Vítimas de acidentes de transito na faixa etária pediátrica atendidas em um hospital universitário: aspectos epidemiológicos e clínicos

this study analyzes epidemiological and clinic characteristics of victims of traffic accidents. data were obtained from medical records of children under 15 years of age (n = 1,123) admitted to a university hospital in uberlandia, minas gerais state, brazil, from 1999 to 2003. mean age was eight years, 65.7% were boys, 76.6% were cyclists or pedestrians, 45.9% suffered head injuries, and 9% remained in hospital for more than two weeks. fourteen (1.2%) died, 78.6% of these within 48 hours of hospitalization, and 85.7% with brain injuries. among the passengers of motorcycles and larger vehicles, 58.8% were not using security devices properly at the time of the accident. among the cyclists, 61% suffered isolated limb injuries. meanwhile, pedestrians tended to suffer multiple lesions (57.5%) and be admitted to intensive care (7.1%), and represented 66.7% of the deaths. epidemiological data on pediatric traffic victims can be useful for accident prevention programs.