Survival times and case fatality rates of brain-injured persons

Mortality is reduced for heart rate 80 to 89 after traumatic brain injury

BACKGROUND

Increasing data indicate treatment with beta blockers might improve survival after traumatic brain injury (TBI); the optimal heart rate (HR) range for these patients is unknown. To guide treatment, admission HR in moderate to severe TBI patients was analyzed to determine if a specific range is associated with decreased mortality.

METHODS

The Los Angeles County Trauma System Database, consisting of five Level I and 8 Level II trauma centers, was queried for all injured patients admitted between 1998 and 2005 (n = 147,788). Isolated moderate to severe TBI patients (head abbreviated injury score > or = 3) were then identified. Demographics and outcomes were compared at various admission HR subgroups (<50, 50-59, 60-69, 70-79, 80-89, 90-99, 100-109, > or =110). Logistic regression was then performed to determine predictors of mortality.

RESULTS

After exclusions, a total of 11,977 isolated moderate to severe isolated TBI patients were analyzed, overall mortality was 11.5% with a trend toward lowest mortality at HR 80 to 89 (7.3%). Each HR subgroup had a significantly increased unadjusted odds ratio for mortality compared with HR 80 to 89, except HR 90 to 99 (OR 1.2, CI 1.0-1.5) and HR 100 to 109 (OR 1.2, CI 1.0-1.5). In multivariable logistic regression analysis, HR <50, 50-59, 60-69, and > or =110 were independent predictors for increased mortality compared with HR 80-89.

CONCLUSION

After isolated moderate to severe TBI, HR <50, 50-59, 60-69, and > or =110 were independent predictors of increased mortality. HR outside the range 70-109 could serve as a marker for aggressive resuscitation. As mortality increased significantly with HR: <50 (AOR 4.70), 50-59 (AOR 2.21), and 60-69 (AOR 1.63), our findings recommend avoiding HR < 70 in patients with moderate to severe TBI.

Counting heads: estimating traumatic brain injury in New South Wales

The public health problem of head injuries contributes to considerable morbidity in the community and is the commonest cause of death in young adult Australians. However, estimating the incidence of head injury has been difficult, and has varied between countries and over time. This paper critically appraises the methodological issues contributing to head injury/brain injury incidence estimates, in particular case definition, differing data sources, and methods of case ascertainment. The most appropriate definition from a methodological service provider perspective is one which clearly distinguishes between potential and actual brain injury. The results from a study which used the most accurate methods have been extrapolated to NSW, and reduce the estimated brain injury incidence in NSW from a reported 392 to 180 per 100,000 incident cases per year. This revised estimate implies that in 1990 there will be about 10,500 new cases of traumatic brain injury, of which an estimated 400 will result in serious physical or mental disability. These estimates were originally calculated to enable the development of an appropriate level of health service provision for brain-injured persons through the NSW Brain Injury Program.

Beta blockers exposure and traumatic brain injury: a literature review

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) continues to carry a significant public health burden and is anticipated to worsen worldwide over the next century. Recently the authors of several articles have suggested that exposure to beta blockers may improve mortality rates following TBI. The exact mechanism through which beta blockers mediate this effect is unknown. In this paper, the authors review the literature regarding the safety of beta blockers in patients with TBI. The findings of several recent retrospective cohort studies are examined and implications for future investigation are discussed. Future questions to be addressed include: the specific indications for the use of beta blockers in patients with TBI, the optimal type and dose of beta blocker given, the end point of beta blocker therapy, and the safety of beta blockers in cases of severe TBIs.

Beta-blocker exposure in patients with severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) and cardiac uncoupling

BACKGROUND

Cardiac uncoupling and reduced heart rate (HR) variability are associated with increased mortality after severe traumatic brain injury (TBI). Recent data has shown beta-blocker (betaB) exposure is associated with improved survival in this patient population. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the effect of betaB exposure on the mortality risk of patients with severe TBI and early cardiac uncoupling.

METHODS

From December 2000 to October 2005, 4,116 patients were admitted to the trauma intensive care unit. Four hundred forty-six patients (12%) had head Abbreviated Injury Scale score >/= 5 without neck injury and had continuous HR data for the first 24 hours. One hundred forty-one patients (29%) received betaB. Cardiac uncoupling was calculated as the percent of time that 5-minute HR standard deviation was between 0.3 bpm and 0.6 bpm on postinjury day 1.

RESULTS

A relationship between betaB and survival was observed when the population was considered irrespective of length of stay or betaB start time (p < 0.001). Cardiac uncoupling appears to stratify patients into groups who might receive additional benefit from betaB, and identifies patients with increasing mortality. However, the association of betaB with survival was attenuated when analyses accounted for selection bias in betaB administration.

CONCLUSIONS

betaB exposure was associated with reduced mortality among patients with severe TBI. Though loss of HR variability has previously been associated with an increase in mortality, betaB exposure appears to be associated with increased survival across all stratifications of cardiac uncoupling.

Beta-Blocker Exposure is Associated With Improved Survival After Severe Traumatic Brain Injury

BACKGROUND

Beta-blocker use in elective noncardiac surgery has been associated with a reduction in mortality and cardiovascular complications. Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is often associated with a hyperadrenergic state. We hypothesized that adrenergic blockade would confer improved survival among TBI patients.

