The effect of high dose barbiturate decompression after severe head injury. A controlled clinical trial

Summary Treatment resistant intracranial hypertension after severe head injury has a very high mortality with conventional therapy such as hyperventilation and mannitol infusions. In this report, we describe the use of large doses of thiopental as a means of treating such swelling.From a consecutive series of 107 severe head injuries with a Glasgow Coma Score (GCS) of 6 or below, we selected all patients below 40 years age with a progressive increase in intracranial pressure (ICP) to 40 mm Hg.The first 16 patients (mean age 20 years, mean GCS 4.3) were treated with deep barbiturate coma and hypothermia (32–35 degrees Celsius) until stable lowering of ICP was achieved. The next 15 patients received conventional intensive care and were in other respects very similar to the barbiturate group (mean age 26, mean GCS 5.2).After 9–12 months the outcome was classified according to the Glasgow Outcome Scale (GOS). Therapy with barbiturate coma resulted in 6 good/moderate outcomes, 3 severe and 7 dead/vegetative. Conventional treatment resulted in 2 good/moderate outcomes and 13 dead/vegetative.This is a highly significant difference and cannot easily be explained by more severe injuries or complications in the conventional group. Superior control of ICP was achieved by large doses of thiopental and the final outcome was better.     

Acute subdural hematoma: Outcome and outcome prediction

Patients with traumatic acute subdural hematoma were studied to determine the factors influencing outcome.Between January 1986 and August 1995, we collected 113 patients who underwent craniotomy for traumatic acute subdural hematoma. The relationship between initial clinical signs and the outcome 3 months after admission was studied retrospectively.Functional recovery was achieved in 38% of patients and the mortality was 60%. 91% of patients with a high Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) score (9–15) and 23% of patients with a low GCS score (3–8) achieved functional recovery. All of 14 patients with a GCS score of 3 died. The mortality of patients with GCS scores of 4 and 5 was 95% to 75%, respectively. Patients over 61 years old had a mortality of 73% compared to 64% mortality for those aged 21–40 years. 97% of patients with bilateral unreactive pupil and 81% of patients with unilateral unreactive pupil died. The mortality rates of associated intracranial lesions were 91% in intracerebral hematoma, 87% in subarachnoid hemorrhage, 75% in contusion.Time from injury to surgical evacuation and type of surgical intervention did not affect mortality. Age and associated intracranial lesions were related to outcome. Severity of injury and pupillary response were the most important factors for predicting outcome.     

Efficacy and limitation of postoperative barbiturate therapy in severe head injury

Efficacy and limitation of barbiturate therapy employed as postoperative treatment for acute traumatic intracranial hematomas were studied in 20 patients. The clinical cases in this series included 15 males and 5 females with mean age of 41.8 years who all were operated on for intracranial hematomas within 3 days after injury. Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) score was less than 7 in all instances and intracranial pressure (ICP) as well as arterial pressure was monitored postoperatively with Gaeltec and Gould transducers. Barbiturate therapy (5 mg/kg of thiopental as an initial dose and loading dose of 2-3 mg/kg/hour) was given when ICP rose above 20 mmHg and maintained for 3 days after operation. The outcome of the patients was assessed by Glasgow Outcome Scale 3 months after injury. The response of barbiturate on ICP and the changes of cerebral perfusion pressure (CPP) during the therapy in relation to the outcome were studied. Final outcome of the patients revealed 5 of good (good recovery and moderate disability), 3 of poor (severe disability and vegetative state) outcomes and 60% of mortality rate. Eleven out of 20 patients responded to barbiturate therapy and 0-20 mmHg of ICP reduction (mean reduction of 10 mmHg) was obtained in these cases. Among these cases, 2 out of 3 dead patients were older than 60 years. There were no responses of barbiturate in 7 patients to whom the therapy was started when ICP rose above 40 mmHg. No response of the therapy on ICP was also observed in the patients with GCS score of 3.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

The impact of intracranial pressure monitoring on mortality after severe traumatic brain injury

Background

The effect of intracranial pressure (ICP) monitoring on mortality after severe traumatic brain injury (sTBI) remains unclear. We hypothesized that ICP monitoring would not be associated with improved survival in patients with sTBI.

