Articles: brain-injuries.
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Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a leading cause of disability in the United States. Limited research exists on the influence of area-level socioeconomic status and outcomes after TBI. This study investigated the correlation between the Area Deprivation Index (ADI) and (1) 90-day hospital readmission rates, (2) facility discharge, and (3) prolonged (≥5 days) hospital length of stay (LOS). ⋯ After adjusting for confounders, including comorbidities, TBI mechanism/severity, and age, higher ADI was independently predictive of longer hospital LOS, increased risk of 90-day readmission, and nonhome discharge. These results may help establish targeted interventions to identify at-risk patients after TBI.
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The variant single nucleotide polymorphism rs8104571 has been associated with poor outcomes following traumatic brain injury (TBI) and is most prevalent in those of African ancestry. This single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) resides within a gene coding for the TRPM4 protein, which complexes with SUR1 protein to create a transmembrane ion channel and is believed to contribute to cellular swelling and cell death in neurological tissue. Our study evaluates the relationship between circulating TRPM4 and SUR1, rs8104571 genotype, and clinical outcome in TBI patients. ⋯ Plasma TRPM4 abundance increased with acute kidney injury severity ( P = 0.02). The association between increased plasma TRPM4 and variant rs810457 supports an underlying mechanism involving increased neuroinflammation with a subsequent increase in the leakage of TRPM4 from the central nervous system into circulation. Alternative sources of plasma TRPM4 including the kidney cannot be excluded and may play a significant role in the pathophysiology of trauma as well.
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Prolonged field care is a military adaptation of tactical combat casualty care providing extended prehospital management during delayed extrication. Effects of addition of valproic acid (VPA) to fresh-frozen plasma (FFP) in a prolonged field care model of hemorrhagic shock and traumatic brain injury are not known. We hypothesized that VPA is associated with decreased neurological impairment, and its protective changes are detected at the transcriptomic level. ⋯ The addition of FFP to the resuscitation protocol resulted in a significant reduction in crystalloid requirements. Both the NS + FFP and NS + FFP + VPA groups showed improved neurological recovery compared with NS alone and had distinctive transcriptomic profiles in injured brains at 72 hours. The mitochondrially encoded ATP synthase membrane subunit 8 gene, involved in worsening ischemia following brain injury, was downregulated in VPA-treated animals.
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Pediatric emergency care · Dec 2024
Pediatric Emergency Medicine Physicians' Perspectives of Concussion in Young Children.
Traumatic brain injury (TBI) during early childhood (before 6 years) is prevalent, accounting for rising rates of emergency department visits. These injuries may lead to postconcussive symptoms, which may be subtle and difficult to diagnose in young children. Inadequate discharge counseling may lead to prolonged duration of symptoms and possible developmental delays. We aimed to explore pediatric emergency medicine (PEM) physicians' perspectives on "concussion" terminology, diagnosis, and management, specifically in a young child with mild TBI. ⋯ Variability exists among PEM physicians in diagnosis and management of concussions in young children. Discomfort with lack of reliability of symptoms and underappreciation of typical early childhood characteristics may account for findings. Educational initiatives, age-appropriate clinical tools and treatment-guided outcomes research are needed to guide PEM physicians in the care of young children with head injuries.
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Pediatric emergency care · Dec 2024
External Validation of the Surgical Intervention for Traumatic Injuries Scale in Children.
The Surgical Intervention for Traumatic Injuries (SITI) scale is intended to predict the likelihood of needing surgical decompression among patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI). We sought to examine the performance of the SITI score to predict likelihood of acute neurosurgical intervention for children with TBI. ⋯ A SITI score of less than 2 is associated with nonoperative management. However, clinicians should not be falsely reassured by a low score in patients with depressed skull fractures.