated with higher adjusted odds of hospital admission, whereas higher ED Glasgow Coma Scale scores were associated with lower odds. Conclusion: Abnormal CT findings were less frequent with seatbelt use, ED TBI severity did not differ significantly. Missing data, limited sample size, and unmeasured crash characteristics constrain causal interpretation.

Related

  1. Driver, vehicle, and environmental risk factors for crash-level major trauma in drunk driving collisions: a national registry linkage study
    Ling-Wei Kuo, Chien-An Liao, Chi-Tung Cheng +5
    Frontiers in public healthPeer-reviewedCC BYFull textEpidemiology & public healthEurope PMC
  2. Unburied Versus Buried Kirschner Wires in the Traumatic Osteosynthesis of the Upper Limb in Pediatric Patients: A Retrospective Cohort
    Journal of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. Global research & reviewsPeer-reviewedCC BY-NC-NDFull textSurgery & anaesthesiaEurope PMC
  3. Factors Influencing Secondary Traumatic Stress in Pediatric Nurses: An Integrative Review
    Heemoon Lim, Won Jin Seo, Hyejung Lee
    Research in Nursing & HealthPeer-reviewedCC BY-NC-ND 4.0Full text1 citedEpidemiology & public healthPMC
  4. Prognostic prediction model construction and validation based on regional cerebral oxygen saturation and bispectral index monitoring in pediatric traumatic brain injury
    Baowen Li, Ruhai Ma, Zhuyun Tian +5
    Frontiers in NeurosciencePeer-reviewedCC BY 4.0Full textNeurologyCrossrefEurope PMCPMC
  5. Risk Factors for Poor Outcomes of Mild and Moderate Traumatic Brain Injury Patients in Tanzania: A Retrospective Cohort Study Using Latent Class Analysis
    Loren Barcenas, Cyrus Elahi, William Nkenguye +5
    Health science reportsPeer-reviewedCC BY-NC-NDFull textGeneral medicineEurope PMC

Cite

BibTeXRIS
BibTeX
@article{melendezplaca2026seatbelt,
  title = {{Seatbelt Use and Traumatic Brain Injury Outcomes After Pediatric Motor Vehicle Collisions}},
  author = {Victoria Melendez-Placa and Samuel Andrade and Omar Viswanath and Latha Ganti},
  journal = {Orthopedic Reviews},
  year = {2026},
  month = oct,
  doi = {10.52965/001c.172460},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.52965/001c.172460},
  note = {CC BY-NC},
}
RIS
TY  - JOUR
TI  - Seatbelt Use and Traumatic Brain Injury Outcomes After Pediatric Motor Vehicle Collisions
AU  - Victoria Melendez-Placa
AU  - Samuel Andrade
AU  - Omar Viswanath
AU  - Latha Ganti
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/10/26
JO  - Orthopedic Reviews
DO  - 10.52965/001c.172460
UR  - https://doi.org/10.52965/001c.172460
AB  - Background: Seatbelts and age-appropriate restraints reduce crash-related injuries, but associations with specific pediatric traumatic brain injury (TBI) outcomes require further characterization. Objective: To examine associations between documented seatbelt use, TBI severity, head computed tomography (CT) findings, and hospital admission after pediatric motor vehicle collisions. Methods: This retrospective study reviewed trauma registry and medical record data from a Level I pediatric trauma center. Of 179 collision-related cases identified among 1,095 pediatric trauma records, 138 had documented seatbelt status. Categorical outcomes were compared using chi-square and exact tests. A multivariable logistic regression examined hospital admission in 96 complete cases. Results: ED TBI severity was available for 97 patients: 74 mild, 6 moderate, and 17 severe. Seatbelt use was not significantly associated with severity (P = .098). Among 107 patients with available CT results, abnormal findings occurred in 17/56 (30.4%) with seatbelt use and 25/51 (49.0%) without seatbelt use (Pearson P = .048; Fisher exact P = .074). The prehospital Glasgow Coma Scale comparison was not significant (P = .075). Loss of consciousness and transfer status were associated with higher adjusted odds of hospital admission, whereas higher ED Glasgow Coma Scale scores were associated with lower odds. Conclusion: Abnormal CT findings were less frequent with seatbelt use, ED TBI severity did not differ significantly. Missing data, limited sample size, and unmeasured crash characteristics constrain causal interpretation.
SN  - 2035-8237
SN  - 2035-8164
ER  -