scholarly journals Management of Severe Traumatic Brain Injury: A Single Institution Experience in a Middle-Income Country

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ahmed Kamel Basha ◽  
Mohamed Ashraf Mahmoud ◽  
Mohamed Ismail Al Ashwal ◽  
Osama Aglan ◽  
Sherif Bahaa ElShawady ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Traumatic Brain Injury ◽  
Brain Injury ◽  
Severe Traumatic Brain Injury ◽  
Total Mortality ◽  
Public Health Problem ◽  
Major Public Health Problem ◽  
Icp Monitoring ◽  
Imaging Data ◽  
Radiological Data ◽  
Severe Tbi

Introduction: Severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a major public health problem usually resulting in mortality or severe disabling morbidities of the victims. Intracranial pressure (ICP) monitoring is recently recognized as an imperative modality in the management of severe TBI, whereas growing evidence, based on randomized controlled trials (RCTs), suggests that ICP monitoring does not affect the outcome when compared with clinical and radiological data-based management. Also, ICP monitoring carries a considerable risk of intracranial infection that cannot be overlooked. The aim of this study is to assess the different aspects of our current local institutional management of severe TBI using non-invasive ICP monitoring for a potential need to change our management strategy.Methods: We retrospectively reviewed our data of TBI from June 2019 through January 2020. Patients with severe TBI were identified. Their demographics, Glasgow coma score (GCS) at presentation, treatments received, and imaging data were extracted from the charts. Glasgow outcome scale extended (GOS-E) at 6 months was also assessed for the patients.Results: Twenty patients with severe TBI were identified on chart review. Ten patients received only medical treatment measures to lower the ICP, whereas the other 10 patients had additional surgical interventions. In one patient, a ventriculostomy tube was inserted to monitor ICP and to drain cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). This was complicated by ventriculostomy-associated infection (VAI) and the tube was removed. In our cohort, the total mortality rate was 40%. The average GOS-E for the survivor patients managed without ICP monitoring based on the clinical and radiological data was 6.2 at 6 months follow-up. The 6-month overall good outcome, based on GOS-E, was 33.3%.Conclusion: Although recent guidelines advocate for the use of ICP monitoring in the management of severe TBI, they remain underutilized in our practice due to many factors. External ventricular drains were mainly used to drain CSF; however, the higher rates of VAIs in our institution compared with the literature-reported rates are not in favor of the use of ICP monitoring. We recommend doing a comparative study between our current practice using clinical-and radiological-based management and subdural or intraparenchymal bolts. More structured RCTs are needed to validate these findings in our setting.

scholarly journals Increased mortality in patients with severe traumatic brain injury treated without intracranial pressure monitoring

2012 ◽  
Vol 117 (4) ◽  
pp. 729-734 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arash Farahvar ◽  
Linda M. Gerber ◽  
Ya-Lin Chiu ◽  
Nancy Carney ◽  
Roger Härtl ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Traumatic Brain Injury ◽  
Brain Injury ◽  
Intracranial Pressure ◽  
Intracranial Hypertension ◽  
Severe Traumatic Brain Injury ◽  
Lower Mortality ◽  
Icp Monitoring ◽  
Improvement Program ◽  
Severe Tbi ◽  
Gcs Score

Object Evidence-based guidelines recommend intracranial pressure (ICP) monitoring for patients with severe traumatic brain injury (TBI), but there is limited evidence that monitoring and treating intracranial hypertension reduces mortality. This study uses a large, prospectively collected database to examine the effect on 2-week mortality of ICP reduction therapies administered to patients with severe TBI treated either with or without an ICP monitor. Methods From a population of 2134 patients with severe TBI (Glasgow Coma Scale [GCS] Score <9), 1446 patients were treated with ICP-lowering therapies. Of those, 1202 had an ICP monitor inserted and 244 were treated without monitoring. Patients were admitted to one of 20 Level I and two Level II trauma centers, part of a New York State quality improvement program administered by the Brain Trauma Foundation between 2000 and 2009. This database also contains information on known independent early prognostic indicators of mortality, including age, admission GCS score, pupillary status, CT scanning findings, and hypotension. Results Age, initial GCS score, hypotension, and CT scan findings were associated with 2-week mortality. In addition, patients of all ages treated with an ICP monitor in place had lower mortality at 2 weeks (p = 0.02) than those treated without an ICP monitor, after adjusting for parameters that independently affect mortality. Conclusions In patients with severe TBI treated for intracranial hypertension, the use of an ICP monitor is associated with significantly lower mortality when compared with patients treated without an ICP monitor. Based on these findings, the authors conclude that ICP-directed therapy in patients with severe TBI should be guided by ICP monitoring.

