Prognostics of Hospitalization Length and Mortality in Patients with Traumatic Frontal Brain Contusions.

Traumatic brain injury has ripple effect on the physical, cognitive, behavioral, and emotional domains of quality of life and portends a long-term neurological disability in survivors. In this study we evaluated the prognostic role of demographic and clinico-radiological variables on the hospitalization length and mortality in 71 of patients with frontal brain contusions. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) plots were performed, with area under the curve (AUC) values, for graphical comparison of variables that would predict mortality and hospitalization length. We found that the best prognostics of mortality were the Glasgow Coma Scale score, the motor function score, and the Rotterdam CT score, with AUC values of 0.873, 0.836, and 0.711, respectively. Concerning the prediction of hospitalization length, the AUC showed inappreciable differences, with the highest values for the Glasgow Coma Scale score, Rotterdam CT score, and the serum cortisol level in a 0.550-0.600 range. Curve estimation, based on multivariate analysis, showed that the scores of motor function, Glasgow Coma Scale, and Rotterdam CT correlated best with the prediction of both mortality and hospitalization length, along with the upward dynamic changes of serum cortisol for the latter. We conclude that basically simple and non-invasive assessment in survivors of acute traumatic brain contusion is helpful in predicting mortality and the length of hospital stay, which would be of essential value in better allocation of healthcare resources for inpatient treatment and rehabilitation and for post-hospital patient's functioning.

Trauma center transfer of elderly patients with mild Traumatic Brain Injury improves outcomes.

BACKGROUND: Elderly patients with Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) are frequently transferred to designated Trauma Centers (TC). We hypothesized that TC transfer is associated with improved outcomes. METHODS: Retrospective study utilizing the National Trauma Databank. Demographics, injury and outcomes data were abstracted. Patients were dichotomized by transfer to a designated level I/II TC vs. not. Multivariate regression was used to derive the adjusted primary outcome, mortality, and secondary outcomes, complications and discharge disposition. RESULTS: 19,664 patients were included, with a mean age of 78.1 years. 70% were transferred to a level I/II TC. Transferred patients had a higher ISS (12 vs. 10, p < 0.001). Mortality was significantly lower in patients transferred to level I/II TCs (5.6% vs. 6.2%, Adjusted Odds Ratio (AOR) 0.84, p = 0.011), as was the likelihood of discharge to skilled nursing facilities (26.4% vs. 30.2%, AOR 0.80, p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Elderly patients with mild TBI transferred to level I/II TCs have improved outcomes. Which patients with mild TBI require level I/II TC care should be examined prospectively.

Long-Term Outcomes after Severe Traumatic Brain Injury in Older Adults. A Registry-based Cohort Study.

Rationale: Older adults (≥65 yr old) account for an increasing proportion of patients with severe traumatic brain injury (TBI), yet clinical trials and outcome studies contain relatively few of these patients.Objectives: To determine functional status 6 months after severe TBI in older adults, changes in this status over 2 years, and outcome covariates.Methods: This was a registry-based cohort study of older adults who were admitted to hospitals in Victoria, Australia, between 2007 and 2016 with severe TBI. Functional status was assessed with Glasgow Outcome Scale Extended (GOSE) 6, 12, and 24 months after injury. Cohort subgroups were defined by admission to an ICU. Features associated with functional outcome were assessed from the ICU subgroup.Measurements and Main Results: The study included 540 older adults who had been hospitalized with severe TBI over the 10-year period; 428 (79%) patients died in hospital, and 456 (84%) died 6 months after injury. There were 277 patients who had not been admitted to an ICU; at 6 months, 268 (97%) had died, 8 (3%) were dependent (GOSE 2-4), and 1 (0.4%) was functionally independent (GOSE 5-8). There were 263 patients who had been admitted to an ICU; at 6 months, 188 (73%) had died, 39 (15%) were dependent, and 32 (12%) were functionally independent. These proportions did not change over longer follow-up. The only clinical features associated with a lower rate of functional independence were Injury Severity Score ≥25 (adjusted odds ratio, 0.24 [95% confidence interval, 0.09-0.67]; P = 0.007) and older age groups (P = 0.017).Conclusions: Severe TBI in older adults is a condition with very high mortality, and few recover to functional independence.