Methods

A retrospective analysis was performed on sTBI patients, defined as admission Glasgow Coma Scale score of 8 or less with intracranial hemorrhage. Patients who underwent ICP monitoring were compared with patients who did not. The primary outcome measure was inhospital mortality.

Results

Of 123 sTBI patients meeting inclusion criteria, 40 (32.5%) underwent ICP monitoring. On bivariate and multivariate regression analyses, ICP monitoring was associated with decreased mortality (odds ratio = .32, 95% confidence interval = .10 to .99, P = .049). This finding persisted on propensity-adjusted analysis.

Conclusions

ICP monitoring is associated with improved survival in adult patients with sTBI. In addition, significant variability exists in the use of ICP monitoring among patients with sTBI.     

Early enteral nutrition and clinical outcomes of severe traumatic brain injury patients in acute stage: a multi-center cohort study

Guidelines for patients with severe traumatic brain injury (sTBI) published in 2007 recommend providing early nutrition after trauma. Early enteral nutrition (EN) started within 48 h post-injury reduces clinical malnutrition, prevents bacterial translocation from the gastrointestinal tract, and improves outcome in sTBI patients sustaining hypermetabolism and hypercatabolism. The aim of this study was to examine the effect of early EN support on survival rate, Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) score, and clinical outcome of sTBI patients. Medical records of sTBI patients with GCS scores 4-8 were recruited from 18 hospitals in Taiwan, excluding patients with GCS scores ≤3. During 2002-2010, data from 145 EN patients receiving appropriate calories and nutrients within 48 h post-trauma were collected and compared with 152 non-EN controls matched for gender, age, body weight, initial GCS score, and operative status. The EN patients had a greater survival rate and GCS score on the 7th day in the intensive care unit (ICU), and a better outcome at 1 month post-injury. After adjusting for age, gender, initial GCS score, and recruitment period, the non-EN patients had a hazard ratio of 14.63 (95% CI 8.58-24.91) compared with EN patients. The GCS score during the first 7 ICU days was significantly improved among EN patients with GCS scores of 6-8 compared with EN patients with GCS scores of 4-5 and non-EN patients with GCS scores of 6-8. This finding demonstrates that EN within 48 h post-injury is associated with better survival, GCS recovery, and outcome among sTBI patients, particularly in those with a GCS score of 6-8.     

Prognostic value of early computerized tomography scanning following craniotomy for traumatic hematoma.

OBJECT: Patients with head injuries traditionally were categorized on the basis of whether their lesions appeared to be diffuse, focal, or mass lesions on admission computerized tomography (CT) scanning. In the classification of Marshall, et al., the presence of a hematoma (evacuated or not evacuated) is more significant than any diffuse injury (DI). The CT scan appearance after evacuation of a mass lesion has not been analyzed previously in relation to outcome. The authors have investigated the importance of: 1) neurological assessment at hospital admission; 2) the status of the basal cisterns and associated intracranial lesions on the admission CT scan; and 3) the degree of DI on the early CT scan obtained after craniotomy to identify patients at risk for development of raised intracranial pressure (ICP) and lowered cerebral perfusion pressure (CPP) and to discover the influence of the postoperative CT appearance of the lesion on patient outcome. METHODS: The authors prospectively studied 82 patients with isolated, severe closed head injury (Glasgow Coma Scale [GCS] score < or = 8), all of whom had intracranial hematoma. Both ICP and CPP were continuously monitored, and a CT scan was obtained within 2 to 12 hours after craniotomy. The CT images were categorized according to the classification of Marshall, et al. The mortality rate during the hospital stay was 37%, and 50% of the patients achieved a favorable outcome. Compression of the basal cistern on the admission (preoperative) CT scan was associated with raised ICP and a CPP of less than 70 mm Hg but not with any other features or with poor patient outcome. In 53 patients the postoperative CT scan revealed DIs III or IV and 29 patients had DIs I or II. The percentages of time during the hospital stay in which ICP was higher than 20 mm Hg and CPP was lower than 70 mm Hg as well as unfavorable outcome were higher in the group of patients in whom DI III or IV was present (p < 0.001). Raised ICP, CPP lower than 70 mm Hg, DI III or IV, and unfavorable outcome were more frequently observed in patients who presented with a motor (m)GCS score of 3 or less, bilateral unreactive pupils, associated intracranial injuries, and hypotension (p < 0.001). When logistic regression analysis was performed, an mGCS score of 3 or less (p = 0.0013, odds ratio [OR] 10.8), bilateral unreactive pupils (p = 0.0047, OR 31.8), and DI III or IV observed on CT scanning after surgery (p = 0.015, OR 8.9) were independently associated with poor outcome. CONCLUSIONS: Features on CT scans obtained shortly after craniotomy constitute an independent predictor of outcome in patients with traumatic hematoma. Patients in whom DI III or IV appears on postoperative CT scanning, who often present with an mGCS score of 3 or less and nonreactive pupils, are at high risk for the development of raised ICP and lowered CPP.     

