Dr. James Callahan and Dr. Cindy Christian of Children's Hospital of Philadelphia Co-Author New CDC Guideline to Improve Care of Children with Mild Traumatic Brain Injury

PHILADELPHIA, Sept. 4, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI), commonly called a concussion, affects millions of children and teens each year. This injury can lead to short- or long-term problems affecting how a child thinks, acts, learns and feels. Released today, a new CDC Pediatric mTBI Guideline is based on the latest science and aims to improve the health and safety of this vulnerable population.

"More than 500,000 children are seen in emergency departments each year for traumatic brain injury, including concussions," said James M. Callahan MD,FAAP,FACEP, a co-author of the new Guideline. "Although many mTBI cases are sports-related, over half result from falls from bicycles, monkey bars, and down stairs—in addition to injuries from motor vehicle crashes and other causes of trauma." 

"The goal of the CDC Pediatric Mild Traumatic Brain Injury Guideline is to help healthcare providers take action to improve the health of their pediatric patients with mTBI," said Cindy Christian, MD, co-author of the Guideline. "The Guideline consists of 19 sets of clinical recommendations that cover diagnosis, prognosis, management and treatment. The recommendations are applicable to healthcare providers who care for pediatric patients with mTBI in all practice settings and include key practice-changing takeaways."

Key recommendations include:

• Do not routinely image pediatric patients to diagnose mTBI.
• Use validated, age-appropriate symptom scales to diagnose mTBI.
• Assess for risk factors for prolonged recovery, including: history of mTBI or other brain injury, severe symptom presentation immediately after the injury, and personal characteristics and family history (such as learning difficulties and family and social stressors).
• Provide patients with instructions on return to activity that are customized to their symptoms.
• Counsel patients to return gradually to non-sports activities after no more than 2 to 3 days of rest.

The two co-authors of the Guideline are available to speak with media: James M. Callahan, MD, FAAP, FACEP, associate medical director in the Division of Emergency Medicine at CHOP, and Cindy W. Christian, MD, a child abuse pediatrician at CHOP and a member of the Division of General Pediatrics, as are as members of the hospital's Concussion Management Group.

The CDC Pediatric Mild Traumatic Brain Injury (mTBI) Guideline is published today and can be found at www.cdc.gov/HEADSUP

To schedule an interview, please contact Joey McCool Ryan from CHOP'S Public Relations team at [email protected] or (267) 426-6070.

About Children's Hospital of Philadelphia: Children's Hospital of Philadelphia was founded in 1855 as the nation's first pediatric hospital. Through its long-standing commitment to providing exceptional patient care, training new generations of pediatric healthcare professionals, and pioneering major research initiatives, Children's Hospital has fostered many discoveries that have benefited children worldwide. Its pediatric research program is among the largest in the country. In addition, its unique family-centered care and public service programs have brought the 546-bed hospital recognition as a leading advocate for children and adolescents. For more information, visit http://www.chop.edu

Contact: Joey McCool Ryan
Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
267-426-6070 (office)
[email protected]

SOURCE Children's Hospital of Philadelphia

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