METHODS

Retrospective review of the Trauma Registry of the American College of Surgeons database at a Level I trauma center was conducted. All trauma patients admitted from January 2004 to March 2005 with head Abbreviated Injury Scale score of 3 or greater were evaluated. Patients with length of stay <4 or >30 days were excluded. Beta-blocker exposure was defined as receiving beta-blockers for 2 or more consecutive days.

RESULTS

In all, 420 patients met inclusion criteria: 174 patients exposed to beta-blockers [BB(+)] and 246 not exposed [BB(-)]. Mean age in BB(+) group was 50 years and 36 years in BB(-) group (p < 0.001). Mean Injury Severity Score was 33.6 for BB(+) group and 30.8 for BB(-) group (p = 0.01). Predicted survival (by Trauma and Injury Severity Score) for BB(+) group was 59.1% compared with 70.3% for BB(-) group (p < 0.001). Observed mortality for BB(+) group was 5.1%, 10.8% for BB(-) group (p = 0.036). Adjusted incidence rate ratio of mortality among those exposed to beta-blockers compared with those not exposed was 0.29 (95% confidence interval).

CONCLUSIONS

Beta-blocker exposure was associated with a significant reduction in mortality in patients with severe TBI. This reduction in mortality is even more impressive, considering that the BB(+) group was older, more severely injured, and had lower predicted survival.

[Prognostic factors in severe head injury]

The knowledge of the so called prognostic factors or indicators involved in severe head injury (SHI) is an issue of great interest to make predictions about the future of patients with this pathology. Those indicators constitute the basic elements of the different prognostic formulas or models carried out in order to make predictions in SHI. The mentioned models, therefore, will be constructed by a group of variables (prognostic indicators or factors) and several scales (prognostic scales) that are useful for measuring the final outcome of these patients. In this paper we resume, after an exhaustive review of the literature, the knowledge about the prognostic factors related to SHI. These indicators have been classified as follows: clinical, radiological, physiological, and biochemical. Moreover, we have briefly described the prognostic scales more commonly used in SHI.

Fatores que influenciaram a evolução de 206 pacientes com traumatismo craniencefálico grave

A busca de fatores prognósticos para o traumatismo craniencefálico (TCE) tem sido alvo de muitos estudos nas últimas décadas. A identificação de indicadores consistentes da evolução destes pacientes tem representado um grande desafio e sua utilidade considerada evidente tanto para orientar o tratamento, quanto para a estimativa do resultado final. Baseados numa casuística de 206 pacientes com TCE grave (8 pontos ou menos pela Escala de Coma de Glasgow - ECG), estudamos a influência de vários fatores sobre a evolução dos pacientes. A gravidade inicial medida pela ECG, a presença de hipertensão intracraniana (níveis acima de 20 mmHg), o tipo de lesão intracraniana e a presença de hipoxia, hipotensão arterial e a associação de hipóxia e hipotensão arterial tiveram influência significativa sobre a evolução dos pacientes. A presença de politraumatismo (pelo menos dois sítios de lesão além do TCE) e a idade (acima e abaixo de 40 anos) não influenciaram significativamente a evolução dos pacientes desta casuística.

Pre- and inter-hospital transport of severely head-injured patients in rural Northern Norway

The purpose of this study was to survey the time consumed during the pre- and inter-hospital transport of severely head injured patients in Northern Norway. All patients (n = 85) operated for an intracranial mass lesions within 48 h after injury during the 10-year period 1986-1995 were included in this retrospective analysis. Ambulance records, transfer notes, and hospital records were reviewed. The transport of patients was classified as either direct from the trauma scene to the University Hospital (direct admission group) or as an inter-hospital transfer (transfer group). Forty-seven (55%) patients were in the direct admission group, and 38 (45%) were transferred through another hospital. The majority of patients (81%) were transported by air ambulance. Median time from injury to arrival in the emergency room was 5 (1-44) h. Time necessary for transport was significantly (p < 0.001) shorter in the direct admission group (median 3 h) compared to the transfer group (median 8 h). The inter-hospital transfer time was < or = 3 h in 17%. Clearly, the advanced air ambulance service in Northern Norway makes rapid inter-hospital transfer possible despite extremely long geographical distances. Our findings indicate that this possibility is not always utilized.

Prognosis and prediction of outcome in comatose head injured patients

Recent studies on the prognosis of comatose head injured patients have identified single powerful prognostic features at various time points during the first month after onset of coma. Using appropriate statistical methods even more powerful combinations of prognostic features can be selected. At each time point, optimal prediction requires sets of only 3 to 5 features. These features include depth and duration of coma as assessed by the Glasgow Coma Scale, pupil reactivity to light, age in decades, and spontaneous and reflex eye movements. In individual new patients, bedside predictions are now possible, e.g. using a booklet with prognosis tables like the one used in Rotterdam. Doctors actually learn by using these tables as they retain some of the information. However, the main application is that these tables permit one to evaluate whether differences in survival rates in different centres with different management regimes are due to a difference in management efficacy or to a difference in initial severity of injury.