Acute subdural hematoma: morbidity, mortality, and operative timing

Traumatic acute subdural hematoma remains one of the most lethal of all head injuries. Since 1981, it has been strongly held that the critical factor in overall outcome from acute subdural hematoma is timing of operative intervention for clot removal; those operated on within 4 hours of injury may have mortality rates as low as 30% with functional survival rates as high as 65%. Data were reviewed for 1150 severely head-injured patients (Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) scores 3 to 7) treated at a Level 1 trauma center between 1982 and 1987; 101 of these patients had acute subdural hematoma. Standard treatment protocol included aggressive prehospital resuscitation measures, rapid operative intervention, and aggressive postoperative control of intracranial pressure (ICP). The overall mortality rate was 66%, and 19% had functional recovery. The following variables statistically correlated (p less than 0.05) with outcome; motorcycle accident as a mechanism of injury, age over 65 years, admission GCS score of 3 or 4, and postoperative ICP greater than 45 mm Hg. The time from injury to operative evacuation of the acute subdural hematoma in regard to outcome morbidity and mortality was not statistically significant even when examined at hourly intervals although there were trends indicating that earlier surgery improved outcome. The findings of this study support the pathophysiological evidence that, in acute subdural hematoma, the extent of primary underlying brain injury is more important than the subdural clot itself in dictating outcome; therefore, the ability to control ICP is more critical to outcome than the absolute timing of subdural blood removal.     

Treatment of acute subdural hematoma with low GCS score

In order to clarify the present problems in the treatment of acute subdural hematoma with low GCS score (5 or less), we studied the difference of the outcomes from two different surgical treatments for these patients. The present series included 30 patients who had GCS scores of 3, 4 or 5, and they were divided into two groups: 16 in DH group who had decompressive hemicraniectomy and 14 in HITT group who had hematoma irrigation with trephination therapy. The mean age of the patients was 47 years. They all had an intensive medical management including barbiturate therapy under intracranial pressure (ICP) monitoring after the operation. Time course of ICP after operation was classified as controlled, high but reduced and uncontrollable, based on the ICP level of 30 mmHg. The outcomes of the patients were determined by use of Glasgow outcome scale and classified into good, poor and dead. In these patients, the outcome was good in 13.3%, poor in 23.3% and dead in 63.4%. There was no survived case in those with GCS score of 3. The mortality rate in older patients over 60 years was high as 81.8%. ICP was well controlled in 2 patients (12.4%) in DH group. But there is no such case in HITT group. Uncontrollable ICP was more frequently seen in HITT group than in DH group. The patients showed different outcomes in the two types of treatment. Good outcome was found in 18.7% and the mortality rate was 56.3% in DH group. On the other hand, only one patient (7.1%) showed good outcome and the mortality rate of 71.4% in HITT group.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Outcomes of blunt head trauma without intracranial pressure monitoring

