Brain sciences
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Apoptosis increases in traumatic brain injury (TBI). Caspase-cleaved cytokeratin (CCCK)-18 in blood during apoptosis could appear. At the time of admission due to TBI, higher blood CCCK-18 levels were found in non-surviving than in surviving patients. Therefore, the objective of our study was to analyze whether serum CCCK-18 levels determined during the first week after TBI could predict early mortality (at 30 days). ⋯ The new findings from our study were that serum CCCK-18 levels at any moment of the first week of TBI were higher in non-surviving patients and were able to predict early mortality.