Birmingham Children's Hospital
Injuries to the Brain and Skull
Last updated 02 Mar 2022. All data shown is by calendar year.
All figures shown here must be looked at in conjunction with data completeness. If data completeness is low then the figures may not be reflective of true practice.
Patients with Severe Head Injuries
Patients with severe head injuries or focal signs should be transferred to the care of neurosurgery units regardless of whether they need surgical intervention
RCS/BOA Standard 13.2
Severe head injuries are defined as having an Abbreviated Injury Scale score of more than 2 in the head (with or without injuries to other body regions) with a recorded Glasgow Coma Score of less than 9 OR a recording of intubation and/or ventilation
Birmingham Children's Hospital is not a Neurosurgical Centre |
Cases submitted and eligible for this standard:
| Year | Cases |
|---|
| 2019 | 20 | | 2020 | 27 | | 2021 | 17 |
|
Birmingham Children's Hospital is a Neurosurgical Centre |
Cases submitted and eligible for this standard:
| Year | Cases |
|---|
| 2019 | 20 | | 2020 | 27 | | 2021 | 17 |
|
64 patients with severe head injuries were admitted between January 1st 2019 and December 31st 2021 |
1 (2%) of these patients were transferred from this hospital to a non neurosurgical unit |
1 (2%) of these patients were transferred from this hospital to a neurosurgical unit
|
| Patients with severe head injuries who remained at this hospital: |
62 (97%) patients remained at this hospital |
52 (84%) of the 62 patients who remained at this hospital survived up to 30 days or until discharge from hospital |
10 patients did not survive their injuries and 0 of these patients died within 2 hours
|
64 patients with severe head injuries were admitted between January 1st 2019 and December 31st 2021 |
20 (31%) of these patients were transferred to this hospital from another hospital |
52 (84%) of the patients treated at this neurosurgical unit survived up to 30 days or until discharge from hospital
|
|
Head Injuries
CT Imaging of the head should be performed within 1 hour of arrival for patients with a head injury and a GCS of less than 13
NICE Head Injury Guidelines 2007
Birmingham Children's Hospital
Cases submitted and eligible for this standard:
| Year | Cases |
|---|
| 2019 | 13 |
| 2020 | 16 |
| 2021 | 13 |
42 patients were admitted directly from the scene of the injury to this hospital between January 1st 2019 and December 31st 2021 and fulfilled these specific head injury criteria
|
|
42 patients had a CT Scan
42 of the CT Scans had full dates and times recorded
|
Time to CT Scan |
| Median Time to receiving a CT Scan (hrs) |
| Birmingham Children's Hospital | National Database |
|
0.70 hrs
This hospital has fewer than 10 cases with date and time recorded
|
0.57 hrs
|
|
0 patients died from their injuries within 2 hours and did not have a CT Scan |
 Why we assess the quality of care for different types of injury:
Injuries to the Brain and Skull: |
Evidence from the UK and Europe has shown improved survival in head injury patients treated in specialised units as opposed to general hospitals. The introduction of specific therapies within neuro-intensive care units has also been shown to improve outcome. |
There are several different types of head injury which require different types of treatment. Patients with blood clots may require emergency surgery whilst those with diffuse brain swelling require specialist care to maintain blood flow and oxygen delivery to the brain. A prompt diagnosis of traumatic brain injury from a CT scan is critical so that the correct treatment can be administered to minimise further injury to the brain. |