Evaluating mild traumatic brain injury management at a regional emergency department

2018 ◽  
Vol 24 (5) ◽  
pp. 390-394
Author(s):  
Ashlee Maree Brown ◽  
Dara M Twomey ◽  
Anna Wong Shee

BackgroundEmergency departments (EDs) are usually the first point of contact, and often the only medical service available, for patients with mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) in rural and regional areas. Clinical practice guidelines (CPGs) have been created to ensure best practice management of mTBI in EDs. Adherence to mTBI CPGs has rarely been evaluated in rural and regional areas.AimThe aim of this paper was to assess a regional health service’s adherence to their mTBI CPG.MethodsThis was a 12-month retrospective audit of 1280 ED records of patients ≥16 years presenting with mTBI to a regional Australian ED. Case selection used the Victorian Admitted Episodes Dataset codes for suspected head injury: principal diagnosis codes (S00-T98), concussive injury recorded in diagnosis codes (S06.00-S06.05) and unintentional external cause code (V00-X59). The data were collected to determine 4-hour observation rates, CT scan rates, safe discharge and appropriate referral documentation.ResultsFewer people received a CT scan than qualified (n=245, 65.3%), only 45% had 4-hour observations recorded, safe discharge was documented in 74.1% of cases and 33% received educational resources.Discussion/conclusionSeveral key elements for the management of mTBI were under-recorded, particularly 4-hour observations, safe discharge and education. Acquired brain injury clinic referrals were received in overwhelmingly fewer cases than had a CT scan (n=19, 6.3%). Overall, this study suggests that the regional health service does not currently fully adhere to the CPG and that the referral services are potentially underutilised.


2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. e000717
Author(s):  
Panu Teeratakulpisarn ◽  
Phati Angkasith ◽  
Thanakorn Wannakul ◽  
Parichat Tanmit ◽  
Supatcha Prasertcharoensuk ◽  
...  

BackgroundAlthough there are eight factors known to indicate a high risk of intracranial hemorrhage (ICH) in mild traumatic brain injury (TBI), identification of the strongest of these factors may optimize the utility of brain CT in clinical practice. This study aimed to evaluate the predictors of ICH based on baseline characteristics/mode of injury, indications for brain CT, and a combination of both to determine the strongest indicator.MethodsThis was a descriptive, retrospective, analytical study. The inclusion criteria were diagnosis of mild TBI, high risk of ICH, and having undergone a CT scan of the brain. The outcome of the study was any type of ICH. Stepwise logistic regression analysis was used to find the strongest predictors according to three models: (1) injury pattern and baseline characteristics, (2) indications for CT scan of the brain, and (3) a combination of models 1 and 2.ResultsThere were 100 patients determined to be at risk of ICH based on indications for CT of the brain in patients with acute head injury. Of these, 24 (24.00%) had ICH. Model 1 found that injury due to motor vehicle crash was a significant predictor of ICH, with an adjusted OR (95% CI) of 11.53 (3.05 to 43.58). Models 2 and 3 showed Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) score of 13 to 14 after 2 hours of observation and open skull or base of skull fracture to be independent predictors, with adjusted OR (95% CI) of 11.77 (1.32 to 104.96) and 5.88 (1.08 to 31.99) according to model 2.DiscussionOpen skull or base of skull fracture and GCS score of 13 to 14 after 2 hours of observation were the two strongest predictors of ICH in mild TBI.Level of evidenceIII.



Brain Injury ◽  
2006 ◽  
Vol 20 (11) ◽  
pp. 1131-1137 ◽  
Author(s):  
Charlotte Sadowski-Cron ◽  
Jörg Schneider ◽  
Pascal Senn ◽  
Bogdan P. Radanov ◽  
Pietro Ballinari ◽  
...  


2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 269-277
Author(s):  
Roghieh Molaei-Langroudi ◽  
Ahmad Alizadeh ◽  
Ehsan Kazemnejad-Leili ◽  
Vahid Monsef-Kasmaie ◽  
Seyed-Younes Moshirian


2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. Guatta ◽  
A.T. May ◽  
K. Tizi ◽  
K. Schaller ◽  
A. Bartoli


CJEM ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 21 (S1) ◽  
pp. S80
Author(s):  
É. Fortier ◽  
V. Paquet ◽  
M. Émond ◽  
J. Chauny ◽  
S. Hegg ◽  
...  

Introduction: The radiological and clinical follow-up of patients with a mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) and an intracranial hemorrhage (ICH) is often heterogeneous, as there is no official guideline for CT scan control. Furthermore, public sector health expenditure has increased significantly as the number of MRI and CT scan almost doubled in Canada in the last decade. Therefore, the main objective of this study was to describe the current management practices of mTBI patients with intracranial hemorrhage at two level-1 trauma centers. Methods: Design: An historical cohort was created at the CHU de Québec – Hôpital de l'Enfant-Jésus (Québec City) and Hôpital du Sacré-Coeur (Montréal). Consecutive medical records were reviewed from the end of 2017 backwards until sample saturation using a standardized checklist. Participants: mTBI patients aged ⩾16 with an ICH were included. Measures: The main and secondary outcomes were the presence of a control CT scan and neurosurgical consultation/admission. Analyses: Univariate descriptive analyses were performed. Inter-observer measures were calculated. Results: Two hundred seventy-four patients were included, of which 51.1% (n = 140) came from a transfer. Mean age was 60.8 and 68.9% (n = 188) were men. Repeat CT scan was performed in 73.6% (n = 201) of our patients as 12.5% showed a clinical deterioration. The following factors might have influenced clinician decision to proceed to a repeat scan: anticoagulation (association of 87.1% with scanning; n = 27), antiplatelet (84.1%; 58), GCS of 13 (94.1%; 16), GCS of 14 (75%; 72) and GCS of 15 (70.2%; 111). 93.0% (n = 254) of patients had a neurosurgical consultation and only 6.7% (17) underwent a neurosurgical intervention. Conclusion: The management of mild traumatic brain injury with hemorrhage uses a lot of resources that might be disproportionate with regards to risks. Further research to identify predictive factors of deterioration is needed.



