Pediatric trauma. The No. 1 killer of children

WE HEAR so much about the tragic loss of children from congenital heart disease, lung abnormalities, and malignancy that we have overlooked the fact that more than half of the children who die in the United States die as a result of serious injuries. Almost half of the deaths in children last year resulted from trauma, as compared with approximately one death in 20 in the general population due to injuries. The death of a child is, in itself, a tragedy, but crippling injuries to a child and the resulting need for rehabilitation may have a far greater impact on society and our health care system than a child's death will. The expenditure of resources and personnel and the economic loss caused by termination of work potential when a child is seriously handicapped are relatively enormous when compared with similar losses following injuries in adults. A child is usually affected