Which statement identifies a difference between children and adults that could produce a life-threatening complication for a child with craniocerebral injury?

The statement that describes a key difference between children and adults that could lead to life-threatening complications for a child with a craniocerebral injury is that greater portions of a child's blood volume flows to the head.

In children, the head is proportionally larger compared to their body size, and they have a higher blood flow to the brain relative to adults. This increased blood flow is significant because it can amplify the effects of any intracranial injury. For instance, in the event of brain swelling or bleeding, a child's smaller cranial capacity and increased blood volume to the head can result in a rapid rise in intracranial pressure. This condition can lead to severe complications, including permanent neurological damage or death, as children's brains may not tolerate increased pressures as well as those of adults.

This understanding underlines the importance of careful monitoring and rapid intervention in pediatric cases of head injury, as the anatomical and physiological differences can lead to more severe outcomes than might be expected based on adult standards.