pediatric_nexus_ii_head_ct: Pediatric NEXUS II Head CT Decision Instrument

In cliot: Clinical Indices and Outcomes Tools

Pediatric NEXUS II Head CT Decision Instrument

Description

Calculates the Pediatric NEXUS II result to determine the necessity of a head CT scan in children with blunt head trauma. The rule identifies patients at low risk for clinically important intracranial injury who may be safely managed without imaging. If any of the seven criteria are present, imaging is generally indicated.

Usage

pediatric_nexus_ii_head_ct(skull_fracture_evidence, scalp_hematoma,
                           neurologic_deficit, altered_alertness,
                           abnormal_behavior, coagulopathy, persistent_vomiting)

Arguments

skull_fracture_evidence	Numeric (0 or 1). Evidence of significant skull fracture (e.g., palpable depression, basilar signs). (1 = Yes).
scalp_hematoma	Numeric (0 or 1). Presence of scalp hematoma. (1 = Yes).
neurologic_deficit	Numeric (0 or 1). Presence of neurologic deficit. (1 = Yes).
altered_alertness	Numeric (0 or 1). Altered level of alertness (GCS < 15). (1 = Yes).
abnormal_behavior	Numeric (0 or 1). Abnormal behavior present (e.g., agitation, somnolence, refusal to eat). (1 = Yes).
coagulopathy	Numeric (0 or 1). Presence of coagulopathy (history of bleeding disorder or anticoagulation). (1 = Yes).
persistent_vomiting	Numeric (0 or 1). Persistent vomiting. (1 = Yes).

Value

A list containing:

Result	Recommendation regarding the need for Head CT ("Indicated" or "Not Indicated").
Inputs	A summary of the criteria evaluated.

References

Mower WR, Hoffman JR, Herbert M, et al. Developing a decision instrument to guide computed tomographic imaging of blunt head injury patients. J Trauma. 2005;59(4):954-959.

Examples

# Example 1: Low Risk
# No findings
pediatric_nexus_ii_head_ct(0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0)

# Example 2: CT Indicated (Hematoma)
# Scalp hematoma present
pediatric_nexus_ii_head_ct(0, 1, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0)

cliot documentation built on Dec. 1, 2025, 1:06 a.m.