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Rezaee M, Nasehi MM, Effatpanah M, Jabbaripour S, Ghamkhar M, Karami H, Mehrizi R, Torabi P, Ghamkhar L. Overutilization of head computed tomography in cases of mild traumatic brain injury: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Emerg Radiol 2024; 31:551-565. [PMID: 38844658 DOI: 10.1007/s10140-024-02247-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/10/2024] [Accepted: 05/23/2024] [Indexed: 07/31/2024]
Abstract
Head computed tomography (CT) is the preferred imaging modality for mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI). The routine use of head CT in low-risk individuals with mild TBI offers no clinical benefit but also causes notable health and financial burden. Despite the availability of related guidelines, studies have reported considerable rate of non-indicated head CT requests. The objectives were to provide an overall estimate for the head CT overutilization rate and to identify the factors contributing to the overuse. A systematic review of PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and Embase databases was conducted up to November 2023, following PRISMA and MOOSE guidelines. Two reviewers independently selected eligible articles and extracted data. Quality assessment was performed using a bias risk tool, and a random-effects model was used for data synthesis. Fourteen studies, encompassing 28,612 patients, were included, with 27,809 undergoing head CT scans. Notably, 75% of the included studies exhibited a moderate to high risk of bias. The overutilization rate for pediatric and adult patients was 27% (95% CI: 5-50%) and 32% (95% CI: 21-44%), respectively. An alternative rate, focusing on low-risk pediatric patients, was 54% (95% CI: 20-89%). Overutilization rates showed no significant difference between teaching and non-teaching hospitals. Patients with mTBI from falls or assaults were less likely to receive non-indicated scans. There was no significant association between physician specialty or seniority and overuse, nor between patients' age or sex and the likelihood of receiving a non-indicated scan. Approximately one-third of head CT scans in mTBI cases are avoidable, underscoring the necessity for quality improvement programs to reduce unnecessary imaging and its associated burdens.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mehdi Rezaee
- Department of Orthopedics, School of Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Mohammad Mehdi Nasehi
- Pediatric Neurology Research Center, Research Institute for Children's Health, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
- Pediatric Neurology Department, Mofid Children Hospital, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Mohammad Effatpanah
- Pediatric Department, School of Medicine, Imam Khomeini Hospital, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, National Center for Health Insurance Research, Tehran, Iran
| | - Sama Jabbaripour
- School of Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Maryam Ghamkhar
- Islamic Azad University Challus Branch, Challus, Mazandaran, Iran
| | - Hossein Karami
- National Center for Health Insurance Research, Tehran, Iran
| | - Reza Mehrizi
- National Center for Health Insurance Research, Tehran, Iran
| | - Pegah Torabi
- Department of Radiology Arak, University of Medical Sciences, Arak, Iran
| | - Leila Ghamkhar
- Physical Therapy, National Center for Health Insurance Research, Tehran, Iran.
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Rauchman SH, Pinkhasov A, Gulkarov S, Placantonakis DG, De Leon J, Reiss AB. Maximizing the Clinical Value of Blood-Based Biomarkers for Mild Traumatic Brain Injury. Diagnostics (Basel) 2023; 13:3330. [PMID: 37958226 PMCID: PMC10650880 DOI: 10.3390/diagnostics13213330] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2023] [Revised: 10/23/2023] [Accepted: 10/25/2023] [Indexed: 11/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Mild traumatic brain injury (TBI) and concussion can have serious consequences that develop over time with unpredictable levels of recovery. Millions of concussions occur yearly, and a substantial number result in lingering symptoms, loss of productivity, and lower quality of life. The diagnosis may not be made for multiple reasons, including due to patient hesitancy to undergo neuroimaging and inability of imaging to detect minimal damage. Biomarkers could fill this gap, but the time needed to send blood to a laboratory for analysis made this impractical until point-of-care measurement became available. A handheld blood test is now on the market for diagnosis of concussion based on the specific blood biomarkers glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) and ubiquitin carboxyl terminal hydrolase L1 (UCH-L1). This paper discusses rapid blood biomarker assessment for mild TBI and its implications in improving prediction of TBI course, avoiding repeated head trauma, and its potential role in assessing new therapeutic options. Although we focus on the Abbott i-STAT TBI plasma test because it is the first to be FDA-cleared, our discussion applies to any comparable test systems that may become available in the future. The difficulties in changing emergency department protocols to include new technology are addressed.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Aaron Pinkhasov
- Department of Medicine and Biomedical Research Institute, NYU Grossman Long Island School of Medicine, Mineola, NY 11501, USA; (A.P.); (S.G.); (J.D.L.)