Relationship of aggressive monitoring and treatment to improved outcomes in severe traumatic brain injury

2010 ◽  
Vol 112 (5) ◽  
pp. 1105-1112 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sherman C. Stein ◽  
Patrick Georgoff ◽  
Sudha Meghan ◽  
Kasim L. Mirza ◽  
Omar M. El Falaky
Keyword(s):  
Traumatic Brain Injury ◽  
Brain Injury ◽  
Severe Traumatic Brain Injury ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Intensive Therapy ◽  
Case Series ◽  
Convincing Evidence ◽  
Icp Monitoring ◽  
National Guidelines ◽  
Severe Tbi

Object Despite being common practice for decades and being recommended by national guidelines, aggressive monitoring and treatment of patients with severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) have not been supported by convincing evidence. Methods The authors reviewed trials and case series reported after 1970 in which patients were treated for severe closed TBI, and mortality rates and favorable outcomes at 6 months after injury were analyzed. The patient groups were divided into those with and without intracranial pressure (ICP) monitoring and intensive therapy, and the authors performed a meta-analysis to assess the effects of treatment intensity on outcome. Results Although the mortality rate fell during the years reviewed, it was consistently ~ 12% lower among patients in the intense treatment group (p < 0.001). Favorable outcomes did not change significantly over time, and were 6% higher among the aggressively treated patients (p = 0.0105). Conclusions Aggressive ICP monitoring and treatment of patients with severe TBI is associated with a statistically significant improvement in outcome. This improvement occurs independently of temporal effects.

scholarly journals A clinical decision rule to predict intracranial hypertension in severe traumatic brain injury

2019 ◽  
Vol 131 (2) ◽  
pp. 612-619 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aziz S. Alali ◽  
Nancy Temkin ◽  
Jason Barber ◽  
Jim Pridgeon ◽  
Kelley Chaddock ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Traumatic Brain Injury ◽  
Brain Injury ◽  
Intracranial Hypertension ◽  
Decision Rule ◽  
Severe Traumatic Brain Injury ◽  
Clinical Decision ◽  
Icp Monitoring ◽  
Clinical Decision Rule ◽  
Severe Tbi ◽  
Minor Criteria

OBJECTIVEWhile existing guidelines support the treatment of intracranial hypertension in severe traumatic brain injury (TBI), it is unclear when to suspect and initiate treatment for high intracranial pressure (ICP). The objective of this study was to derive a clinical decision rule that accurately predicts intracranial hypertension.METHODSUsing Delphi methods, the authors identified a set of potential predictors of intracranial hypertension and a clinical decision rule a priori by consensus among a group of 43 neurosurgeons and intensivists who have extensive experience managing severe TBI without ICP monitoring. To validate these predictors, the authors used data from a Latin American trial (n = 150; BEST TRIP). To report on the performance of the rule, they calculated sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive values with 95% confidence intervals. In a secondary analysis, the rule was validated using data from a North American trial (n = 131; COBRIT).RESULTSThe final predictors and the clinical decision rule were approved by 97% of participants in the consensus working group. The predictors are divided into major and minor criteria. High ICP would be considered suspected in the presence of 1 major or ≥ 2 minor criteria. Major criteria are: compressed cisterns (CT classification of Marshall diffuse injury [DI] III), midline shift > 5 mm (Marshall DI IV), or nonevacuated mass lesion. Minor criteria are: Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) motor score ≤ 4, pupillary asymmetry, abnormal pupillary reactivity, or Marshall DI II. The area under the curve for the logistic regression model that contains all the predictors was 0.86. When high ICP was defined as > 22 mm Hg, the decision rule performed with a sensitivity of 93.9% (95% CI 85.0%–98.3%), a specificity of 42.3% (95% CI 31.7%–53.6%), a positive predictive value of 55.5% (95% CI 50.7%–60.2%), and a negative predictive value of 90% (95% CI 77.1%–96.0%). The sensitivity of the clinical decision rule improved with higher ICP cutoffs up to a sensitivity of 100% when intracranial hypertension was defined as ICP > 30 mm Hg. Similar results were found in the North American cohort.CONCLUSIONSA simple clinical decision rule based on a combination of clinical and imaging findings was found to be highly sensitive in distinguishing patients with severe TBI who would suffer intracranial hypertension. It could be used to identify patients who require ICP monitoring in high-resource settings or start ICP-lowering treatment in environments where resource limitations preclude invasive monitoring.Clinical trial registration no.: NCT02059941 (clinicaltrials.gov).