Although guidelines exist for intracranial pressure (ICP)-guided treatment after head trauma, no conclusive data exist that support routine ICP monitoring. A retrospective case series was reviewed of all patients admitted to the intensive care unit with a diagnosis of blunt head trauma between January 1, 1999 and December 31, 2004. None of the patients in the final analysis had ICP monitoring. Data collected included age, sex, mechanism of injury, Glasgow Coma Score (GCS) at admission, injury severity score, disposition, and length of stay. One hundred thirty-one patients with a median age of 41 years were included. There were 104 men (79%). The median GCS at admission was 12. There were 22 deaths (17% mortality). Stepwise logistic regression analysis identified older age, higher injury severity score, and lower GCS to be predictors of death. The mortality rate was higher in patients with GCS < or =8 compared with GCS >8 (33% vs 8%, respectively; P < 0.001). Ten of 23 patients with a GCS of 3 died (43% mortality). The median time to death for patients with a GCS of 3 was 2 days. Although the Brain Trauma Foundation has published guidelines advocating routine ICP monitoring, no large randomized prospective studies are available to determine its effect on outcome. None of the patients in this study had ICP monitoring. Our overall survival rate of 83 per cent is relatively high. Patients with a low GCS and, specifically, those with a GCS of 3 may not benefit from ICP monitoring because of early and irreversible trauma. Variability in the use of ICP monitoring will remain until ICP monitoring can be conclusively proven to improve outcome.     

Effect of high-dose dexamethasone on outcome from severe head injury

The conflicting evidence concerning the influence of high-dose steroids on intracranial pressure (ICP) and outcome following severe head injury has led to the institution of the prospective double-blind controlled trial reported here. Severely head-injured patients admitted to intensive care during a 3-year period were randomly allocated to a dexamethasone- or placebo-treated group. Adults in the steroid group received dexamethasone, 50 mg intravenously, as a bolus on admission to the neurosurgical unit, then 100 mg on Days 1, 2, and 3, 50 mg on Day 4, and 25 mg on Day 5 on continuous intravenous infusion. Children received proportionate intravenous dosages calculated on a weight basis. Severity of head injury was assessed from admission Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) scores and the appearance of the admission computerized tomography scan. Intracranial pressure (ICP) was monitored in all patients from the surface subarachnoid space. Outcome at 6 months was assessed using the Glasgow Outcome Scale. Steroid and placebo groups were similar in terms of admission GCS score, intracranial pathology, incidence of associated injuries, and time interval from injury to admission to intensive care. The ICP generally increased during the first 48 hours of intensive therapy; there was no difference in this trend between the steroid and placebo groups. A poorer outcome was observed in patients with elevated ICP who received steroids. No increase in the incidence of pulmonary, gastrointestinal, or other extracranial complications was seen in the steroid group. The 6-month outcome did not differ between the steroid and placebo groups. No advantage of high-dose dexamethasone on ICP trends or clinical outcome in the treatment of severe head injury has emerged from this study.     

Use of the bispectral index during the early postresuscitative phase after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest

Non-invasive and real-time measures of neurological status after cardiac arrest are needed to be able to make an early determination of the postresuscitative outcome. We investigated whether the bispectral index (BIS) predicts the postresuscitative outcome in 10 patients with out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. We measured the BIS after return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) in the emergency room and on admission to the intensive care unit (ICU). We determined the Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) on admission to the emergency room and the ICU and the Glasgow Outcome Scale (GOS) on discharge from the ICU. The BIS increased after about 30 min of ROSC or reached a plateau in patients rated as achieving a good recovery or moderate disability, but it did not increase to >80 in patients rated as being in a permanent vegetative state/dead. The GCS on admission to the ICU was the same as that on admission to the emergency room. The BIS values were significantly lower in the nonsurviving group than in the surviving group. There was a positive correlation between the BIS on admission to the ICU and the GOS on discharge from the ICU. The BIS can thus be used to predict the postresuscitative outcome of patients with out-of-hospital cardiac arrest.     

Posttraumatic cerebral hemispheric swelling. Analysis of 55 cases studied with computerized tomography