| | - Shelly Gulkarov
- Department of Medicine and Biomedical Research Institute, NYU Grossman Long Island School of Medicine, Mineola, NY 11501, USA; (A.P.); (S.G.); (J.D.L.)
| | | | - Joshua De Leon
- Department of Medicine and Biomedical Research Institute, NYU Grossman Long Island School of Medicine, Mineola, NY 11501, USA; (A.P.); (S.G.); (J.D.L.)
| | - Allison B. Reiss
- Department of Medicine and Biomedical Research Institute, NYU Grossman Long Island School of Medicine, Mineola, NY 11501, USA; (A.P.); (S.G.); (J.D.L.)
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Shafie M, Mahmoodkhani M, Salehi I, Dehghan A. Clinical predictors of abnormal brain computed tomography findings in mild traumatic brain injury: A cross-sectional study. Medicine (Baltimore) 2023; 102:e34167. [PMID: 37390245 PMCID: PMC10313266 DOI: 10.1097/md.0000000000034167] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2023] [Accepted: 06/12/2023] [Indexed: 07/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) is a health challenge world widely. Local evidence is essential to establish decision-making algorithms. According to the lack of sufficient evidence, the present study aimed to investigate the epidemiology of mTBI and predictive factors of abnormal brain computed tomography (CT) scans. The present analytical cross-sectional study was conducted between March 2021 to September 2022 on patients with the diagnosis of mTBI. Subjects were individuals who were diagnosed with mTBI in 2 Level I trauma centers located in Isfahan province, which serves as the referral center for the entire population of the province. Demographic and clinical data were recorded during a face-to-face interview. The brain CT scans were interpreted by an experienced radiologist. Data were analyzed using IBM SPSS Statistics for Mac, Version 24.0. 498 patients were enrolled in the study, consisting of 393 (78.9%) men and 65 (13.1%) children younger than 10 years old. 100 (20%) of them had abnormal CT scan findings. The mean age of participants was 33.39 ± 19.69, which was significantly higher in patients who had abnormal CT scans (P value = .002). Despite the most common mechanism in both groups being motor accidents, the rate of motor accidents was higher in patients with abnormal findings of CT scan (P value = .048). Multiple logistic regression revealed that post-traumatic vomiting (PTV) (odd ratios [OR]: 3.736), post-traumatic amnesia (PTA) (OR:3.613), raccoon eyes (OR:47.878), and Glasgow coma scale (GCS) of 15 (OR:0.11) are predictive factors for abnormal findings. The present study suggested the presence of PTV, PTA, raccoon eyes and GCS of 13 or 14 as predictive factors for abnormal findings in mTBI populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mehdi Shafie
- Department of Neurosurgery, Alzahra Hospital, School of Medicine, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran
| | - Mehdi Mahmoodkhani
- Department of Neurosurgery, Alzahra Hospital, School of Medicine, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran
| | - Iman Salehi
- Department of Neurosurgery, Alzahra Hospital, School of Medicine, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran
| | - Amin Dehghan
- Student Research Committee, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran
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Lafta G, Sbahi H. Factors associated with the severity of traumatic brain injury. Med Pharm Rep 2023; 96:58-64. [PMID: 36818327 PMCID: PMC9924815 DOI: 10.15386/mpr-2314] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/26/2021] [Revised: 08/29/2022] [Accepted: 09/20/2022] [Indexed: 01/20/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a defect in the brain function resulting from the action of external factors. The condition ranges from transient shifts in cellular ionic concentrations to total structural damage; the clinical symptoms can vary from brief confusion to death. The current classification system, based on the Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS), divides TBI into mild (GCS 14 to 15), moderate (GCS 9 to 13), and severe TBI (GCS 3 to 8). The leading causes of head injury in the population can be falls, motor vehicle collisions, blasts, and bullet injuries. The ultimate survival and neurologic outcome of the head trauma patient depend on the extent of TBI occurring at the time of injury. The aim of the study is to assess the factors associated with brain injury and their effect on its severity. Method A cross sectional, retrospective study including 469 adult patients with head injury was carried out in the emergency department of Baghdad teaching hospital between 1 October 2016 - 30 October 2017. Data of all the patients were entered and analyzed using the statistical package for social sciences (SPSS) software for Windows, version 24. The significance of correlation was assessed using