Pathway Background and Objectives
Blunt abdominal trauma causing liver and/or spleen injury is one of the most common indications for hospital admission for injured children. In 2012, a pediatric trauma consortium, ATOMAC, developed a practice management guideline for blunt liver or spleen injury that is evidence-based and used at many pediatric trauma centers. More recently in 2019, the American Pediatric Surgery Association (APSA) Trauma Committee expanded this and developed non-operative management guidelines for blunt trauma to the abdomen to help standardize care.
The objectives of this Connecticut Children’s clinical pathway for the management of blunt liver and spleen injury are to:
- Standardize care to decrease variability in the management of patients with blunt spleen and/or liver injury
- Decrease length of stay to conform with current evidence-based guidelines
- Decrease unnecessary laboratory testing
- Avoid unnecessary Pediatric Intensive Care Unit admissions