Acute clinical grading in pediatric severe traumatic brain injury and its association with subsequent intracranial pressure, cerebral perfusion pressure, and brain oxygenation

Predictors of intracranial hypertension in children undergoing ICP monitoring after severe traumatic brain injury

PURPOSE

Intracranial hypertension (ICH) is a common and treatable complication after severe traumatic brain injury (sTBI) in children. Describing the incidence and risk factors for developing ICH after sTBI could impact clinical practice.

METHODS

Retrospective cohort study from 2006 to 2015 at two university-affiliated level I pediatric trauma centers of children admitted with accidental or abusive TBI, a post-resuscitation Glasgow Coma Score (GCS) of 8 or less, and an invasive intracranial pressure (ICP) monitor. Bivariate and multivariable logistic regression analysis were performed to identify demographic, injury, and imaging characteristics in patients who received ICP directed therapies for ICH (ICP > 20 mmHg).

RESULTS

Eight to 5% (271/321) of monitored patients received ICP directed therapy for ICH during their PICU stay. Ninety-seven percent of patients had an abnormality on CT scan by either the Marshall or the Rotterdam score. Of the analyzed clinical and radiologic variables, only presence of hypoxia prior to PICU arrival, female sex, and a higher Injury Severity Score (ISS) were associated with increased risk of ICH (p < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

In this retrospective study of clinical practice of ICP monitoring in children after sTBI, the vast majority of children had an abnormal CT scan and experienced ICH requiring clinical intervention. Commonly measured clinical variables and radiologic classification scores did not significantly add to the prediction for developing of ICH and further efforts are needed to define low-risk populations that would not develop ICH.

Perioperative near-infrared spectroscopy cerebral oxygen saturation in symptomatic pediatric hydrocephalus patients at risk for intracranial hypertension

OBJECTIVE

The lack of a continuous, noninvasive modality for monitoring intracranial pressure (ICP) is a major obstacle in the care of pediatric patients with hydrocephalus who are at risk for intracranial hypertension. Intracranial hypertension can lead to cerebral ischemia and brain tissue hypoxia. In this study, the authors evaluated the use of near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) to measure regional cerebral oxygen saturation (rSO2) in symptomatic pediatric patients with hydrocephalus concerning for elevated ICP.

METHODS

The authors evaluated the NIRS rSO2 trends in pediatric patients presenting with acute hydrocephalus and clinical symptoms of intracranial hypertension. NIRS rSO2 values were recorded hourly before and after neurosurgical intervention. To test for significance between preoperative and postoperative values, the authors constructed a linear regression model with the rSO2 values as the outcome and pre- and postsurgery cohorts as the independent variable, adjusted for age and sex, and used the generalized estimating equation method to account for within-subject correlation.

RESULTS

Twenty-two pediatric patients underwent NIRS rSO2 monitoring before and after CSF diversion surgery. The mean durations of NIRS rSO2 recording pre- and postoperatively were 13.95 and 26.82 hours, respectively. The mean pre- and postoperative rSO2 values were 73.84% and 80.65%, respectively, and the adjusted mean difference estimated from the regression model was 5.98% (adjusted p < 0.0001), suggestive of improved cerebral oxygenation after definitive neurosurgical CSF diversion treatment. Postoperatively, all patients returned to baseline neurological status with no clinical symptoms of elevated ICP.

CONCLUSIONS

Cerebral oxygenation trends measured by NIRS in symptomatic pediatric hydrocephalus patients with intracranial hypertension generally improve after CSF diversion surgery.

EVENTS ASSOCIATED WITH THE OCCURRENCE OF INTRACRANIAL HYPERTENSION IN PEDIATRIC PATIENTS WITH SEVERE CRANIOENCEPHALIC TRAUMA AND MONITORING OF INTRACRANIAL PRESSURE

Objective:

To determine the events associated with the occurrence of intracranial hypertension (ICH) in pediatric patients with severe cranioencephalic trauma.

Methods:

This was a prospective cohort study of patients 18 years old and younger with cranioencephalic trauma, scores below nine on the Glasgow Coma Scale, and intracranial pressure monitoring. They were admitted between September, 2005 and March, 2014 into a Pediatric Intensive Care Unit. ICH was defined as an episode of intracranial pressure above 20 mmHg for more than five minutes that needed treatment.