a Chi-square test. Level of significance was set at ≤ 0.05. Final findings were presented in tables with an explanatory paragraph for each table using the MS. Office (Word 2013) for Windows. Results A total number of 469 patients were enrolled in this study with a mean age of 42.6 ± 13.7 years. The vast majority of the patients were males (383/469), which represented 81.7%. The male to female ratio was 4.45 to 1. The distribution of the patients according to their traumatic brain injury was 241 patients (51.4%) with mild, 99 (21.1%) with moderate and 129 (27.5%) with severe TBI. Associated injuries among the studied group were facial injuries in 133 (28.4%), skull fracture in 150 (32%), and thoracolumbar fracture in 51 (10.9%). The associated injuries were more frequent in the extremities - 112/469 (23.9%), combined injuries in 112 (23.9%), chest and abdomen injuries were reported in only 6% and 6.8%, respectively. The causes of injuries in the studied group were road traffic accidents (RTA), the most frequent mechanism - 37.1% of the cases, followed by fall from height (FFH) (23.9%), blast injury (16.8%), bullet injury (13%), while other mechanisms represented only (9.2%). There is a significant association reported with gender, where severe injuries were more frequent among males than females (P=0.014). All associated injuries were significantly associated with severe traumatic brain injury (P<0.05), also bullet injury was significantly associated with severe traumatic brain injury, followed by blast injury (P<0.001). Severe traumatic brain injury was significantly associated with the presence of clinical and radiographic findings (P<0.001). Conclusion The severity of TBI is significantly related to the type of the associated injury, mechanism of injury, clinical and radiological findings, and to the male gender, while it is not dependent on the age of the patient.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ghazwan Lafta
- Department of Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, University of Al-Ameed, Karbala, Iraq
| | - Hayder Sbahi
- Department of Surgery, Imam Alhasan Hospital, Karbala, Iraq
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Wilson MH, Ashworth E, Hutchinson PJ. A proposed novel traumatic brain injury classification system - an overview and inter-rater reliability validation on behalf of the Society of British Neurological Surgeons. Br J Neurosurg 2022; 36:633-638. [PMID: 35770478 DOI: 10.1080/02688697.2022.2090509] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION The measurement of traumatic brain injury (TBI) 'severity' has traditionally been based on the earliest Glasgow Coma Score (GCS) recorded, however, the underlying parenchymal pathology is highly heterogonous. This heterogeneity renders prediction of outcome on an individual patient level inaccurate and makes comparison between patients both in clinical practice and research difficult. The complexity of this heterogeneity has resulted in generic all encompassing 'traumatic brain injury protocols'. Early management and studies of neuro-protectants are often done irrespective of TBI type, yet it may well be that a specific treatment may be beneficial in a subset of TBI pathologies. METHODS A simple CT-based classification system rating the recognised types of blunt TBI (extradural, subdural, subarachnoid haemorrhage, contusions/intracerebral haematoma and diffuse axonal injury) as mild (1), moderate (2) or severe (3) is proposed. Hypoxic brain injury, a common secondary injury following TBI, is also included. Scores can be combined to reflect concomitant types of TBI and predominant location of injury is also recorded. To assess interrater reliability, 50 patient CT images were assessed by 5 independent clinicians of varying experience. Interrater reliability was calculated using overall agreement through Cronbach's alpha including confidence intervals for intra-class coefficients. RESULTS Interrater reliability scores showed strong agreement for same score and same injury for TBIs with blood on CT and Cronbach's alpha co-efficient (range 0.87-0.93) demonstrated excellent correlation between raters. Cronbach's alpha was not affected when individual raters were removed. CONCLUSIONS The proposed simple CT classification system has good inter-rater reliability and hence potentially could enable better individual prognostication and targeted treatments to be compared while also accounting for multiple intracranial injury types. Further studies are proposed and underway.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mark H Wilson
- Imperial Neurotrauma Centre, St Mary's Hospital, Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, London, UK.,NIHR Imperial Biomedical Research Centre, Imperial College, The Bays, 2 South Wharf Road, London, UK
| | - Emily Ashworth
