{
  "abstract": "Objective To describe the demographic characteristics, causes and temporal patterns of child deaths occurring in a paediatric emergency department (ED) over a 10-year period.Design Single-centre retrospective observational study.Setting A major trauma centre in the UK with a standalone paediatric ED.Patients 58 children aged 0–17 years who died in the ED or were brought in dead between January 2014 and December 2023.Interventions None.Main outcome measures Causes of death, demographics, seasonal and diurnal variation, parental presence and safeguarding concerns.Results Median age at death was 2 years. The highest proportion of deaths occurred among infants under 1 year (36%) and adolescents aged 13–17 years (31%). Leading causes of death included sudden unexpected deaths (26%), infections (24%) and acute medical or surgical conditions (16%). Overall mortality was highest during winter months (29%), notably due to infections (50% of infection-related deaths). Sudden unexpected deaths showed clear early morning peaks, with 40% occurring between 04:00 and 07:59. Adolescents (13–17 years) represented 31% of deaths, predominantly due to infections and suicide or self-harm. Parental presence during resuscitation was high (83%). Prior safeguarding concerns were documented in 28% of cases, rising to 100% in deaths due to inflicted injury or abuse.Conclusions Child deaths in the ED present distinct patterns differing from national childhood mortality statistics, emphasising sudden and acute conditions. Recognising these unique characteristics can guide improvements in clinical practice, ED-specific bereavement support, targeted staff training and resource allocation for periods of highest risk.",
  "authors": [
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Children’s Emergency Department, University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust, Southampton, UK",
        "NIHR Southampton Clinical Research Facility, University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust, Southampton, UK"
      ],
      "name": "Pamela Jump"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "University of Southampton Faculty of Medicine, Southampton, UK"
      ],
      "name": "Bethany McDermott"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Children’s Emergency Department, University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust, Southampton, UK"
      ],
      "name": "Clarissa Chase"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Department of General Paediatrics, University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust, Southampton, UK"
      ],
      "name": "Kate Pryde"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Children’s Emergency Department, University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust, Southampton, UK",
        "NIHR Southampton Clinical Research Facility, University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust, Southampton, UK",
        "University of Southampton Faculty of Medicine, Southampton, UK"
      ],
      "name": "Daniel R Owens"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Child death in the emergency department: experience from a 10-year retrospective review",
  "uid": "bd959006-e202-5d4d-ba2b-f7305e78503d"
}