Signos leves y moderados de traumatismo craneoencefalico en lactantes mayores atendidos en el Hospital Del Niño, Dr. Francisco Icaza Bustamante durante el periodo de septiembre de 2023 a septiembre de 2024.

Abstract

Cranioencephalic trauma is a brain injury caused by an external force. In Ecuador it is the ninth cause of infant morbidity and can present irreversible lesions, its classification depends on various factors, the most common being the Glasgow Scale. Objective: To determine the frequency and type of clinical signs of mild and moderate TBI in older infants (1 to 2 years) with TBI treated at the Hospital del Niño Dr. Francisco de Icaza Bustamante, during the period between September 2023 and September 2024. Methodology: A descriptive, observational, retrospective and cross-sectional study was carried out by reviewing 46 medical records of patients with a confirmed diagnosis of TBI. Variables such as age, sex, mechanism of trauma, severity of TBI according to the Glasgow scale, and reported clinical signs were evaluated. Results: A higher prevalence of TBI was observed in males (59.18%) and in patients aged 1 year (56.52%). The most frequent clinical signs were somnolence, edema, periorbital hematoma, dizziness, convulsions, otorrhagia and epistaxis. Of the cases, 73.91% were classified as mild TBI and 26.09% as moderate. It is noteworthy that falls from height were as frequent as falls from greater heights. Conclusion: The clinical signs most frequently observed in mild and moderate TBI in infants were irritability, edema and periorbital hematoma, somnolence and loss of consciousness, the duration of the latter > five minutes being an indicator of severity.