%0 Journal Article
%T Is the golden hour optimally used in South Africa for children presenting with polytrauma?
%A J Zuidgeest
%A A Jonkheijm
%A M van Dijk
%A A van As
%J South African Medical Journal
%D 2013
%I 
%X Background. The major paediatric public health problem worldwide is injury or trauma. In 2004, 950 000 children died as a result of injury. Objective. The aim of this study was to evaluate the logistics of medical care after paediatric polytrauma within the first hours after arrival into a trauma unit - the so-called Golden Hour. Methods. Children presenting with polytrauma to the Trauma Unit at the Red Cross War Memorial ChildrenĄ¯s Hospital between May 2011 and August 2011 were considered for inclusion in the study. Results. Fifty-five children were included in the final analysis. The median duration of stay in the Trauma Unit was 205 minutes (interquartile range 135 - 274). Conclusion. Several factors were identified that unnecessarily prolonged the time that patients stayed in the trauma unit following arrival in hospital for polytrauma management.
%U http://www.ajol.info/index.php/samj/article/view/86248