- Imperial Neurotrauma Centre, St Mary's Hospital, Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, London, UK.,NIHR Imperial Biomedical Research Centre, Imperial College, The Bays, 2 South Wharf Road, London, UK
| | - Peter J Hutchinson
- Division of Neurosurgery, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
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Rahayu RF, Maharina L, Prabata A, Hanafi M, Yueniwati Y, Pramudianti D, Maryetty IP, Ropitasari R. Intracranial Hemorrhage Prediction for Traumatic Brain Injury Using Glasgow Comma Scale: Encountering the Absence of CT Scan. Open Access Maced J Med Sci 2022. [DOI: 10.3889/oamjms.2022.9948] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/05/2022] Open
Abstract
Background: Intracranial hemorrhage is a complication of head injury. The initial assessment of the consciousness using Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) shows severity level of head injury since arriving to the hospital. The GCS score is also known to have association with the presence of intracranial bleeding caused by head injury. This finding helps doctor lived in rural area with no facility of computed tomography (CT) scan to predict the intracranial haemorrhage by assessing the level of consciousness correctly using GCS score. Methods: This study is an observational analytic study using a cross-sectional design. The research was conducted in Dr. Moewardi Hospital for 6 months starting from July to October 2020. The population was all patients with head injury and were then examined by CT scan of head. The 61 subjects were established through the inclusion and the exclusion criteria. Results: There were 61 patients in this study. The reliability test of CT-Scan instrument used Kappa-Cohen test which showed the K value of 0.875 with p < 0.001. The finding of moderate-severe head injury (GCS score 3-12) was associated with the increased risk of intracranial bleeding in head CT scan by 20.70 (5.58-76.77) times significantly higher (p < 0.001). Conclusion: There is significant relationship between the patient's level of consciousness represented by Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) and the intracranial bleeding based on the head CT scan in the patients with head injuries
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Merza FAA, Lafta GA. The role of computed tomography and Glasgow Coma Scale in detecting spinal injury associated with traumatic brain injuries. Med Pharm Rep 2022; 95:158-164. [PMID: 35721035 PMCID: PMC9176306 DOI: 10.15386/mpr-2117] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2021] [Revised: 05/15/2021] [Accepted: 05/31/2021] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Objectives The aim of this study is to identify the role of computed tomography scan (CT scan) of the cervical spine and Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) in detecting spinal injuries associated with head injury. Methods This cross sectional study was conducted in the emergency department of Baghdad teaching hospital prospectively from October 2016 to October 2017. A total of 469 patients were included in this study, 59 of them with spine injury. All patients were examined promptly and were treated accordingly; all were subjected to X-rays and CT-scan of the skull and cervical spine for evaluation of head and cervical spinal injury, respectively. Results A total of 469 patients were enrolled in this study, mean age of 42.6 ± 13.7 years. The majority of patients were male (383/469) representing 81.7%. There was a significant correlation between Severity of TBI and cervical injury (P<0.001). There was a significant association between cervical injury and the presence of clinical and radiographic findings and associated injuries (P<0.001). It was found that cervical injury was more frequent in patients who were exposed to fall from a height. Conclusion CT scan and Glasgow coma scale are highly specific, sensitive, and accurate, with positive and negative predictive values.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Ghazwan Alwan Lafta
- Department of Neurosurgery, Faculty of Medicine, University of Al-Ameed, Karbala, Iraq
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Fathi M, Moghaddam NM, Balaye Jame SZ, Darvishi M, Mortazavi M. The association of Glasgow Coma Scale score with characteristics of patients admitted to the intensive care unit. INFORMATICS IN MEDICINE UNLOCKED 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.imu.2022.100904] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/09/2022] Open
