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CHAPTER 103 ■ ABDOMINAL TRAUMA RICHARD A SALADINO, BARBARA A GAINES GOALS OF EMERGENCY CARE Trauma is the most common cause of death in children between and 18 years of age in the United States; more than 10,000 children die each year from injuries Blunt trauma accounts for more than 90% of childhood injuries; the most common associated mechanisms are falls and motor vehicle–related trauma Although injury to the abdomen accounts for only 10% of injuries in children with trauma, it is the most common unrecognized cause of fatal injuries Therefore, a compulsive and systematic approach to timely identification and treatment of abdominal injuries is required KEY POINTS Children are at greater risk than adults for intra-abdominal injuries after blunt trauma because of their immature musculoskeletal system The overlying muscles and associated skeleton are more pliable than in adults and, therefore, less protective; children have a higher abdominal organ-to-body mass ratio A given force delivered to the abdomen is distributed over a smaller body surface area, increasing the likelihood of injury to the underlying structures RELATED CHAPTERS