Background/Objectives: Unintentional home injuries (UHIs) are a major yet preventable cause of morbidity and mortality among children. This study aimed to analyze the epidemiological characteristics, injury mechanisms, and clinical outcomes of pediatric UHIs over a nine-year period in Türkiye. Methods: This retrospective study included all children under 18 years who were diagnosed with UHIs in the Pediatric Emergency Department (PED) of a tertiary university hospital between January 2016 and November 2024. Demographic data, injury mechanisms, imaging findings, surgical interventions, hospitalizations, and Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) admissions were statistically analyzed. Results: Among 852,090 PED visits, 12,327 (1.4%) were diagnosed with UHIs. Most patients were younger than five years (72.1%) and male (56.8%). The leading causes were falls/collisions (60.6%), burns (12.1%), and foreign body aspirations (10.4%). Hospitalization and PICU admission rates were 11.7% and 1.2%, respectively, mainly involving children aged 2–4 years. Younger age and corrosive ingestion were independent predictors of hospitalization, while burns, falls/collisions, corrosive ingestion, poisoning, and foreign body aspiration significantly increased PICU admission risk. A marked rise in both hospital and PICU admissions was observed during the COVID-19 pandemic. Two fatalities occurred following falls. Conclusions: Falls, burns, and foreign body aspirations were the most common causes of pediatric UHIs, predominantly affecting children aged 2–4 years. Strengthening caregiver supervision, promoting safer home environments, and implementing targeted prevention programs are essential to reduce their impact on children and healthcare systems.

Amaç: Bu çalışmada, hastaların demografik ve klinik özellikleri ile kardiyak troponin tetkik sonuçlarının değerlendirilmesi amaçlanmıştır. Gereç ve Yöntem: Ankara Yıldırım Beyazıt Üniversitesi Yenimahalle Eğitim ve Araştırma Hastanesi Çocuk Acil Servisinde 1 Ocak – 31 Aralık 2018 tarihleri arasında kardiyak troponin tetkiki istenen 2428 çocuk hastanın dosyaları geriye dönük olarak incelendi. Hastaların demografik ve klinik bilgileri ile troponin sonuçları kaydedildi. Bulgular: Hastaların %52,4’ü kız, yaş ortalaması 11,4±4,8 yıldı. Troponin istem nedenleri göğüs ağrısı (%40), zehirlenmeler (%12) ve senkoptu (%11). Toplam istenen 2523 kardiyak troponin tetkikinden sadece 29 tanesi yüksek saptandı. Bu hastalarda en sık yakınma göğüs ağrısıydı. 18 hastada kardiyak nedenli patoloji olabileceği düşünüldü. Troponin yüksekliğinin diğer sebepleri; karbonmonoksit zehirlenmesi, alt solunum yolu enfeksiyonu, ilaç zehirlenmesi ve gastroenterite bağlı dolaşım bozukluğuydu. Elektrokardiyografilerin çoğu normal olarak raporlandı. Sonuç: Gereksiz istem ve maliyetin azaltılması için troponin tetkikinin seçilmiş hastalarda yapılması gerekmektedir. Kardiyak troponin düzeyinin yorumlanmasında hastanın genel klinik değerlendirilmesi önemini korumaktadır.

Background/Objectives: We aimed to describe the clinical, laboratory, and radiological characteristics of children with complicated pneumonia/empyema who underwent video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) and to identify factors associated with length of hospital stay. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed 68 children who presented to the pediatric emergency department of a tertiary university hospital and underwent VATS between April 2015 and April 2025. Factors associated with length of stay were assessed using univariable and multivariable negative binomial regression. Results: Median age was 60 months (interquartile range 36–138), and 66% were male. On univariable analysis, C-reactive protein (CRP) was associated with length of stay (incidence rate ratio [IRR] = 1.03 per 100 mg/L; p = 0.034), whereas age was not (p = 0.542). In the multivariable model, CRP remained borderline associated (IRR = 1.03; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.00–1.06; p = 0.049), whereas performance of computed tomography was not (p = 0.142). An atypical (gastrointestinal or pain-predominant) presentation occurred in 25%. Streptococcus pneumoniae was the most frequently detected bacterial pathogen, mainly by nasopharyngeal polymerase chain reaction. Conclusions: In this single-center, retrospective cohort, higher CRP at presentation, but not age, was modestly associated with a longer hospital stay; this small association needs confirmation in larger prospective studies, and most children (82%) were managed with VATS alone.

Introduction: Acute alteration of consciousness and seizure-like episodes represent clinical presentations with a broad differential diagnosis in the pediatric age group, requiring urgent evaluation and management. Rapid identification of the etiology is of critical importance in determining mortality and neurological sequelae. This case report describes the diagnostic process and clinical course of a two-year-old patient who presented with suspected seizure, altered consciousness, and nuchal rigidity. Case: A two-year-old girl with no known prior medical history was brought to the pediatric emergency department following a brief episode of tonic contractions and gaze fixation. On admission, her Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) score was 9, pupils were bilaterally mydriatic, and nuchal rigidity was present; physical examination for signs of meningeal irritation revealed a clinical picture consistent with meningitis. Cranial computed tomography showed no intracranial pathology. Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) analysis was not consistent with infectious meningitis; however, given the clinical presentation and examination findings, empirical ceftriaxone and acyclovir therapy was initiated without delay. Subsequent advanced neuroimaging obtained during follow-up was also reported within normal limits. The patient’s level of consciousness fully recovered during the acute phase, and she was discharged without any neurological sequelae. Conclusion: In pediatric patients presenting with acute alteration of consciousness and signs of meningeal irritation, empirical antimicrobial and antiviral therapy should not be withheld until meningitis and encephalitis have been definitively excluded, even when imaging and CSF findings are within normal limits. Clinical judgment may take precedence over laboratory and imaging results. This case highlights the importance of transient encephalopathic presentations in the pediatric emergency differential diagnosis and underscores the decisive role of clinical suspicion in guiding treatment decisions despite negative investigative findings.