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Habli Z, Kobeissy F, Khraiche ML. Advances in point-of-care platforms for traumatic brain injury: recent developments in diagnostics. Rev Neurosci 2022; 33:327-345. [PMID: 35170265 DOI: 10.1515/revneuro-2021-0103] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2021] [Accepted: 01/17/2022] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a major cause of mortality and morbidity, affecting 2 million people annually in the US alone, with direct and indirect costs of $76.3 billion per year. TBI is a progressive disease with no FDA-approved drug for treating patients. Early, accurate and rapid diagnosis can have significant implications for successful triaging and intervention. Unfortunately, current clinical tests for TBI rely on CT scans and MRIs, both of which are expensive, time-consuming, and not accessible to everyone. Recent evidence of biofluid-based biomarkers being released right after a TBI incident has ignited interest in developing point-of-care (POC) platforms for early and on-site TBI diagnosis. These efforts face many challenges to accurate, sensitive, and specific diagnosis and monitoring of TBI. This review includes a deep dive into the latest advances in chemical, mechanical, electrical, and optical sensing systems that hold promise for TBI-POC diagnostic testing platforms. It also focuses on the performance of these proposed biosensors compared to biofluid-based orthodox diagnostic techniques in terms of sensitivity, specificity, and limits of detection. Finally, it examines commercialized TBI-POCs present in the market, the challenges associated with them, and the future directions and prospects of these technologies and the field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zeina Habli
- Neural Engineering and Nanobiosensors Group, Biomedical Engineering Program, Maroun Semaan Faculty of Engineering and Architecture, American University of Beirut, Beirut 1107 2020, Lebanon
| | - Firas Kobeissy
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, Faculty of Medicine, American University of Beirut, Beirut 1107 2020, Lebanon
| | - Massoud L Khraiche
- Neural Engineering and Nanobiosensors Group, Biomedical Engineering Program, Maroun Semaan Faculty of Engineering and Architecture, American University of Beirut, Beirut 1107 2020, Lebanon
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Sullivan JE, Panjwani S, Cahan MA. Influence of Insurance Status on Subdural Hematoma Management- An NTDB Analysis. J Surg Res 2021; 270:139-144. [PMID: 34656891 DOI: 10.1016/j.jss.2021.08.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2021] [Revised: 08/09/2021] [Accepted: 08/24/2021] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Traumatic brain injury is a major public health concern with a rising incidence in the United States. Prior studies have looked at associations between insurance status and traumatic brain injury, but none have focused specifically on traumatic subdural hematomas (SDH). It is important to evaluate whether insurance and/or other social determinants of health play a role in treatment and outcomes of traumatic SDH. METHODS A retrospective analysis of the National Trauma Data Bank was conducted from 2012 to 2016 to look at associations between insurance status and management of SDH with surgery versus intracranial pressure (ICP)/EVD monitoring. Secondary outcomes of interest were emergency department (ED) length of stay (LOS), hospital LOS, ICU admission, ICU LOS, and mortality. RESULTS We identified 68,687 adult patients with a single diagnosis of subdural hematoma. Overall, self-pay patients with SDH were younger, predominately male, and more likely to be non-white compared to patients with public or private health insurance. More specifically, Black/African American SDH patients made up a large percentage of the self-pay category (15.5%; P < 0.001) compared to publicly and privately insured (7.5% and 8.0%, respectively). After adjusting for age, sex, injury severity score (ISS), Glasgow Coma Scale, alcohol intoxication, and trauma center level, publicly insured patients were 1.86 (95% CI 1.36-2.55, P < 0.001) times more likely to undergo a craniotomy or craniectomy compared to self-pay patients. However, insurance status did not appear to impact whether a patient received ICP/EVD monitoring (OR 0.52; 95% CI 0.24-1.18, P = 0.118). There was no statistically significant difference in ED LOS, Hospital LOS, and ICU LOS between insurance categories. CONCLUSIONS Publicly insured patients have higher odds of undergoing surgical management for traumatic SDH compared to self-pay patients. Further studies evaluating this association are warranted.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Suraj Panjwani
- University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, Massachusetts; Department of Surgery, St. Mary's Hospital/Trinity Health of New England, Connecticut
| | - Mitchell A Cahan
- University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, Massachusetts; Department of Surgery, Mount Auburn Hospital, Cambridge, Massachusetts; Roberta & Stephen R. Weiner Department of Surgery, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, Massachusetts.