Results:

A total of 198 children and adolescents were included in the study, of which 70.2% were males and there was a median age of nine years old. ICH occurred in 135 (68.2%) patients and maximum intracranial pressure was 36.3 mmHg, with a median of 34 mmHg. A total of 133 (97.8%) patients with ICH received sedation and analgesia for treatment of the condition, 108 (79.4%) received neuromuscular blockers, 7 (5.2%) had cerebrospinal fluid drainage, 105 (77.2%) received mannitol, 96 (70.6%) received hyperventilation, 64 (47.1%) received 3% saline solution, 20 (14.7%) received barbiturates, and 43 (31.9%) underwent a decompressive craniectomy. The events associated with the occurrence of ICH were tomographic findings at the time of admission of diffuse or hemispheric swelling (edema plus engorgement). The odds ratio for ICH in patients with Marshall III (diffuse swelling) tomography was 14 (95%CI 2.8–113; p<0.003), and for those with Marshall IV (hemispherical swelling) was 24.9 (95%CI 2.4–676, p<0.018). Mortality was 22.2%.

Conclusions:

Pediatric patients with severe cranioencephalic trauma and tomographic alterations of Marshall III and IV presented a high chance of developing ICH.

Targeted treatment in severe traumatic brain injury in the age of precision medicine

In recent years, much progress has been made in our understanding of traumatic brain injury (TBI). Clinical outcomes have progressively improved, but evidence-based guidelines for how we manage patients remain surprisingly weak. The problem is that the many interventions and strategies that have been investigated in randomized controlled trials have all disappointed. These include many concepts that had become standard care in TBI. And that is just for adult TBI; in children, the situation is even worse. Not only is pediatric care more difficult than adult care because physiological norms change with age, but also there is less evidence for clinical practice. In this article, we discuss the heterogeneity inherent in TBI and why so many clinical trials have failed. We submit that a key goal for the future is to appreciate important clinical differences between patients in their pathophysiology and their responses to treatment. The challenge that faces us is how to rationally apply therapies based on the specific needs of an individual patient. In doing so, we may be able to apply the principles of precision medicine approaches to the patients we treat.

Low brain oxygenation and differences in neuropsychological outcomes following severe pediatric TBI

PURPOSE

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in children. Preventing secondary injury by controlling physiological parameters (e.g. intracranial pressure [ICP], cerebral perfusion pressure [CPP] and brain tissue oxygen [PbtO2]) has a potential to improve outcome. Low PbtO2 is independently associated with poor clinical outcomes in both adults and children. However, no studies have investigated associations between low PbtO2 and neuropsychological and behavioural outcomes following severe pediatric TBI (pTBI).

METHODS

We used a quasi-experimental case-control design to investigate these relationships. A sample of 11 TBI patients with a Glasgow Coma Scale score ≤8 who had PbtO2 and ICP monitoring at the Red Cross War Memorial Children's Hospital underwent neuropsychological evaluation ≥1 year post-injury. Their performance was compared to that of 11 demographically matched healthy controls. We then assigned each TBI participant into one of two subgroups, (1) children who had experienced at least one episode of PbtO2 ≤ 10 mmHg or (2) children for whom PbtO2 > 10 mmHg throughout the monitoring period, and compared their results on neuropsychological evaluation.

RESULTS

TBI participants performed significantly more poorly than controls in several cognitive domains (IQ, attention, visual memory, executive functions and expressive language) and behavioural (e.g. externalizing behaviour) domains. The PbtO2 ≤ 10 mmHg group performed significantly worse than the PbtO2 > 10 mmHg group in several cognitive domains (IQ, attention, verbal memory, executive functions and expressive language), but not on behavioural measures.

CONCLUSION

Results demonstrate that low PbtO2 may be prognostic of not only mortality but also neuropsychological outcomes.

Multimodality monitoring consensus statement: monitoring in emerging economies

The burden of disease and so the need for care is often greater at hospitals in emerging economies. This is compounded by frequent restrictions in the delivery of good quality clinical care due to resource limitations. However, there is substantial heterogeneity in this economically defined group, such that advanced brain monitoring is routinely practiced at certain centers that have an interest in neurocritical care. It also must be recognized that significant heterogeneity in the delivery of neurocritical care exists even within individual high-income countries (HICs), determined by costs and level of interest. Direct comparisons of data between HICs and the group of low- and middle-income countries (LAMICs) are made difficult by differences in patient demographics, selection for ICU admission, therapies administered, and outcome assessment. Evidence suggests that potential benefits of multimodality monitoring depend on an appropriate environment and clinical expertise. There is no evidence to suggest that patients in LAMICs where such resources exist should be treated any differently to patients from HICs. The potential for outcome benefits in LAMICs is arguably greater in absolute terms because of the large burden of disease; however, the relative cost/benefit ratio of such monitoring in this setting must be viewed in context of the overall priorities in delivering health care at individual institutions.