The authors have analyzed the clinical course and intracranial pressure (ICP) changes in 55 severely head-injured patients presenting with bulk enlargement of one cerebral hemisphere within a few hours after trauma. These patients represent 10.5% of a series of 520 patients with severe head injury studied with computerized tomography (CT). Cerebral hemispheric swelling has the highest mortality rate and the shortest survival period after trauma in all series of severe head injury. In this series, it was associated with an ipsilateral subdural hematoma of variable size in 47 patients (85%) or with a large epidural hematoma in five patients (9%); in three patients (5.4%) it occurred as an isolated lesion. Evacuation of an associated extracerebral hematoma, which was performed within 4 hours after injury in only 20% of cases, scarcely changed the patients' preoperative neurological status. The high incidence of arterial hypotension and/or hypoxemia at admission (47% of cases) and the severity of the clinical presentation (82% of patients scored 5 points or less on the Glasgow Coma Scale, 74% had unilateral or bilateral mydriasis, and 80% had an initial ICP above normal) correlated with a very poor final outcome (87% mortality). Only one of the 11 patients with normal initial ICP continued to have normal pressure throughout the course. High-dose thiopental failed to control severe intracranial hypertension in 24 patients (51%) who had a fulminant, malignant course. A transient decrease in ICP elevation was achieved in 15 patients (31.4%) and definitive control in eight patients (17%), among whom were the seven survivors in this series. In the authors' experience, once ICP is controlled, barbiturate administration should not be discontinued until a control CT scan shows complete disappearance of the mass effect.     

Multiple intracranial lesions in head injury: clinical considerations, prognostic factors, management, and results in 95 patients

BACKGROUND: The goal of this study was to identify clinical and radiological predictors of prognosis in patients with multiple post-traumatic intracranial lesions. METHODS: We reviewed 95 patients (75 male and 20 female) between the ages of 18 and 70 (average 38) admitted between 1993 and 2000 with multiple post-traumatic intracranial lesions. Intracranial pressure (ICP) monitoring was carried out in 67 patients (70%); 77 received intensive care unit (ICU) treatment. Since in all cases it was possible to identify a clearly predominant lesion, 3 groups of patients emerged from the data: the first with extradural hematoma (EDH), the second with a combination of homolateral subdural (SDH) and intracerebral hematoma (ICH), and the third with pure focal intracerebral hematoma (ICH). RESULTS: Twenty-seven patients were treated conservatively, 2 of whom died (7.4%); both had bilateral ICH and compression of the basal cisterns. Sixty-eight patients underwent one or more surgeries; 8 died (11.7%). In the group with EDH-predominant lesions (27 cases) all patients were operated (16 for multiple lesions); no one died. In the group with SDH+ICH-predominant lesions, 26 of 32 patients were operated (10 had multiple procedures); 6 died (18.7%), 3 were vegetative. In the group with ICH-predominant lesion, 15 of 36 patients were operated (7 bilaterally); 4 died (11%).Decompressive craniectomy proved to be a useful means to control ICP. Bilateral lobectomy is not recommended because of poor results. Immediate postoperative computed tomography (CT) scan proved to be mandatory to detect additional surgically treatable lesions (16 cases).Statistical analysis was performed by means of chi(2) analysis and multiple linear regression model. The multiple linear regression model was used to ascertain risk factors independently associated with the outcome. The type of lesion (presence of SDH+ICH predominant lesion), the worst recorded Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) score, the presence of prolonged increased ICP, and the absence of pupillary reflexes were all statistically significant predictors of a bad outcome (dead or vegetative state). CONCLUSIONS: Multiple lesions have the same prognosis as the corresponding single lesions; therefore, their management should be guided by the predominant pathology.     

Cerebral lactate production in relation to intracranial pressure,cranial computed tomography findings,and outcome in patients with severe head injury