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Shobeirian F, Ghomi Z, Soleimani R, Mirshahi R, Sanei Taheri M. Overuse of brain CT scan for evaluating mild head trauma in adults. Emerg Radiol 2020; 28:251-257. [PMID: 32844320 DOI: 10.1007/s10140-020-01846-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/26/2020] [Accepted: 08/19/2020] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION CT scan is crucial in evaluating head trauma. However, its inappropriate use will cause unnecessary radiation exposure to patient and financial burden to health systems. Our aim is appraising amount of brain CT scans performed in our Emergency Department (ED) for evaluating mild head trauma which are not indicated according to four standardized guidelines as well as analyzing contributing factors. METHODS This was a descriptive prospective study. We included randomly selected adult patients under 75 years old with minor head trauma evaluated by brain CT scan at our ED. For all patients, we completed a checklist including demographic data, mechanism of trauma, specialty of the requesting physician, and whether the patient meets the brain CT guidelines criteria. Brain CT overuse was defined as scans performed for patients without criteria of any of the standardized guidelines. RESULTS We evaluated 170 patients. The mean age of patients was 38.38 ± 19.73 years old. The most common mechanism of trauma was falling (37.6%). The overall brain CT scan overuse was 15.3%. Most of the overused scans were performed in younger patients, and patient's age was inversely correlated to overuse. There was no significant difference based on the mechanism of trauma and the specialty of requesting physician. DISCUSSION Our study accentuates the high frequency of brain CT scan overuse, leading to unnecessary radiation exposure and financial burden on healthcare systems. We emphasize that using a guideline for requesting brain CT scan can eliminate unnecessary scans along with detecting patients with important decisive damages.
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Affiliation(s)
- Farzaneh Shobeirian
- Department of Radiology, Razi Hospital, Guilan University of Medical Sciences, Rasht, Iran
| | - Zahra Ghomi
- Department of Radiology, Shohada-e-Tajrish Hospital, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
| | - Reza Soleimani
- Department of Radiology, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran
| | - Reza Mirshahi
- Eye Research Center, The Five Senses Institute, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Morteza Sanei Taheri
- Department of Radiology, Shohada-e-Tajrish Hospital, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
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Mahan MY, Thorpe M, Ahmadi A, Abdallah T, Casey H, Sturtevant D, Judge-Yoakam S, Hoover C, Rafter D, Miner J, Richardson C, Samadani U. Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein (GFAP) Outperforms S100 Calcium-Binding Protein B (S100B) and Ubiquitin C-Terminal Hydrolase L1 (UCH-L1) as Predictor for Positive Computed Tomography of the Head in Trauma Subjects. World Neurosurg 2019; 128:e434-e444. [PMID: 31051301 DOI: 10.1016/j.wneu.2019.04.170] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2019] [Revised: 04/18/2019] [Accepted: 04/19/2019] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) are largely underdiagnosed and may have persistent refractory consequences. Current assessments for acute TBI are limited to physical examination and imaging. Biomarkers such as glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), ubiquitin C-terminal hydrolase L1 (UCH-L1), and S100 calcium-binding protein B (S100B) have shown predictive value as indicators of TBI and potential screening tools. METHODS In total, 37 controls and 118 unique trauma subjects who received a clinically ordered head computed tomography (CT) in the emergency department of a level 1 trauma center were evaluated. Blood samples collected at 0-8 hours (initial) and 12-32 hours (delayed) postinjury were analyzed for GFAP, UCH-L1, and S100B concentrations. These were then compared in CT-negative and CT-positive subjects. RESULTS Median GFAP, UCH-L1, and S100B concentrations were greater in CT-positive subjects at both timepoints compared with CT-negative subjects. In addition, median UCH-L1 and S100B concentrations were lower at the delayed timepoint, whereas median GFAP concentrations were increased. As predictors of a positive CT of the head, GFAP outperformed UCH-L1 and S100B at both timepoints (initial: 0.89 sensitivity, 0.62 specificity; delayed: 0.94 sensitivity, 0.67 specificity). GFAP alone also outperformed all possible combinations of biomarkers. CONCLUSIONS GFAP, UCH-L1, and S100B demonstrated utility for rapid prediction of a CT-positive TBI within 0-8 hours of injury. GFAP exhibited the greatest predictive power at 12-32 hours. Furthermore, these results suggest that GFAP alone has greater utility for predicting a positive CT of the head than UCH-L1, S100B, or any combination of the 3.