Mortality After Traumatic Brain Injury in Elderly Patients: A New Scoring System.

BACKGROUND: Traumatic brain injury (TBI) remains a life-threatening condition characterized by growing incidence worldwide, particularly in the aging population, in which the primary goal of treatment appears to be avoidance of chronic institutionalization. METHODS: To identify independent predictors of 30-day mortality or vegetative state in a geriatric population and calculate an intuitive scoring system, we screened 480 patients after TBI treated at a single department of neurosurgery over a 2-year period. We analyzed data of 214 consecutive patients aged ≥65 years, including demographics, medical history, cause and time of injury, neurologic state, radiologic reports, and laboratory results. A predictive model was developed using logistic regression modeling with a backward stepwise feature selection. RESULTS: The median Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) score on admission was 14 (interquartile range, 12-15), whereas the 30-day mortality or vegetative state rate amounted to 23.4%. Starting with 20 predefined features, the final prediction model highlighted the importance of GCS motor score (odds ratio [OR], 0.17; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.09-0.32); presence of comorbid cardiac, pulmonary, or renal dysfunction or malignancy (OR, 2.86; 9 5% CI, 1.08-7.61); platelets ≤100 × 109 cells/L (OR, 13.60; 95% CI, 3.33-55.49); and red blood cell distribution width coefficient of variation ≥14.5% (OR, 2.91; 95% CI, 1.09-7.78). The discovered coefficients were used for nomogram development. It was further simplified to facilitate clinical use. The proposed scoring system, Elderly Traumatic Brain Injury Score (eTBI Score), yielded similar performance metrics. CONCLUSIONS: The eTBI Score is the first scoring system designed specifically for older adults. It could constitute a framework for clinical decision-making and serve as an outcome predictor. Its capability to stratify risk provides reliable criteria for assessing efficacy of TBI management.

Improving Survival with Tranexamic Acid in Cerebral Contusions or Traumatic Subarachnoid Hemorrhage: Univariate and Multivariate Analysis of Independent Factors Associated with Lower Mortality.

BACKGROUND: Fall with head injury is a pervasive challenge, especially in the aging population. Contributing factors for mortality include the development of cerebral contusions and delayed traumatic intracerebral hematoma. Currently, there is no established specific treatment for these conditions. OBJECT: This study aimed to investigate the impact of independent factors on the mortality rate of traumatic brain injury with contusions or traumatic subarachnoid hemorrhage. METHODS: Data were collected from consecutive patients admitted for cerebral contusions or traumatic subarachnoid hemorrhage at an academic trauma center from 2010 to 2016. The primary outcome was the 30-day mortality rate. Independent factors for analysis included patient factors and treatment modalities. Univariate and multivariate analyses were conducted to identify independent factors related to mortality. Secondary outcomes included thromboembolic complication rates associated with the use of tranexamic acid. RESULTS: In total, 651 consecutive patients were identified. For the patient factors, low Glasgow Coma Scale on admission, history of renal impairment, and use of warfarin were identified as independent factors associated with higher mortality from univariate and multivariate analyses. For the treatment modalities, univariate analysis identified tranexamic acid as an independent factor associated with lower mortality (P = 0.021). Thromboembolic events were comparable in patients with or without tranexamic acid. CONCLUSION: Tranexamic acid was identified by univariate analysis as an independent factor associated with lower mortality in cerebral contusions or traumatic subarachnoid hemorrhage. Further prospective studies are needed to validate this finding.

Surgical Treatment of Traumatic Bifrontal Contusions: When and How?