Summary Severe head injury is frequently associated with focal or global disturbances of cerebral blood flow and metabolism. Routine monitoring of intracranial pressure (ICP) and cerebral perfusion pressure (CPP) in these patients does not provide information about critically reduced local or global cerebral blood flow. Measurements of cerebral lactate difference, Lactate-Oxygen-Index (LOI) and cerebral oxygen extraction were evaluated for advanced monitoring by comparing these parameters with ICP, cranial computed tomography (CCT) findings, and outcome in a group of severely head-injured patients.In 21 patients with severe brain trauma (GCS 8), arterial as well as jugular venous lactate levels and oxygen saturation were measured in vitro every 6 h after admission of patients to the intensive care unit (ICU) throughout the acute course of treatment. Arterial blood pressure, blood gases, and ICP were assessed by standard monitoring measurements. CCT was performed initially after admission of the patients to the hospital, during the acute period in the ICU, if indicated, and 10 to 14 days after trauma. Outcome was classified according to the Glasgow outcome scale (GOS) at six months after injury. Data were averaged in each patient for every day after trauma and over the entire monitoring period. Resulting values were tested for correlation by regression analysis. Additionally, the data of the group of patients with normal to minimally elevated mean ICP (ICP<20 mmHg, n=12) were compared to those of the patients with increased mean ICP (ICP>20 mmHg, n=9).The cerebral lactate difference in all patients on the day of trauma was significantly increased as compared to the later period (0.20 vs. 0.11-0.07 mmol/L, p<0.05), but was not different with high or normal to minimally elevated ICP. In patients with intracranial hypertension, the cerebral lactate difference remained significantly increased from the first to the fifth day after injury, whereas it normalized in this period in the group with normal to minimally elevated ICP. Averaged over the acute course, patients with increased ICP had significantly higher mean lactate differences (0.18±0.16 vs. 0.067±0.025 mmol/L, p=0.001) and higher mean LOIs (0.072±0.071 vs. 0.028±0.013, p=0.011). There was a significant correlation of increased mean cerebral lactate difference to poor outcome (r=0.46, p=0.035). Cerebral oxygen extraction in all patients tended to increase on the day of trauma (36.7% vs. 29.2% to 31.5% during the subsequent course), but this difference was not significant. The initial degree of brain swelling, classified by CCT according to Marshallet al. (1991), showed no correlation with cerebral lactate differences, ICP, O₂-extraction, or outcome. Neither was there a correlation of cerebral oxygen extraction to ICP nor to outcome.In conclusion, the severity of brain trauma and outcome of patients was reflected by increased cerebral lactate production. Unchanged values of global cerebral oxygen extraction suggest that the regulatory mechanisms of brain oxygen supply were not impaired by trauma. Measurements of cerebral lactate differences and brain oxygen extraction may contribute to advanced monitoring in severe head injury.     

Nonsurgical management of spontaneous intracerebral hematoma

This report describes our experience with the use of osmotic diuretics, governed by continuous monitoring of intracranial pressure (ICP), as the primary treatment for 12 consecutive patients suffering from an acute, supratentorial intracerebral hematoma. In all cases the hematoma, as shown by computed tomographic scan, had a long axis of greater than 4.0 cm. ICP and cerebral perfusion pressure were successfully maintained within the assigned limits in all patients, and in none was surgical evacuation required. There was one death during the 6-month follow-up period. With appropriate weighting to differences in admission status, statistical comparison of the patient outcome in the present series with that reported by McKissock et al. suggests that ICP monitoring can improve the outcome of conservatively (and perhaps surgically) treated patients.     

Efficacy of large decompressive craniectomy in severe traumatic brain injury

Objective： To investigate the role of large decompres- sive craniectomy （LDC） in the management of severe and very severe traumatic brain injury （TBI） and compare it with routine decompressive craniectomy （RDC）.
Methods： The clinical data of 263 patients with severe TBI （GCS~8） treated by either LDC or RDC in our department were studied retrospectively in this article. One hundred and thirty-five patients with severe TBI, including 54 patients with very severe TBI （GCS ≤ 5）, underwent LDC （LDC group）. The other 128 patients with severe TBI, including 49 patients with very severe TBI, underwent RDC （RDC group）. The treatment outcome and postoperative complications of the two treatment methods were compared and analyzed in a 6-month follow-up period.
Results： Ninety-six patients （71.7 %） obtained satisfactory treatment outcome in the LDC group, while only 75 cases （58.6 %） obtained satisfactory outcome in the RDC group （P〈 0.05）. Moreover, the efficacy of LDC in treating very severe TBI was higher than that of RDC （63.0 % vs. 36.7 %, P 〈 0.01）. The chance of reoperation due to refractory intracranial pressure （ICP） in the LDC group was significantly lower than that of the RDC group （P 〈 0.05）, while the incidences of delayed intracranial hematoma and subdural effusion were significantly higher than those of the RDC group （ P 〈 0.05）.
Conclusions： LDC is superior to RDC in improving the treatment outcome of severe TBI, especially the very severe ones. LDC can also efficiently reduce the chances of reoperation due to refractory ICP. However, it increases the incidences of delayed intracranial hematoma and contralateral subdural effusion.     

