Abstract Background: Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is less common in children than in adults but is a leading cause of mortality in children globally. The study aimed to explore the prevalence, etiological factors, management, and outcomes of pediatric TBI at Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), a major referral center in Nigeria. Materials and Methods: This prospective study included children under 18 diagnosed with TBI from January 1 to December 31, 2022. Ethical clearance was obtained, and informed consent was collected from caregivers. Data were gathered using a pre-designed proforma covering socio-demographics, injury mechanisms, pre-hospital management, clinical findings, and outcomes. Analysis was performed using IBM SPSS Statistics(v28). Results: Twenty-six patients with a mean age of 9.0 ± 5.99 years with a male-to-female ratio of 1.6:1 were enrolled. Only two (7.7%) had health insurance. Pediatric TBI accounted for 0.03% of all surgical emergencies at LUTH. Road traffic accidents (RTAs) were the cause for TBI in 11 (42.3%) of cases, whereas falls (7, 26.9%) and household accidents (5, 19.2%) were leading non-RTA causes. Only one patient (3.8%) was selected by skilled personnel and received immediate C-spine stabilization. Only 15 (57.7%) had a CT scan, constrained by financial issues. Four (15.4%) required surgery, but only half of them could undergo surgery due to financial constraints. Only one patient needed ICU admission, and three patients (11.5%) died. Mortality was only seen in severe TBI cases. Conclusion: The study found a low prevalence of pediatric TBI but highlighted significant mortality, especially in severe cases. Poverty and lack of health insurance were major factors affecting outcomes.
Okei et al. (2025) studied this question.