A traumatic asphyxia in a child

Purpose: Traumatic asphyxia in a child is rare and the pathophysiology is d ifferent from that occurring in an adult. We report a case of traumatic asp hyxia in a child who recovered without specific treatment, even though ches t and abdominal compression was severe. Clinical features: A three-year-old boy (14.2 kg) was run over by the rear wheel of a jeep, He was under the tire for about three minutes and then was transferred to our hospital, When he arrived, he was lethargic with Glasgo w Coma Scale of E3V4M6 (coma score of 13). He was cyanotic in his face and had a tire mark from the lek shoulder to the right abdomen, petechia on the head, face, conjunctiva and chest, oral bleeding, and facial edema, Serum concentrations of liver enzymes were increased and microhematuria was detec ted. However, no injuries were seen in the brain, eye, chest, or abdomen. C yanosis disappeared in a few hours. Facial and thoracic petechia disappeare d in three days and that of the conjunctiva in five days. He was discharged from hospital on the 13th day without any disturbances. Conclusion: We present a three-year-old boy with traumatic asphyxia. He had no complications although he received severe thoraco-abdominal compression by a jeep.