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Affiliation(s)
- Margaret Y Mahan
- Department of Neurosurgery, Hennepin Healthcare, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Department of Biomedical Informatics and Computational Biology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
| | - Maxwell Thorpe
- Department of Neurosurgery, Hennepin Healthcare, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
| | - Aliya Ahmadi
- Department of Neurosurgery, Hennepin Healthcare, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
| | - Tessneem Abdallah
- Department of Neurosurgery, Hennepin Healthcare, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
| | - Hannah Casey
- Department of Neurosurgery, Hennepin Healthcare, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
| | - Dylan Sturtevant
- Department of Neurosurgery, Hennepin Healthcare, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
| | - Sénait Judge-Yoakam
- Department of Neurosurgery, Hennepin Healthcare, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
| | - Caleb Hoover
- Department of Neurosurgery, Hennepin Healthcare, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
| | - Daniel Rafter
- Department of Neurosurgery, Hennepin Healthcare, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
| | - James Miner
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Hennepin Healthcare, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
| | - Chad Richardson
- Department of General Surgery, Hennepin Healthcare, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
| | - Uzma Samadani
- Department of Neurosurgery, Hennepin Healthcare, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Department of Biomedical Informatics and Computational Biology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Department of Neurosurgery, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA.
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Sidek MSM, Siregar JA, Ghani ARI, Idris Z. Teleneurosurgery: Outcome of Mild Head Injury Patients Managed in Non-Neurosurgical Centre in the State of Johor. Malays J Med Sci 2019; 25:95-104. [PMID: 30918459 PMCID: PMC6422582 DOI: 10.21315/mjms2018.25.2.10] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/09/2017] [Accepted: 02/22/2018] [Indexed: 10/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Background With teleneurosurgery, more patients with head injury are managed in the primary hospital under the care of general surgical unit. Growing concerns regarding the safety and outcome of these patients are valid and need to be addressed. Method This study is to evaluate the outcome of patients with mild head injury which were managed in non-neurosurgical centres with the help of teleneurosurgery. The study recruits samples from five primary hospitals utilising teleneurosurgery for neurosurgical consultations in managing mild head injury cases in Johor state. Two main outcomes were noted; favourable and unfavourable, with a follow up review of the Glasgow Outcome Scale (GOS) at 3 and 6 months. Results Total of 359 samples were recruited with a total of 11 (3.06%) patients have an unfavourable. no significant difference in GOS at 3 and 6 months for patient in the unfavourable group (P = 0.368). Conclusion In this study we have found no significant factors affecting the outcome of mild head injury patients managed in non-neurosurgical centres in Johor state using the help of teleneurosurgery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohd Syahiran Mohd Sidek
- Department of Neurosciences, School of Medical Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, 16150 Kubang Kerian, Kelantan, Malaysia.,Department of Neurosurgery, Hospital Sultanah Aminah Johor Bahru, 80100 JohorBharu, Malaysia
| | - Johari Adnan Siregar
- Department of Neurosurgery, Hospital Kuala Lumpur, 50586, Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
| | - Abdul Rahman Izani Ghani
- Department of Neurosciences, School of Medical Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, 16150 Kubang Kerian, Kelantan, Malaysia.,Center for Neuroscience Services and Research, Universiti Sains Malaysia, 16150 Kubang Kerian, Kelantan, Malaysia
| | - Zamzuri Idris
- Department of Neurosciences, School of Medical Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, 16150 Kubang Kerian, Kelantan, Malaysia.,Center for Neuroscience Services and Research, Universiti Sains Malaysia, 16150 Kubang Kerian, Kelantan, Malaysia