Evolution and development of the Advanced Trauma Life Support (ATLS) protocol: a historical perspective

The Advanced Trauma Life Support (ATLS) protocol is a successful course offered by the American College of Surgeons. Once based on didactic lectures and seminars taught by experts in the field, trauma training has evolved to become a set of standardized assessment and treatment protocols based on evidence rather than expert opinion. As the ATLS expands, indices to predict outcome, morbidity, and mortality have evolved to guide management and treatment based on retrospective data. This historical, perspective article attempts to tell the story of ATLS from its inception to its evolution as an international standard for the initial assessment and management of trauma patients.

Pediatric neurocritical care

Pediatric neurocritical care is an emerging multidisciplinary field of medicine and a new frontier in pediatric critical care and pediatric neurology. Central to pediatric neurocritical care is the goal of improving outcomes in critically ill pediatric patients with neurological illness or injury and limiting secondary brain injury through optimal critical care delivery and the support of brain function. There is a pressing need for evidence based guidelines in pediatric neurocritical care, notably in pediatric traumatic brain injury and pediatric stroke. These diseases have distinct clinical and pathophysiological features that distinguish them from their adult counterparts and prevent the direct translation of the adult experience to pediatric patients. Increased attention is also being paid to the broader application of neuromonitoring and neuroprotective strategies in the pediatric intensive care unit, in both primary neurological and primary non-neurological disease states. Although much can be learned from the adult experience, there are important differences in the critically ill pediatric population and in the circumstances that surround the emergence of neurocritical care in pediatrics.

Initial predictive factors of outcome in severe non-accidental head trauma in children

OBJECT

The aim of this study is to evaluate the outcome of young children hospitalized for non-accidental head trauma in our PICU, to evaluate PRISM II score in this sub-population of pediatric trauma and to identify factors that might influence the short-term outcome.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Files of all children less than 2 years old with the diagnosis of non-accidental head trauma over a 10-years period were systematically reviewed. We collected data on demographic information, medical history, clinical status, and management in the PICU. Three severity scores were then calculated: PRISM II, Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS), and Pediatric Trauma Score (PTS). Prognosis value of qualitative variables was tested with a univariate procedure analysis (anemia, diabetes insipidus...). Then, quantitative variables were tested with univariate procedure too (age, weight, PRISM II, GCS, Platelet count, fibrin, prothrombin time (PT)...). Potential association between variables and death was tested using univariate procedure. Variables identified by univariate analysis were then analyzed with multivariate analysis through a forward-stepping logistic regression.

RESULTS

Thirty-six children were included. Mean age was 5.5 months (8 days-21.5 months). Mortality rate was 27.8%. At admission, PTS, PRISM II, GCS, PT, PTT, and diabetes insipidus were significantly altered or more frequent in non survivors. Cutoff value for PRISM II at which risk of mortality increased was 17.5 (sensitivity = 0.8; specificity = 0.88).

CONCLUSION

PRISM II is a reliable and easy performing tool for assessing the prognosis of non-accidental cranial traumatism in young children. GCS and PTS, scores even simpler than PRISM II, showed good accuracy regarding survival prediction.

Intracranial pressure monitoring for traumatic brain injury in the modern era

INTRODUCTION

Intracranial pressure (ICP) has become a cornerstone of care in adult and pediatric patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI).

DISCUSSION

Despite the fact that continuous monitoring of ICP in TBI was described almost 60 years ago, there are no randomized trials confirming the benefit of ICP monitoring and treatment in TBI. There is, however, a large body of clinical evidence showing that ICP monitoring influences treatment and leads to better outcomes if part of protocol-driven therapy. However, treatment of ICP has adverse effects, and there are several questions about ICP management that have yet to be definitively answered, particularly in pediatric TBI. This review examines the history and evolution of ICP monitoring, pathophysiological concepts that influence ICP interpretation, ongoing controversies, and the place of ICP monitoring in modern neurocritical care.

Clinical applications of biomarkers in pediatric traumatic brain injury

INTRODUCTION

The diagnosis, treatment, and prediction of outcome in pediatric traumatic brain injury (TBI) present significant challenges to the treating clinician. Clinical and radiological tools for assessing injury severity and predicting outcome, in particular, lack sensitivity and specificity. In patients with mild TBI, often there is uncertainty about which patients should undergo radiological imaging and who is at risk for long term neurological sequelae. In severe TBI, often there is uncertainty about which patients will experience secondary insults and what the outcome for individual patients will be. In several other clinical specialties, biomarkers are used to diagnose disease, direct treatment, and prognosticate. However, an ideal biomarker for brain injury has not been found.

METHODS

In this review, we examine the various factors that must be taken into account in the search for a reliable biomarker in brain injury. We review the important studies that have investigated common biomarkers of structural brain injury, in particular S100B, neuron-specific enolase, myelin basic protein, and glial fibrillary acid protein.

DISCUSSION

The potential uses and limitations of these biomarkers in the context of TBI are discussed.