Coma with Glasgow Coma Scale Score 3 at Admission following Acute Head Injury: Experiencing the Complete Recovery Supported through Ayurveda – A Case Report

2019 ◽  
Vol 26 (5) ◽  
pp. 353-360
Author(s):  
Sanjeev Rastogi

Road traffic accidents (RTAs) are a common cause of untimely death, particularly of youth. RTA mortality and morbidity are predominantly associated with trauma to the brain tissue resulting in traumatic brain injury (TBI). The Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) is commonly employed to predict the prognosis of such cases at the time of hospital admission. A lower GCS score is invariably found to be associated with poor prognosis, often resulting in death or severely com­promised recovery. A 17-year-old male suffering from TBI due to a RTA was treated with Ayurveda after initially been kept under modern neurological care. The whole course of Ayurvedic therapy began 2 weeks after the initial trauma, continued for about 3 months, and resulted in coma reversal with near complete recovery. This case is one among few reports describing a complete recovery despite presence of bad prognostic predictors in TBI. This is the first such case reported where Ayurveda was used as the intervention in case of TBI, resulting in coma reversal and near complete recovery of neurological deficits.

1970 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 112-120 ◽  
Author(s):  
MJ Islam ◽  
SK Saha ◽  
MF Elahy ◽  
KMT Islam ◽  
SU Ahamed

Background: Acute extradural haematoma (EDH) remains most common cause of mortality and disability resulting from traumatic brain injury. In the last three decades, improvements in rescue, neuromonitoring, diagnostic procedure and intensive care have led to better outcomes. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the factors influencing the outcome in patients with EDH undergoing surgery treated in a tertiary hospital in Bangladesh. Methods: In this retrospective study, 102 consecutive patients with acute EDH who underwent craniotomy were included. The study was carried out from July 2003 to December 2005. The diagnosis was made clinically and radiologically by CT scan. Patients were grouped on the basis of Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) and operative outcomes were evaluated by Glasgow Outcome Scale (GOS) Results: More than half sampled respondents’ (57%) age were more than 20 years while rests of the patients below 20 years with male predominance (Male: Female -12:1). About 7 in 10 respondents (70.6%) were working. Similarly, majority of the respondents (79.4%) had lost more than 30 ml blood. A notable proportion of the respondents (73.5%) had good GCS score (9-15 score) during admission. Similarly majority of the respondents (70.6%) had GCS score 9-15 and 29.4% had GCS score 3-8 before surgery. Road Traffic Accident (RTA) (65%) is the most common cause of EDH followed by assault (20%) and fall from height (12%). Temporal and temporo-parietal locations were the most common site of EDH (56%). Patients with good GCS before surgery had significantly better outcome (89%) compare to those who had bad GCS (10%). Conclusion: Level of consciousness before surgery is the most important factor affecting the outcome. Hence, early diagnosis and surgical intervention is very essential. Key words: Acute Extradural Haematoma (EDH); Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS); Glasgow Outcome Scale (GOS). DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/bjms.v10i2.7806 Bangladesh Journal of Medical Science Vol.10 No.2 Apr’11 pp.112-120


2022 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 83-90
Author(s):  
Loui K Alsulimani ◽  
Ohoud Baajlan ◽  
Khalid Alghamdi ◽  
Raghad Alahmadi ◽  
Abdullah Bakhsh ◽  
...  

Background: Endotracheal intubation (EI) is a critical life-saving procedure commonly performed on emergency department (ED) patients who present with altered mental status (AMS).  Aims: We aimed to investigate the safety of observing, without EI, patients who present to the ED with decreased levels of consciousness (LOC).  Methods: We reviewed the data of all adult ED patients with a Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) score ≤ 8, during the period between 2012 and 2018, in an academic tertiary care centre. Trauma patients were excluded. The patients were divided into two groups for comparison: those who were intubated and those who were not. Data on mortality, morbidity, and baseline clinical characteristics were collected and analysed.  Results: After screening 6334 electronic medical records of patients presenting to the ED with decreased LOC, only 257 patients met the inclusion criteria. 173 (67.3%) patients were intubated, while 84 (32.7%) were not. Among the intubated patients, 165 (95.4%) were intubated early (within two hours of presentation). Mortality, morbidity and length of stay for the intubated group were higher, although the baseline clinical characteristics were the same.  Conclusion: It might be safe to observe non-trauma emergency patients with a GCS score ≤ 8 without intubation. However, such decision should be taken carefully, as delayed intubation can be associated with higher mortality and morbidity


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (8) ◽  
pp. 1044
Author(s):  
Cristina Daia ◽  
Cristian Scheau ◽  
Aura Spinu ◽  
Ioana Andone ◽  
Cristina Popescu ◽  
...  