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Rana A, Singh S, Sharma R, Kumar A. Traumatic Brain Injury Altered Normal Brain Signaling Pathways: Implications for Novel Therapeutics Approaches. Curr Neuropharmacol 2019; 17:614-629. [PMID: 30207236 PMCID: PMC6712292 DOI: 10.2174/1570159x16666180911121847] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/10/2018] [Revised: 09/01/2018] [Accepted: 09/06/2018] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is the main reason of lifelong disability and casualty worldwide. In the United State alone, 1.7 million traumatic events occur yearly, out of which 50,000 results in deaths. Injury to the brain could alter various biological signaling pathways such as excitotoxicity, ionic imbalance, oxidative stress, inflammation, and apoptosis which can result in various neurological disorders such as Psychosis, Depression, Alzheimer disease, Parkinson disease, etc. In literature, various reports have indicated the alteration of these pathways after traumatic brain injury but the exact mechanism is still unclear. Thus, in the first part of this article, we have tried to summarize TBI as a modulator of various neuronal signaling pathways. Currently, very few drugs are available in the market for the treatment of TBI and these drugs only provide the supportive care. Thus, in the second part of the article, based on TBI altered signaling pathways, we have tried to find out potential targets and promising therapeutic approaches in the treatment of TBI.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Anoop Kumar
- Address correspondence to this author at the Department of Pharmacology, Indo-Soviet Friendship College of Pharmacy (ISFCP), Moga, Punjab-142001, India; Tel: +91 636 324200/324201; E-mail:
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Waganekar A, Sadasivan J, Prabhu AS, Harichandrakumar KT. Computed Tomography Profile and its Utilization in Head Injury Patients in Emergency Department: A Prospective Observational Study. J Emerg Trauma Shock 2018; 11:25-30. [PMID: 29628665 PMCID: PMC5852912 DOI: 10.4103/jets.jets_112_17] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2022] Open
Abstract
Context Based on Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS), head injury can be classified as minor (GCS 13-15), moderate (GCS 9-12), and severe (GCS 3-8). There is a lot of controversy in the use of computed tomography (CT) in head injury patients. Aims This study was intended to estimate the rate of CT positivity in head injury patients and to define the criteria for doing CT in head injury patients. Settings and Design This was a prospective observational study in the emergency department (ED) over a 12-month period. Subjects and. Methods Study involved all head injury patients attending ED. Risk factors studied were a loss of consciousness (LOC), vomiting, seizures, ear bleed, nosebleed, external injuries, and alcohol intoxication. Statistical Analysis Used Comparison of CT positivity with the patient's demographics and clinical characteristics was carried out using Chi-square. Results A total of 1782 patients were included in this study. Overall CT positivity was 50.9%. In minor head injury (MHI), CT positivity rate was 38%. The study showed significant association of CT positivity with five variables: LOC >5 min, vomiting, seizures, ear bleed, and nosebleed. Conclusions From the study, we recommend following: CT is indicated in all patients with moderate and severe head injury (GCS ≤12). Low threshold for taking CT is advisable in elderly and alcohol-intoxicated patients. In MHI, CT is indicated if any one of the following risk factors are present: LOC >5 min, history of vomiting, history of seizures, history of ear bleed, and history of nosebleed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Archana Waganekar
- Department of Emergency Medicine and Trauma, Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research, Puducherry, India
| | - Jagadish Sadasivan
- Department of Emergency Medicine and Trauma, Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research, Puducherry, India
| | - A Sathia Prabhu
- Department of Neurosurgery, Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research, Puducherry, India
| | - K T Harichandrakumar
- Department of Biometrics and Informatics (Biostatistics), Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research, Puducherry, India
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Jolobe OM. Glasgow coma scale versus computed tomography in prognostication. Am J Emerg Med 2017; 35:1190. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ajem.2017.06.033] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2017] [Accepted: 06/21/2017] [Indexed: 11/27/2022] Open
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