Journal of neurotrauma
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Journal of neurotrauma · Feb 2007
Clinical significance of alphaII-spectrin breakdown products in cerebrospinal fluid after severe traumatic brain injury.
Following traumatic brain injury (TBI), the cytoskeletal protein alpha-II-spectrin is proteolyzed by calpain and caspase-3 to signature breakdown products. To determine whether alpha -II-spectrin proteolysis is a potentially reliable biomarker for TBI in humans, the present study (1) examined levels of spectrin breakdown products (SBDPs) in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) from adults with severe TBI and (2) examined the relationship between these levels, severity of injury, and clinical outcome. This prospective case control study enrolled 41 patients with severe TBI, defined by a Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) score of < or =8, who underwent intraventricular intracranial pressure monitoring. ⋯ Mean SBDP densitometry values measured early after injury correlated with severity of injury, computed tomography (CT) scan findings, and outcome at 6 months post-injury. Taken together, these results support that alpha -II-spectrin breakdown products are potentially useful biomarker of severe TBI in humans. Our data further suggests that both necrotic/oncotic and apoptotic cell death mechanisms are activated in humans following severe TBI, but with a different time course after injury.
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Journal of neurotrauma · Feb 2007
Prognostic value of secondary insults in traumatic brain injury: results from the IMPACT study.
We determined the relationship between secondary insults (hypoxia, hypotension, and hypothermia) occurring prior to or on admission to hospital and 6-month outcome after traumatic brain injury (TBI). A meta-analysis of individual patient data, from seven Phase III randomized clinical trials (RCT) in moderate or severe TBI and three TBI population-based series, was performed to model outcome as measured by the Glasgow Outcome Scale (GOS). Proportional odds modeling was used to relate the probability of a poor outcome to hypoxia (N = 5661), hypotension ( N = 6629), and hypothermia ( N = 4195) separately. ⋯ Radiological signs of raised intracranial pressure (CT class III or IV) were more frequent in patients who had sustained hypoxia or hypotension. A significant association was observed between month of injury and hypothermia. The occurrence of secondary insults prior to or on admission to hospital in TBI patients is strongly related to poorer outcome and should therefore be a priority for emergency department personnel.
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Journal of neurotrauma · Feb 2007
Prognostic value of the Glasgow Coma Scale and pupil reactivity in traumatic brain injury assessed pre-hospital and on enrollment: an IMPACT analysis.
We studied the prognostic strength of the individual components of the Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) and pupil reactivity to Glasgow Outcome Score (GOS) at 6 months post-injury. A total of 8721 moderate or severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) patient data from the IMPACT database on traumatic brain injury comprised the study cohort. The associations between motor score and pupil reactivity and 6-month GOS were analyzed by binary logistic regression and proportional odds methodology. ⋯ We also found a significant change in motor score from pre-hospital direct to study hospital enrollment ( p < 0.0001) and from the first in-hospital to study enrollment scores (p < 0.0001). Pupil reactivity was more robust between these time points. It is recommended that the study hospital enrollment GCS and pupil reactivity be used for prognostic analysis.
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Journal of neurotrauma · Feb 2007
Prognostic value of admission laboratory parameters in traumatic brain injury: results from the IMPACT study.
Abnormalities in laboratory parameters are frequent following traumatic brain injury (TBI), but few studies have investigated their predictive value. We aimed to describe and quantify the relation between laboratory parameters that are routinely determined on admission and final outcome following TBI. Individual patient data were available in the IMPACT database from six Phase III randomized controlled trials and one observational study in TBI. ⋯ Effects were strongest for increasing levels of glucose (odds ratio 1.7; 95% CI 1.54-1.83) and decreasing levels of Hb (odds ratio 0.7; CI 0.60-0.78). Higher glucose values were associated with increasing age, but on adjusted analysis, the strength of the association with outcome remained. Whether treatment of abnormal values may improve outcome needs further rigorous study.
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Journal of neurotrauma · Feb 2007
Multivariable prognostic analysis in traumatic brain injury: results from the IMPACT study.
We studied the prognostic value of a wide range of conventional and novel prognostic factors on admission after traumatic brain injury (TBI) using both univariate and multivariable analysis. The outcome measure was Glasgow Outcome Scale at 6 months after injury. Individual patient data were available on a cohort of 8686 patients drawn from eight randomized controlled trials and three observational studies. ⋯ Other important prognostic factors included hypotension, hypoxia, the eye and verbal components of the GCS, glucose, platelets, and hemoglobin. These results on prognostic factors will underpin future work on the IMPACT project, which is focused on the development of novel approaches to the design and analysis of clinical trials in TBI. In addition, the results provide pointers to future research, including further analysis of the prognostic value of prothrombin time, and the evaluation of the clinical impact of intervening aggressively to correct abnormalities in hemoglobin, glucose, and coagulation.