Background: We aimed to assess the effects of modulated neuroprotection with intermittent administration in patients with unresponsive wakefulness syndrome (UWS) after severe traumatic brain injury (TBI). Methods: Retrospective analysis of 60 patients divided into two groups, with and without neuroprotective treatment with Actovegin, Cerebrolysin, pyritinol, L-phosphothreonine, L-glutamine, hydroxocobalamin, alpha-lipoic acid, carotene, DL-α-tocopherol, ascorbic acid, thiamine, pyridoxine, cyanocobalamin, Q 10 coenzyme, and L-carnitine alongside standard treatment. Main outcome measures: Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) after TBI, Extended Glasgow Coma Scale (GOS E), Disability Rankin Scale (DRS), Functional Independence Measurement (FIM), and Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MOCA), all assessed at 1, 3, 6, 12, and 24 months after TBI. Results: Patients receiving neuroprotective treatment recovered more rapidly from UWS than controls (p = 0.007) passing through a state of minimal consciousness and gradually progressing until the final evaluation (p = 0.000), towards a high cognitive level MOCA = 22 ± 6 points, upper moderate disability GOS-E = 6 ± 1, DRS = 6 ± 4, and an assisted gait, FIM =101 ± 25. The improvement in cognitive and physical functioning was strongly correlated with lower UWS duration (−0.8532) and higher GCS score (0.9803). Conclusion: Modulated long-term neuroprotection may be the therapeutic key for patients to overcome UWS after severe TBI.


2011 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 276-281 ◽  
Author(s):  
Abrar A. Wani ◽  
Altaf U. Ramzan ◽  
Nayil K. Malik ◽  
Abdul Qayoom ◽  
Furqan A. Nizami ◽  
...  

Object This study was conducted both prospectively and retrospectively at one center over a period of 8 years. The population consisted of all patients with both an age 18 years or younger and a diagnosed penetrating missile injury (PMI) during the study interval. The authors analyzed factors determining outcome and demographic trends in this population, and they compared them with those in the more developed world Methods Fifty-one patients were the victims of armed conflict, although no one was directly a party to any battle. This mechanism of injury is in strong opposition to data in the literature from developed countries, in which most missile injuries are the result of suicide or homicide or are even sports related. Moreover, all previous studies on the pediatric population have considered only injuries from gunshots, but authors of the current study have included injuries from other penetrating missiles as well. Results On cross tabulation analysis using the chi-square test, the factors shown to correlate with outcome included the Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) score, pupillary abnormalities, patient age, hemodynamic status, and bihemispheric damage. On multinomial regression analysis, the two strongest predictors of death were GCS score and pupillary abnormalities. The GCS score and hemodynamic status were the strongest predictors of disability. Conclusions There was no difference in the prognostic factors for PMI between developing or more developed countries. Glasgow Coma Scale score, pupillary abnormalities, and hemodynamic status were the strongest predictors of outcome. In conflict zones in developing countries the victims were mostly innocent bystanders, whereas in the more developed countries homicides and suicides were the leading etiological factors.


2016 ◽  
Vol 43 (6) ◽  
pp. 458-465 ◽  
Author(s):  
VLAUDIMIR DIAS MARQUES ◽  
MAURICIO MEDEIROS LEMOS ◽  
CESAR ORLANDO PERALTA BANDEIRA ◽  
AMÉLIA CRISTINA SEIDEL ◽  
SANDRA MARIA PELOSO ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Objective: to evaluate the care for victims of traffic accidents by on call emergency physicians and/or surgeons in the emergency room. Methods: we conducted a retrospective, descriptive and exploratory study on the care for traffic accidents victims in the urban area of Maringá-PR, between July 2013 and July 2014 in reference hospitals. We assessed demographics and vocational training through a questionnaire sent to the attending physicians. Results: of the 688 records evaluated, 99% of patients had a prehospital Revised Trauma Score of 12. Statistical analysis showed that in the cases conducted by the emergency physicians (n=187), the recording of the Glasgow Coma Scale and the performance of surgical procedures were less common, whereas the recording of blood pressure values was performed in greater numbers when compared with cases led by surgeons (n=501). There was a statistically significant relationship (p<0.01) between the length of hospital stay and surgical specialty, with a greater chance (crude OR=28) in the period from one to six hours for the group treated by emergency doctors. Most physicians participating in the study were young, with emergency room time of up to one to two years, and with ATLS training. Among those who had attended the ATLS course, 60% did so in the last four years. Surgeons performed 73% of hospital treatments. Conclusion: in the care of traffic victims with minor injuries, the Glasgow Coma Scale, the blood pressure levels, the type of treatment in the emergency room and hospital stay had different approaches between emergency physicians and surgeons.