scholarly journals Prognostic Impact of Intracranial Pressure Monitoring in Patients with Severe Traumatic Brain Injury

2018 ◽  
Vol 37 (04) ◽  
pp. 291-296
Author(s):  
Bárbara Borchardt ◽  
Luanna Freitas ◽  
Ademar Filho ◽  
Áurea da Rosa ◽  
Milena Gabe ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Traumatic Brain Injury ◽  
Brain Injury ◽  
Intracranial Pressure ◽  
Severe Traumatic Brain Injury ◽  
Total Sample ◽  
Common Finding ◽  
Prognostic Impact ◽  
Icp Monitoring ◽  
Severe Tbi ◽  
Improvement In Survival

Objectives The aim of the present study was to analyze the prognostic impact of intracranial pressure (ICP) monitoring in patients with severe traumatic brain injury (TBI). Methods An observational, retrospective and quantitative study was performed. The sample consisted of 246 patients diagnosed with severe TBI, from January 2009 to August 2017. Results Out of the total sample, 43.56% of the patients were submitted to ICP monitoring. The mean time of use of the catheter was 1.7 days. In both groups, males were the most affected, and the majority of the patients were < 50 years old. Automobile accident was the main etiology of TBI. In the initial clinical evaluation, mydriatic pupils were related to death and normal pupil reaction at hospital discharge. The monitored group performed a larger number of computed tomography (CT) scans, with a mean of 2.6 examinations, with cerebral edema being the most common finding. Regarding the prognosis, those who used a catheter for ICP monitoring had a 47% reduction in the chance of death when compared with those who did not use the catheter. The stay duration both in the hospital and in the intensive care units was higher in patients who underwent ICP monitoring; periods > 30 days were related to meningitis, especially in those who used the catheter. Conclusion Patients who used a catheter for ICP monitoring had a significant improvement in survival.

scholarly journals Clinical characteristics and temporal profile of recovery in patients with favorable outcomes at 6 months after severe traumatic brain injury

2018 ◽  
Vol 129 (1) ◽  
pp. 234-240 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aditya Vedantam ◽  
Claudia S. Robertson ◽  
Shankar P. Gopinath
Keyword(s):  
Traumatic Brain Injury ◽  
Brain Injury ◽  
Severe Traumatic Brain Injury ◽  
Favorable Outcome ◽  
Good Recovery ◽  
Imaging Data ◽  
Temporal Profile ◽  
Early Withdrawal ◽  
Severe Tbi ◽  
Life Sustaining Treatment

OBJECTIVEEarly withdrawal of life-sustaining treatment due to expected poor prognosis is responsible for the majority of in-house deaths in severe traumatic brain injury (TBI). With increased focus on the decision and timing of withdrawal of care in patients with severe TBI, data on early neurological recovery in patients with a favorable outcome is needed to guide physicians and families.METHODSThe authors reviewed prospectively collected data obtained in 1241 patients with head injury who were treated between 1986 and 2012. Patients with severe TBI, motor Glasgow Coma Scale (mGCS) score < 6 on admission, and those who had favorable outcomes (Glasgow Outcome Scale [GOS] score of 4 or 5, indicating moderate disability or good recovery) at 6 months were selected. Baseline demographic, clinical, and imaging data were analyzed. The time from injury to the first record of following commands (mGCS score of 6) after injury was recorded. The temporal profile of GOS scores from discharge to 6 months after the injury was also assessed.RESULTSThe authors studied 218 patients (183 male and 35 female) with a mean age of 28.9 ± 11.2 years. The majority of patients were able to follow commands (mGCS score of 6) within the 1st week after injury (71.4%), with the highest percentage of patients in this group recovering on Day 1 (28.6%). Recovery to the point of following commands beyond 2 weeks after the injury was seen in 14.8% of patients, who experienced significantly longer durations of intracranial pressure monitoring (p = 0.001) and neuromuscular blockade (p < 0.001). In comparison with patients with moderate disability, patients with good recovery had a higher initial GCS score (p = 0.01), lower incidence of anisocoria at admission (p = 0.048), and a shorter ICU stay (p < 0.001) and total hospital stay (p < 0.001). There was considerable improvement in GOS scores from discharge to follow-up at 6 months.CONCLUSIONSUp to 15% of patients with a favorable outcome after severe TBI may begin to follow commands beyond 2 weeks after the injury. These data caution against early withdrawal of life-sustaining treatment in patients with severe TBI.

