• M J Whalen, T M Carlos, P M Kochanek, S R Wisniewski, M J Bell, R S Clark, S T DeKosky, D W Marion, and P D Adelson.
• Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine, Safar Center for Resuscitation Research, University of Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
• Crit. Care Med. 2000 Apr 1;28(4):929-34.

ObjectiveTo determine interleukin (IL)-8 concentrations in ventricular cerebrospinal fluid from children with severe traumatic brain injury (TBI).DesignProspective study.SettingUniversity children's hospital.PatientsTwenty-seven children hospitalized with severe TBI (Glasgow Coma Scale score < or =8), seven children with cerebrospinal fluid culture-positive bacterial meningitis, and twenty-four age-equivalent controls.InterventionsPlacement of an intraventricular catheter and continuous drainage of cerebrospinal fluid.Measurements And Main ResultsMedian [range] cerebrospinal fluid IL-8 concentration in children with TBI (0-12 hrs) (4,452.5 [0-20,000] pg/mL) was markedly greater than that in controls (14.5 [0-250]) (p < .0001) and equivalent to concentrations in children with meningitis (5,300 [1,510-22,000] pg/mL) (p = .33). Cerebrospinal fluid IL-8 remained increased in children with severe TBI for up to 108 hrs after injury. Univariate logistic regression analysis demonstrated an association between cerebrospinal fluid IL-8 and child abuse (p = .07) and mortality (p = .01). Multivariate analysis demonstrated a strong, independent association between cerebrospinal fluid IL-8 and mortality (p = .01).ConclusionsThe data are consistent with an acute inflammatory component of TBI in children and suggest an association between cerebrospinal fluid IL-8 and outcome after TBI. IL-8 may represent a potential target for anti-inflammatory therapy.

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