Articles: traumatic-brain-injuries.
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Frontiers in neurology · Jan 2017
ReviewCerebral Microdialysis Monitoring to Improve Individualized Neurointensive Care Therapy: An Update of Recent Clinical Data.
Cerebral microdialysis (CMD) allows bedside semicontinuous monitoring of patient brain extracellular fluid. Clinical indications of CMD monitoring are focused on the management of secondary cerebral and systemic insults in acute brain injury (ABI) patients [mainly, traumatic brain injury (TBI), subarachnoid hemorrhage, and intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH)], specifically to tailor several routine interventions-such as optimization of cerebral perfusion pressure, blood transfusion, glycemic control and oxygen therapy-in the individual patient. Using CMD as clinical research tool has greatly contributed to identify and better understand important post-injury mechanisms-such as energy dysfunction, posttraumatic glycolysis, post-aneurysmal early brain injury, cortical spreading depressions, and subclinical seizures. ⋯ Recent consensus statements have provided guidelines and recommendations for CMD monitoring in neurocritical care. Here, we summarize recent clinical investigation conducted in ABI patients, specifically focusing on the role of CMD to guide individualized intensive care therapy and to improve our understanding of the complex disease mechanisms occurring in the immediate phase following ABI. Promising brain biomarkers will also be described.
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A neurocatastrophe or severe brain injury (SBI) is a central nervous system insult associated with a high likelihood of death or severe disability. While many etiologic processes may lead to SBI, the most common and best-studied clinical paradigms are traumatic brain injury and anoxic-ischemic encephalopathy following cardiac arrest. Clinical phenotypes following SBI include acute and chronic disorders of consciousness as well as a range of cognitive and behavioral impairments. ⋯ Yet existing scores fail to classify outcomes with the accuracy that would support individual patient-level decision making. Improved prognostication will likely depend on the use of molecular and imaging data that capture unique biologic features in individual patients with SBI. The integration of these additional layers of information will require iterative computational approaches.
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With nearly 42 million mild traumatic brain injuries (mTBIs) occurring worldwide every year, understanding the factors that may adversely influence recovery after mTBI is important for developing guidelines in mTBI management. Extensive clinical evidence exists documenting the detrimental effects of elevated temperature levels on recovery after moderate to severe TBI. However, whether elevated temperature alters recovery after mTBI or concussion is an active area of investigation. ⋯ Preclinical mTBI studies have found that elevating brain temperature to 39°C before mTBI significantly increases neuronal death within the cortex and hippocampus and also worsens cognitive deficits. This review summarizes the pathology and behavioral problems of mTBI that are exacerbated by hyperthermia and discusses whether hyperthermia is a variable that should be considered after concussion and mTBI. Finally, underlying pathophysiological mechanisms responsible for hyperthermia-induced altered responses to mTBI and potential gender considerations are discussed.
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The purpose of this paper is to review the clinical and research utility and applications of blood, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), and cerebral microdialysis biomarkers in traumatic brain injury (TBI). ⋯ The identification of biofluid biomarkers could play a vital role in identifying, diagnosing, and treating the underlying individual pathobiological changes of TBI. CNS-derived exosomes analyzed by ultra-high sensitivity detection methods have the potential to identify blood biomarkers for the range of TBI severity and time course.
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Journal of neurotrauma · Dec 2016
ReviewCurrent Opinion and Use of Transcranial Doppler Ultrasonography in Traumatic Brain Injury in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit.
The purpose of this study was to identify and review clinical studies using transcranial Doppler (TCD) ultrasonography in children with severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) in the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU). We identified 16 articles from January 2005 to July 2015 that met inclusion (TBI, five or more cases in case series, subjects <18 years old, TCD performed in PICU) and exclusion criteria (age not stated, data from subjects <18 years not separated from adult data, <85% study population <18 years in mixed population with adults). TCD parameters were used to assess autoregulation, intracranial pressure, and vasospasm, and to predict neurological outcome. ⋯ TCD may be a useful tool to assess autoregulation, intracranial pressure, and vasospasm following TBI in the PICU. Further research is needed to establish gold standards and validate the findings in children. TCD may then impact day-to-day management in the PICU, and potentially improve outcomes in children with severe TBI.