Validation of the PediBIRN-7 clinical prediction rule for pediatric abusive head trauma
Author Department
Pediatrics
Document Type
Article, Peer-reviewed
Publication Date
4-2024
Abstract
Background: The PediBIRN-7 clinical prediction rule incorporates the (positive or negative) predictive contributions of completed abuse evaluations to estimate abusive head trauma (AHT) probability after abuse evaluation. Applying definitional criteria as proxies for AHT and non-AHT ground truth, it performed with sensitivity 0.73 (95 % CI: 0.66-0.79), specificity 0.87 (95 % CI: 0.82-0.90), and ROC-AUC 0.88 (95 % CI: 0.85-0.92) in its derivation study.
Objective: To validate the PediBIRN-7's AHT prediction performance in a novel, equivalent, patient population.
Participants and settings: Consecutive, acutely head-injured children <3 years hospitalized for intensive care across eight sites between 2017 and 2020 with completed skeletal surveys and retinal exams (N = 342).
Methods: Secondary analysis of an existing, cross-sectional, prospective dataset, including assignment of patient-specific estimates of AHT probability, calculation of AHT prediction performance measures (ROC-AUC, sensitivity, specificity, predictive values), and completion of sensitivity analyses to estimate best- and worst-case prediction performances.
Results: Applying the same definitional criteria, the PediBIRN-7 performed with sensitivity 0.74 (95 % CI: 0.66-0.81), specificity 0.77 (95 % CI: 0.70-0.83), and ROC-AUC 0.83 (95 % CI: 0.78-0.88). The reduction in ROC-AUC was statistically insignificant (p = .07). Applying physicians' final consensus diagnoses as proxies for AHT and non-AHT ground truth, the PediBIRN-7 performed with sensitivity 0.73 (95 % CI: 0.66-0.79), specificity 0.87 (95 % CI: 0.82-0.90), and ROC-AUC 0.90 (95 % CI: 0.87-0.94). Sensitivity analyses demonstrated minimal changes in rule performance.
Conclusion: The PediBIRN-7's overall AHT prediction performance has been validated in a novel, equivalent, patient population. Its patient-specific estimates of AHT probability can inform physicians' AHT-related diagnostic reasoning after abuse evaluation.
Keywords: Abusive head trauma; Child physical abuse; Clinical prediction rule; Likelihood ratio.
Recommended Citation
Hymel KP, Carroll CL, Frazier TN, Weeks K, Herman BE, Marinello M, Chen Y, Wang M, Boos SC; Pediatric Brain Injury Research Network (PediBIRN) Investigators. Validation of the PediBIRN-7 clinical prediction rule for pediatric abusive head trauma. Child Abuse Negl. 2024 Apr 24;152:106799. doi: 10.1016/j.chiabu.2024.106799. Epub ahead of print.
PMID
38663048