Author(s):  
Subrat Kumar Pradhan ◽  
Himansu Prasad Acharya ◽  
Rudra Prasanna Mishra ◽  
Jay Kumar Panda ◽  
Durga Madhab Satapathy ◽  
...  

Background: Injuries are an increasingly recognized global, preventable public health problem and are an important cause of mortality and morbidity in adult population. The major causes of injury related deaths may be intentional and unintentional. The major unintentional or “accidental” causes are road traffic accidents (RTAs), falls and drowning whereas the leading intentional causes are suicide and homicide. A robust Surveillance System for Injury Mortality is almost non-existent in our country due to which the data for the same is not available and haphazard. Keeping these factors in mind, the following study was under taken to identify the various epidemiological factors related to fatal injury cases.Methods: A record based retrospective study was conducted in the Department of Community Medicine, VSSIMAR, Burla, Odisha. The data were collected from the autopsy reports preserved at the Dept of FM & T, VSSIMSAR. Variables like age, sex, number of injury cause of death, place of death etc. were collected. Data were entered in Microsoft Excel and analysed using proportions and percentages.Results: The age group 25-44 years recorded the maximum number of deaths (37.49%). Males suffered the highest casualty accounting for 61.85% of deaths. Unintentional fatal injuries constituted 63.58% of deaths. The most number of fatal injuries resulting in deaths were RTAs (36.41%).Conclusions: The age group 25-44 years recorded maximum deaths. Males were the major death victims. RTAs constituted maximum of deaths among unintentional fatal injuries. Homicidal injuries constituted maximum of deaths due to intentional fatal injuries.


Author(s):  
David L Brody

A concussion is a traumatic brain injury, but not an immediately life threatening one. A traumatic brain injury occurs when a sudden force is applied to the brain from outside. But not every force causes a concussion. In fact, most do not. The scalp, skull, and dura do a pretty good job protecting our brains from most of what happens to us on a daily basis. A traumatic brain injury means that the force applied to the brain caused a disruption in the brain’s structure, an impairment of the brain’s function, or both. A CT scan or an MRI scan may be negative, but this does not mean that there has not been a concussion. Traumatic brain injury, especially concussion, is a clinical diagnosis, not based on any lab test or scan. Typically, patients with concussion have Glasgow Coma Scale between 13 and 15.


2018 ◽  
Vol 128 (6) ◽  
pp. 1612-1620 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul M. Brennan ◽  
Gordon D. Murray ◽  
Graham M. Teasdale

OBJECTIVEGlasgow Coma Scale (GCS) scores and pupil responses are key indicators of the severity of traumatic brain damage. The aim of this study was to determine what information would be gained by combining these indicators into a single index and to explore the merits of different ways of achieving this.METHODSInformation about early GCS scores, pupil responses, late outcomes on the Glasgow Outcome Scale, and mortality were obtained at the individual patient level by reviewing data from the CRASH (Corticosteroid Randomisation After Significant Head Injury; n = 9,045) study and the IMPACT (International Mission for Prognosis and Clinical Trials in TBI; n = 6855) database. These data were combined into a pooled data set for the main analysis.Methods of combining the Glasgow Coma Scale and pupil response data varied in complexity from using a simple arithmetic score (GCS score [range 3–15] minus the number of nonreacting pupils [0, 1, or 2]), which we call the GCS-Pupils score (GCS-P; range 1–15), to treating each factor as a separate categorical variable. The content of information about patient outcome in each of these models was evaluated using Nagelkerke’s R2.RESULTSSeparately, the GCS score and pupil response were each related to outcome. Adding information about the pupil response to the GCS score increased the information yield. The performance of the simple GCS-P was similar to the performance of more complex methods of evaluating traumatic brain damage. The relationship between decreases in the GCS-P and deteriorating outcome was seen across the complete range of possible scores. The additional 2 lowest points offered by the GCS-Pupils scale (GCS-P 1 and 2) extended the information about injury severity from a mortality rate of 51% and an unfavorable outcome rate of 70% at GCS score 3 to a mortality rate of 74% and an unfavorable outcome rate of 90% at GCS-P 1. The paradoxical finding that GCS score 4 was associated with a worse outcome than GCS score 3 was not seen when using the GCS-P.CONCLUSIONSA simple arithmetic combination of the GCS score and pupillary response, the GCS-P, extends the information provided about patient outcome to an extent comparable to that obtained using more complex methods. The greater range of injury severities that are identified and the smoothness of the stepwise pattern of outcomes across the range of scores may be useful in evaluating individual patients and identifying patient subgroups. The GCS-P may be a useful platform onto which information about other key prognostic features can be added in a simple format likely to be useful in clinical practice.


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