Characteristics of operative pediatric trauma transfer patients

Background: Pediatric patients treated at trauma centers demonstrate improved outcomes, but investigation of optimal resource utilization surrounding the transfer is ongoing. We evaluated characteristics of operative pediatric trauma transfer patients for resource optimization.Methods: A retrospective review of pediatric trauma patients transferred to a level 1 pediatric trauma center from 2009 to 2019 was performed. Patients were categorized by initial operative subspecialty.Results: Of 4164 transferred patients, 33.9 % required operative intervention. 65 % of operations were performed on orthopedic patients, who were significantly less injured compared to other patients. General surgery patients were more likely to undergo surgery on day of transfer compared to orthopedic patients (39.4%vs 56.3 %, OR 2.0, CI 1.4-2.8).Conclusions: One-third of pediatric trauma transfer patients required operative intervention. The majority of surgeries were on orthopedic patients, who were less likely to undergo surgery on day of transfer. Critical evaluation of this patient population is required to safely utilize a less resource-intensive transfer process.