Journal of neurotrauma
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Journal of neurotrauma · Oct 1995
ReviewSystemic hypothermia in treatment of severe brain injury: a review and update.
Laboratory studies of moderate hypothermia (30-33 degrees C) after injury show diminished neuronal loss after ischemia, diminished excessive neurotransmitter release after ischemia, prevention of blood-brain barrier disruption after ischemia and brain injury, and behavioral improvement after brain injury. Clinical literature suggests that brief periods of moderate hypothermia (> or = 30 degrees C) in humans are not associated with cardiovascular, hematologic, metabolic, or neurological toxicity. Clinical studies were, therefore, organized to investigate the potential application of moderate systemic hypothermia in patients after severe brain injury. ⋯ A randomized study of moderate hypothermia in 46 patients with Glasgow Coma Score (GCS) 4-7 gave an indication of improved neurologic outcome in the hypothermia group. A multicenter, randomized protocol to test the effect of moderate systemic hypothermia in patients with severe brain injury is in progress. Funded by the National Institutes of Health, The National Acute Brain Injury Study: Hypothermia tests the hypothesis that systemic hypothermia to 32-33 degrees C if rendered within 6 h of injury improves Glasgow Outcome Scores (GOS) at 6 months after injury in patients with severe brain injury (GCS 3-8).
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Journal of neurotrauma · Oct 1995
The impact of two related prevention strategies on head injury reduction among nonfatally injured motorcycle riders, California, 1991-1993.
Although the traumatic injury death rate in the United States decreased during the last 20 years, the percent of all injury deaths attributable to brain injuries has remained steady. Head injuries are a leading cause of injury among motorcycle riders in crashes, and the helmet is an effective measure to reduce these injuries. To reduce the burden and cost of motorcycle injuries, many states have increased helmet use by introducing mandatory helmet legislation. ⋯ Both the severity and the number of head injuries per individual rider decreased after the mandatory helmet use law led to increased helmet use. Riders wearing helmets suffered fewer skull fractures, fewer intracranial injuries, had less frequent and shorter periods of loss of consciousness, more favorable GCS scores, and shorter hospital stays. Mandatory motorcycle helmet use laws are an effective mechanism to increase helmet use among riders and thus prevent head and brain injuries resulting from motorcycle crashes.
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Jugular venous oxygen saturation (SjvO2) measures the balance between cerebral oxygen delivery and cerebral oxygen consumption. Abnormalities that increase oxygen consumption (e.g., fever or seizures) or that decrease oxygen delivery (e.g., increased ICP, hypotension, hypoxia, hypocapnia, or anemia) can decrease SjvO2. Measuring SjvO2 continuously in the ICU in 177 patients with severe head injury, jugular venous desaturation (SjvO2 < 50%) was identified at least once in 39% of the patients. ⋯ Additional data supporting the hypothesis that these secondary insults identified with the SjvO2 monitoring contribute to the patient's neurological injury come from measurement of the extracellular concentrations of lactate and excitatory amino acids in the brain using microdialysis. Lactate concentration increased from 0.9 +/- 0.3 to 2.4 +/- 0.5 mumol/L and glutamate increased from 11.5 +/- 8.5 to 55.0 +/- 10.4 mumol/L during 8 episodes of jugular venous desaturation in 7 of 22 patients monitored with microdialysis. SjvO2 identifies global reductions in cerebral oxygenation due to a variety of causes, and is useful as a monitor for secondary insults in patients with severe head injury.