Current research programs in the Division are focused on trauma evaluation and treatment. For example, we have conducted a study to answer the question of whether prophylaxis is necessary in the pediatric trauma population. The risk of harmful venous thromboembolic events (VTEs) caused by blood clots is not well known in children.

Since VTEs are major morbidities in adult trauma patients, both invasive and noninvasive prophylactic therapies are used to prevent VTEs in them.

We found that the risk of clinically significant VTEs in trauma patients under age 13 is negligible, and we concluded that VTE prophylaxis is unnecessary in pediatric patients with traumatic injury. Our report of this study was published in The Journal of Trauma.

Our reports on other research that we have conducted on pediatric trauma — including use of decompressive craniectomy in pediatric patients with traumatic brain injury; and ventilator-associated pneumonia in pediatric trauma patients — have been published in The Journal of Pediatric Surgery and Pediatric Critical Care Medicine.