Journal of neurotrauma
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Journal of neurotrauma · Apr 2018
Xenon Protects against Blast-Induced Traumatic Brain Injury in an In Vitro Model.
The aim of this study was to evaluate the neuroprotective efficacy of the inert gas xenon as a treatment for patients with blast-induced traumatic brain injury in an in vitro laboratory model. We developed a novel blast traumatic brain injury model using C57BL/6N mouse organotypic hippocampal brain-slice cultures exposed to a single shockwave, with the resulting injury quantified using propidium iodide fluorescence. A shock tube blast generator was used to simulate open field explosive blast shockwaves, modeled by the Friedlander waveform. ⋯ Xenon-treated injured slices were not significantly different from uninjured sham slices at 24 h and 72 h. We demonstrate for the first time that xenon treatment after blast traumatic brain injury reduces initial injury and prevents subsequent injury development in vitro. Our findings support the idea that xenon may be a potential first-line treatment for those with blast-induced traumatic brain injury.
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Journal of neurotrauma · Apr 2018
A Description of a New Continuous Physiological Index in Traumatic Brain Injury Using the Correlation between Pulse Amplitude of Intracranial Pressure and Cerebral Perfusion Pressure.
To describe a new continuous index of physiologic measurement in a traumatic brain injury (TBI) population, the moving correlation coefficient between intracranial pressure (ICP) pulse amplitude (AMP) and cerebral perfusion pressure (CPP), which we refer to as RAC. We use patient examples of sustained intracranial hypertension, systemic arterial hypotension, and plateau waves, as well as the retrospective analysis of 358 non-decompressive craniectomy (DC) TBI patients with high-frequency ICP and arterial blood pressure data, to explore the relationships of this new index, RAC, with AMP, ICP, CPP, RAP (correlation coefficient between AMP and ICP), pressure reactivity index (PRx), and pulse amplitude index (PAx). We compared the RAC-CPP relationship to that observed between CPP and both PRx and PAx. ⋯ RAC appears to carry information regarding both cerebrovascular responsiveness and cerebral compensatory reserve. This contributes to RAC's uniqueness and complex interpretation. Further prospective, clinical studies of RAC in CPP optimum estimation and outcome prediction in TBI are required.
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During the last few years, the international community debated urinary tract infection and re-use of catheters when managing neurogenic lower urinary tract dysfunction (NLUTD) among individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI). In this respect, the 2014 Cochrane review by Prieto and colleagues, "Intermittent catheterisation for long-term bladder management," became one of the leading documents that captured the minds and attention of clinicians around the world. Although numerous countries had switched to single-use catheters for management of NLUTD following SCI, the opinion that was expressed in the 2014 Cochrane review had a strong influence on healthcare providers and agencies to recommend re-use of catheters. ⋯ Our appraisal identified crucial discrepancies of data extraction and analyses within the review. In appraisal to that of Prieto and colleagues' review, our analysis revealed a trend to favor single over multiple use of catheters. After addressing our concerns to Cochrane's acting Editor-in-Chief, the most recent version of the 2014 Cochrane review was withdrawn from publication.
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Journal of neurotrauma · Apr 2018
Geriatric Traumatic Brain Injury: Epidemiology, Outcomes, Knowledge Gaps, and Future Directions.
This review of the literature on traumatic brain injury (TBI) in older adults focuses on incident TBI sustained in older adulthood ("geriatric TBI") rather than on the separate, but related, topic of older adults with a history of earlier-life TBI. We describe the epidemiology of geriatric TBI, the impact of comorbidities and pre-injury function on TBI risk and outcomes, diagnostic testing, management issues, outcomes, and critical directions for future research. The highest incidence of TBI-related emergency department visits, hospitalizations, and deaths occur in older adults. ⋯ Yet there are few geriatric-specific TBI guidelines to assist with complex management decisions, and TBI prognostic models do not perform optimally in this population. Major barriers in management of geriatric TBI include under-representation of older adults in TBI research, lack of systematic measurement of pre-injury health that may be a better predictor of outcome and response to treatment than age and TBI severity alone, and lack of geriatric-specific TBI common data elements (CDEs). This review highlights the urgent need to develop more age-inclusive TBI research protocols, geriatric TBI CDEs, geriatric TBI prognostic models, and evidence-based geriatric TBI consensus management guidelines aimed at improving short- and long-term outcomes for the large and growing geriatric TBI population.
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Journal of neurotrauma · Apr 2018
A Scoping Review of Pain in Children after Traumatic Brain Injury: Is There More Than Headache?
Headache is a common source of pain in children after traumatic brain injury (TBI); however, relatively little is known about nonheadache pain in this pediatric population. The present review seeks to map the extant literature to determine the prevalence, characteristics, and impact of nonheadache pain in children post-TBI of all severities. We found that of 109 studies published on pain in children after a TBI, 95 (87%) were focused exclusively on headache pain and only 14 (13%) reported on nonheadache pain or overall pain, with half (n = 7) in the form of case studies. ⋯ Findings of the current review suggest that pain assessment in children post-TBI needs improvement, given that pain is linked to worse recovery, poorer quality of life, and can be long-lasting. More rigorous examination of nonheadache pain and its role in impeding recovery in children post-TBI is imperative and has the potential to improve the care and management of children with TBI. We conclude with recommendations for pain assessment, discuss gaps in the literature, and highlight directions for future research.