scholarly journals Modulated Neuroprotection in Unresponsive Wakefulness Syndrome after Severe Traumatic Brain Injury

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (8) ◽  
pp. 1044
Author(s):  
Cristina Daia ◽  
Cristian Scheau ◽  
Aura Spinu ◽  
Ioana Andone ◽  
Cristina Popescu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Traumatic Brain Injury ◽  
Brain Injury ◽  
Glasgow Coma Scale ◽  
Severe Traumatic Brain Injury ◽  
Functional Independence ◽  
Unresponsive Wakefulness Syndrome ◽  
Coma Scale ◽  
Severe Tbi ◽  
Neuroprotective Treatment ◽  
Gcs Score

Background: We aimed to assess the effects of modulated neuroprotection with intermittent administration in patients with unresponsive wakefulness syndrome (UWS) after severe traumatic brain injury (TBI). Methods: Retrospective analysis of 60 patients divided into two groups, with and without neuroprotective treatment with Actovegin, Cerebrolysin, pyritinol, L-phosphothreonine, L-glutamine, hydroxocobalamin, alpha-lipoic acid, carotene, DL-α-tocopherol, ascorbic acid, thiamine, pyridoxine, cyanocobalamin, Q 10 coenzyme, and L-carnitine alongside standard treatment. Main outcome measures: Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) after TBI, Extended Glasgow Coma Scale (GOS E), Disability Rankin Scale (DRS), Functional Independence Measurement (FIM), and Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MOCA), all assessed at 1, 3, 6, 12, and 24 months after TBI. Results: Patients receiving neuroprotective treatment recovered more rapidly from UWS than controls (p = 0.007) passing through a state of minimal consciousness and gradually progressing until the final evaluation (p = 0.000), towards a high cognitive level MOCA = 22 ± 6 points, upper moderate disability GOS-E = 6 ± 1, DRS = 6 ± 4, and an assisted gait, FIM =101 ± 25. The improvement in cognitive and physical functioning was strongly correlated with lower UWS duration (−0.8532) and higher GCS score (0.9803). Conclusion: Modulated long-term neuroprotection may be the therapeutic key for patients to overcome UWS after severe TBI.

Self-awareness four years after severe traumatic brain injury: discordance between the patient’s and relative’s complaints. Results from the PariS-TBI study

2017 ◽  
Vol 32 (5) ◽  
pp. 692-704 ◽  
Author(s):  
Camille Chesnel ◽  
Claire Jourdan ◽  
Eleonore Bayen ◽  
Idir Ghout ◽  
Emmanuelle Darnoux ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Traumatic Brain Injury ◽  
Brain Injury ◽  
Severe Traumatic Brain Injury ◽  
Significant Relationship ◽  
Injury Severity ◽  
Chronic Phase ◽  
Functional Independence ◽  
Severe Tbi

Objective: To evaluate the patient’s awareness of his or her difficulties in the chronic phase of severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) and to determine the factors related to poor awareness. Design/Setting/Subjects: This study was part of a larger prospective inception cohort study of patients with severe TBI in the Parisian region (PariS-TBI study). Intervention/Main measures: Evaluation was carried out at four years and included the Brain Injury Complaint Questionnaire (BICoQ) completed by the patient and his or her relative as well as the evaluation of impairments, disability and quality of life. Results: A total of 90 patient-relative pairs were included. Lack of awareness was measured using the unawareness index that corresponded to the number of discordant results between the patient and relative in the direction of under evaluation of difficulties by the patient. The only significant relationship found with lack of awareness was the subjective burden perceived by the relative (Zarit Burden Inventory) ( r = 0.5; P < 0.00001). There was no significant relationship between lack of awareness and injury severity, pre-injury socio-demographic data, cognitive impairments, mood disorders, functional independence (Barthel index), global disability (Glasgow Outcome Scale), return to work at four years or quality of life (Quality Of Life after Brain Injury scale (QOLIBRI)). Conclusion: Lack of awareness four years post severe TBI was not related to the severity of the initial trauma, sociodemographic data, the severity of impairments, limitations of activity and participation, or the patient’s quality of life. However, poor awareness did significantly influence the weight of the burden perceived by the relative.