OBJECTIVE: The study aimed to investigate optimal surgical timing, methods, and clinical efficacy of bifrontal decompression craniotomy (BDC) on traumatic bifrontal contusions (TBC). METHODS: A retrospective analysis was performed of 98 patients with TBC who underwent BDC of 2510 patients with traumatic brain injury. The operation-timing score was used to determine surgical timing. RESULTS: Ninety-eight cases (19%) underwent amended BDC. Initial Glasgow Coma Score was 13-15 in 52 cases (61%). Initial computed tomography showed hematoma volumes of 15.1 ± 5.2 mL in 73 cases (74%). Preoperative hematoma (80.2 ± 20.5 mL; P < 0.05) was significantly enlarged. Fluctuation in the surgery-timing curve is timing for surgery. Average operation time was 4.5 ± 3.4 days after admission. Hematoma was totally evacuated and Glasgow Coma Score significantly increased (P < 0.05) in all cases. In the follow-up Glasgow Outcome Score, 79 patients (81%) recovered well. CONCLUSIONS: TBC progressed gradually and deteriorated rapidly; this should be strictly and dynamically observed, and patients should be operated on in a timely manner. Changing the operation-timing score is the gold standard for surgery. Amended BDC can significantly improve the prognosis of patients.

Effects of Brain Temperature on Cerebrovascular Autoregulation During the Acute Stage of Severe Traumatic Brain Injury.

The pressure reactivity index (PRx) is calculated as a moving correlation coefficient between intracranial pressure (ICP) and mean arterial blood pressure (MABP), and this analytical value is viewed as reflecting a vasomotor response to MABP variability. At present, the factors influencing the PRx value during the acute stage of traumatic brain injury (TBI) are not known. We observed significant cases where changes in the calculated value of PRx seemed to be influenced by changes in brain temperature during the course of acute stage TBI. In one case, a patient was treated for 72 h with therapeutic brain hypothermia after a decompressive hemicraniectomy. During the hypothermic condition, the mean value of PRx was -0.019; however, after gradual rewarming, the value of PRx increased drastically, and the mean value during the rewarming period, when the brain temperature exceeded 35 °C, was 0.331. Similarly, in another case where the patient underwent therapeutic brain hypothermia, the PRx showed a mean value of -0.038 during the hypothermic condition, and a mean value of 0.052 during the rewarming period. In both cases, a trend toward a negative correlation between ICP and MABP during brain hypothermia shifted to a positive correlation upon rewarming.

Contusion Contrast Extravasation Depicted on Multidetector Computed Tomography Angiography Predicts Growth and Mortality in Traumatic Brain Contusion.

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is the main cause of death in trauma victims and causes high rates of disability and neurological sequelae. Approximately 38-65% of traumatic brain contusions (TBC) demonstrate hemorrhagic expansion on serial computed tomography (CT) scans. Thus far, however, no single variable can accurately predict the hemorrhage expansion of a TBC. Our purpose was to evaluate contrast extravasation (CE) as a predictor of expansion, mortality, and poor outcome in TBC in a Brazilian cohort. After Institutional Review Board approval, we used multidetector CT angiography (MDCTA) to study 121 consecutive patients (106 men, 87.6%) with ages varying from 10 to 85 years. Informed consent was obtained from all subjects. The clinical and imaging findings were correlated with the findings on the initial MDCTA using either the Fisher exact test or Student t test and a multivariate logistic regression model. Of the persons who presented CE in TBC, 21.8% died (in-hospital mortality), whereas in the absence of this sign, the mortality rate was 7.6% (p = 0.014). In addition, expansion of the hemorrhagic component of the TBC was detected in 61.1% of the CE-positive patients, whereas expansion was only observed in 10% of the CE-negative patients (p < 0.001). Poor outcome was observed in 24.2% of the patients in the CE-negative group, but in the presence of CE, 72.7% evolved with poor outcome (p < 0.001). The CE was a strong independent predictor of expansion, poor outcome, and increased risk of in-hospital mortality in our series of patients with TBC.