2020 ◽  
Vol 41 (02) ◽  
pp. 195-208
Author(s):  
Katy H. O'Brien

AbstractSchool-based speech-language pathologists (SLPs) can play an important role in the recovery of children who have sustained a mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI). Two types of knowledge barriers are described here that impact the beliefs and ability of SLPs to respond to the needs of these students. Foundational knowledge is relatively stable over time, and encompasses basic definitions and understanding of the injury. In contrast, flexible knowledge addresses clinical management, including assessment and treatment, and should be regularly updated to align with current best practice recommendations. Clinicians are sensitive to this difference, seeking clinically applicable continuing education. However, general poor understanding of pediatric mTBI paired with rapidly advancing research in the field has led to widespread inaccuracies in both foundational and flexible knowledge. Suggestions are provided for educational initiatives and for advocacy of the role of SLPs in the care of students with mTBI.



Author(s):  
Ramona Guatta ◽  
Alberto Delaidelli ◽  
Adrien Thomas May ◽  
Gianpaolo Jannelli ◽  
Alessandro Moiraghi ◽  
...  


2019 ◽  
Vol 90 (3) ◽  
pp. e30.2-e30
Author(s):  
AS Yusuf ◽  
MR Mahmud ◽  
NK Dalhat ◽  
AI Olayiwola ◽  
JD Alfin ◽  
...  

ObjectivesTo assess compliance to New Orleans Criteria for cranial CT scan and its predictive value for intracranial pathology in mild TBI.DesignA retrospective review.SubjectsAll patients with mild traumatic brain injury presenting at the emergency unit of a National Trauma Centre of a Developing Country over 24 months.MethodsPatients information were retrieved from medical record and entered into SPSS spreadsheet. The New Orleans Criteria (NOC) was used to determine indications for brain CT scan. Compliance to the criteria was determined. The CT scan findings were evaluated in all patients that had scan and the findings were compared between those met NOC and those who did not.ResultsOne-hundred and eighteen patients were studied. Majority were males 92 (82%) with mean age of 27 year. Most injuries (66.9%) resulted from road traffic crashes. Among 65 (55.1%) patients who met NOC only 41 (63.1%) had CT scan while 25 (47.2%) patients who did not had CT giving a compliance rate of 58.5%. Twenty three (56.1%) patients who met NOC had abnormal CT compared to 9 (36%) patients that did not. The most common abnormal CT findings in both groups were skull vault fractures (9 for NOC group and 2 for non NOC group) only two patients had surgical intervention and both met NOC criteria.ConclusionsThe compliance for NOC guideline was below average in our Centre. NOC guideline is useful in predicting abnormal CT findings. There is a need for continuous education of emergency physicians to ensure optimal CT scan utilisation in mild TBI.



2005 ◽  
Vol 20 (3) ◽  
pp. 239-256 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jess Kraus ◽  
Kathryn Schaffer ◽  
Kathi Ayers ◽  
Jerome Stenehjem ◽  
Haikang Shen ◽  
...  


BMJ Open ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. e043635
Author(s):  
Marion Richard ◽  
Alfonso Lagares ◽  
Victor Bondanese ◽  
Javier de la Cruz ◽  
Odile Mejan ◽  
...  

IntroductionMild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) is a common cause of clinical consultation in the emergency department. Patients with mTBI may undergo brain CT scans based on clinical criteria. However, the proportion of patients with brain lesions on CT is very low. Two serum biomarkers, glial fibrillar acidic protein (GFAP) and ubiquitin carboxy-terminal hydrolase L1 (UCH-L1), have been shown to discriminate patients regarding the presence or absence of brain lesions on initial CT scan when assessed within the first 12 hours after TBI. However, the current technique for measuring serum concentrations of GFAP and UCH-L1 is manual and time consuming, which may hinder its use in routine clinical practice. This study assesses the diagnostic accuracy of an automated assay for the measurement of serum GFAP and UCH-L1 in a cohort of patients with mTBI who received a CT scan as the standard of care.Methods and analysisThis is a prospective multicentre observational study of 1760 patients with mTBI recruited in France and Spain across 16 participating sites. Adult patients with an initial Glasgow Coma Scale score of 13–15 and a brain CT scan underwent blood sampling within 12 hours after TBI. The primary outcome measure is the diagnostic performance of an automated assay measuring serum concentrations of GFAP and UCH-L1 for discriminating between patients with positive and negative findings on brain CT-scans. Secondary outcome measures include the performance of these two biomarkers in predicting the neurological status and quality of life at 1 week and 3 months after the trauma.Ethics and disseminationEthics approval was obtained by the Institutional Review Board of Sud-Ouest Outre Mer III in France (Re#2019-A01525-52) and Hospital 12 de Octubre in Spain (Re#19/322). The results will be presented at scientific meetings and published in peer-reviewed publications.Trial registration numberClinicalTrials.gov: NCT04032509.



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