Who should be hospitalized following mild craniocerebral trauma?]

The frequency of minor closed head injuries is high. These injuries may be complicated by the development of life-threatening intracranial hematomas. A well-defined selection criteria for admission must be proposed to guarantee an efficacious observation. In our series of 489 hospitalized patients with a GCS of 15 when seen in the emergency room: 4 patients required evacuation of an intracranial hematoma, 11 revision of a depressed skull fracture or a compound fracture of base of the anterior fossa. Using the existence of a skull fracture as a selection for admission, a strategy proposed by Jennett and colleagues, it would have been possible to reduce the number of patients hospitalized by 70% without missing a patient who developed an intracranial hematoma. Following these criteria no intracranial hematoma would be missed in our patients with a GCS of 15. We suggest that the use of plain x-rays to identify skull fractures and subsequent hospitalization prevents missing an intracranial hematoma. Those patients with diminished levels of consciousness of focal neurologic deficits require admission irrespective of skull fractures.     

Modifications of intracranial pressure after molecular adsorbent recirculating system treatment in patients with acute liver failure: case reports

Cerebral dysfunction may be fatal in patients with acute liver failure (ALF); intracranial pressure (ICP) monitoring may be mandatory to direct measures to prevent further cerebral edema. Recently the introduction of dialysis with the molecular adsorbent recirculating system (MARS) has improved the outcomes among patients with ALF. The aim of this study was to evaluate ICP changes after MARS treatment among patients with ALF. METHODS: Three patients -- 14, 18 and 16 years old -- were admitted to the ICU for acute liver failure induced by HBV in two cases and by acetaminophen in the other one. Because of Glasgow Coma Score (GCS) <8, they were intubated and ventilated to protect the airway and maintain moderate hypocapnia. Invasive monitoring of intracranial pressure MARS treatments were performed in all patients. RESULTS: The patients received MARS treatments every day after their admission to liver transplantation. After MARS therapy the ICP decreased on average from 21 to 7 mm Hg. Significant hemodynamic modifications were not observed and their neurological conditions improved. CONCLUSION: MARS treatment improved the clinical pictures of these patients increasing the available time to obtain an urgent liver graft.     

Complications of brain tissue pressure monitoring with a fiberoptic device

Seventy-five patients with intracranial hypertension whose Glasgow Coma Score (GCS) was 8 or below and in whom intracranial pressure (ICP) was monitored were examined for complications of this procedure. In 20 of the 75 patients we used only an intraparenchymal fiberoptic ICP monitoring transducer, while, in the remaining 55 patients, who required CSF drainage, a ventricular drainage set (VDS) was used in addition to ICP monitoring. The duration of monitoring with the ICP transducer alone was approximately 5.1 ± 2.6 das (min. 1, max. 13) and that of ICP monitoring with VDS was 6.2 ± 3.1 days (min. 1, max. 13). In 8 cases a total of 9 complications were experienced (12 %). These complications were infection in 3 cases (4 %), epidural hematoma in 2 cases (2.7 %), disconnection in 2 cases (2.7 %) and contusion in 2 cases (2.7 %). Although none of the 44 patients who were monitored for less than 5 days experienced infection, 3 of the 31 patients monitored for longer than 5 days did experience infection (9.7 %) (p < 0.05). None of the 20 patients who underwent ICP monitoring only experienced infection. However, 3 of the 55 patients in whom the ventricular drainage set was implanted in addition to the transducer for ICP monitoring experienced infection (p < 0.05).Owing to its minimally invasive nature, low complication rate, and accuracy in monitoring the parenchyma pressure, the Camino fiberoptic intraparenchymal monitor has become the system of choice in our clinic.     

High-dose dexamethasone therapy in head injury: a patient group that may benefit from therapy.

Three patients with head injuries and focal areas of low density on CT who deteriorated progressively with uncontrollable rising intracranial pressure (ICP) are described. High-dose dexamethasone therapy was followed by a substantial decrease in ICP during the following 24 h. Features that the patients had in common are a young age group, an initial GCS of 10 or more and an elevation of ICP 2 days or longer after admission.