BLAST STUDY
PROJECT LEAD: Rachel Harwood
Management of paediatric Blunt Liver And/or Splenic Trauma (BLAST study)
The overall aim of this audit is to describe how children with blunt liver and/or splenic trauma are currently managed in the UK, and to compare this management to the most recent APSA recommendations. Studying different aspects of management using the most recent APSA guidelines as the gold standard of care will enable the current UK practice to be assessed in comparison to long-standing recommendations, and also enable comparison with the findings from the recently conducted systematic review
Methodology:
1. A national survey of all paediatric surgical and general surgical consultants in the UK working at paediatric MTCs to determine the approaches that are taken to management of blunt liver and spleen injuries (completed December 2019)
2. A national, multi-centre prospective audit involving data collection from children’s surgical care providers (collaborators) around the UK (ongoing)
UPDATES
- A consultants survey of current practice has been completed in December 2019- this has been accepted for presentation at the next British Association of Paediatric Surgeons (BAPS) annual meeting 2021 (oral presentation).
- Follow up data collection ongoing of patients recruited from multiple centres in the UK
