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Traumatic brain injuries (TBI) continue to be among the most devastating injuries for victims and their families. Children frequently sustain life-changing head injuries. And, the medical and rehabilitation costs are soaring.

Traumatic brain injuries suffered by children place a significant burden on U.S. health resources, costing more than $1 billion in hospital charges each year, a new study finds.

Pediatric Brain Trauma Costs $1 Billion Annually

The study was conducted by researchers at the Center for Injury Research and Policy (CIRP) in the Columbus Children’s Research Institute at Columbus Children’s Hospital in Ohio. They analyzed data from the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project Kids’ Inpatient Database, collected from Jan. 1 through Dec. 31, 2000, from 2,784 hospitals in 27 states.

The analysis revealed an estimated 50,658 TBI-associated hospitalizations among children ages 17 and younger in that year, with 15- to 17-year-old patients having the highest hospitalization rates.

“Based on our research, pediatric TBI patients accrue more than $1 billion in total hospital charges annually,” study senior author and CIRP director Dr. Gary Smith, said in a prepared statement.

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