scholarly journals Early diagnosis of mortality using admission CT perfusion in severe traumatic brain injury patients (ACT-TBI): protocol for a prospective cohort study

BMJ Open ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (6) ◽  
pp. e047305
Author(s):  
Susan Alcock ◽  
Divjeet Batoo ◽  
Sudharsana Rao Ande ◽  
Rob Grierson ◽  
Marco Essig ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Traumatic Brain Injury ◽  
Cohort Study ◽  
Brain Injury ◽  
Early Diagnosis ◽  
Hospital Mortality ◽  
Brain Death ◽  
Severe Traumatic Brain Injury ◽  
Health Research ◽  
Ct Perfusion ◽  
Severe Tbi

IntroductionSevere traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a catastrophic neurological condition with significant economic burden. Early in-hospital mortality (<48 hours) with severe TBI is estimated at 50%. Several clinical examinations exist to determine brain death; however, most are difficult to elicit in the acute setting in patients with severe TBI. Having a definitive assessment tool would help predict early in-hospital mortality in this population. CT perfusion (CTP) has shown promise diagnosing early in-hospital mortality in patients with severe TBI and other populations. The purpose of this study is to validate admission CTP features of brain death relative to the clinical examination outcome for characterizing early in-hospital mortality in patients with severe TBI.Methods and analysisThe Early Diagnosis of Mortality using Admission CT Perfusion in Severe Traumatic Brain Injury Patients study, is a prospective cohort study in patients with severe TBI funded by a grant from the Canadian Institute of Health Research. Adults aged 18 or older, with evidence of a severe TBI (Glasgow Coma Scale score ≤8 before initial resuscitation) and, on mechanical ventilation at the time of imaging are eligible. Patients will undergo CTP at the time of first imaging on their hospital admission. Admission CTP compares with the reference standard of an accepted bedside clinical assessment for brainstem function. Deferred consent will be used. The primary outcome is a binary outcome of mortality (dead) or survival (not dead) in the first 48 hours of admission. The planned sample size for achieving a sensitivity of 75% and a specificity of 95% with a CI of ±5% is 200 patients.Ethics and disseminationThis study has been approved by the University of Manitoba Health Research Ethics Board. The findings from our study will be disseminated through peer-reviewed journals and presentations at local rounds, national and international conferences. The public will be informed through forums at the end of the study.Trial registration numberNCT04318665

scholarly journals Critical Update on the Third Edition of the Guidelines for Managing Severe Traumatic Brain Injury in Children

2020 ◽  
Vol 29 (1) ◽  
pp. e13-e18
Author(s):  
Karin Reuter-Rice ◽  
Elise Christoferson
Keyword(s):  
Traumatic Brain Injury ◽  
Critical Care ◽  
Brain Injury ◽  
Severe Traumatic Brain Injury ◽  
Current Evidence ◽  
Care Providers ◽  
The Third ◽  
Guideline Document ◽  
Severe Tbi ◽  
Pediatric Tbi

Background Severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) is associated with high rates of death and disability. As a result, the revised guidelines for the management of pediatric severe TBI address some of the previous gaps in pediatric TBI evidence and management strategies targeted to promote overall health outcomes. Objectives To provide highlights of the most important updates featured in the third edition of the guidelines for the management of pediatric severe TBI. These highlights can help critical care providers apply the most current and appropriate therapies for children with severe TBI. Methods and Results After a brief overview of the process behind identifying the evidence to support the third edition guidelines, both relevant and new recommendations from the guidelines are outlined to provide critical care providers with the most current management approaches needed for children with severe TBI. Recommendations for neuroimaging, hyperosmolar therapy, analgesics and sedatives, seizure prophylaxis, ventilation therapies, temperature control/hypothermia, nutrition, and corticosteroids are provided. In addition, the complete guideline document and its accompanying algorithm for recommended therapies are available electronically and are referenced within this article. Conclusions The evidence base for treating pediatric TBI is increasing and provides the basis for high-quality care. This article provides critical care providers with a quick reference to the current evidence when caring for a child with a severe TBI. In addition, it provides direct access links to the comprehensive guideline document and algorithms developed to support critical care providers.

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