Articles: traumatic-brain-injuries.
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For over 50 years, clinicians have used hypothermia to manage traumatic brain injury (TBI). In the last two decades numerous trials have assessed whether hypothermia is of benefit in patients. ⋯ Randomized control trials for short-term hypothermia indicate no benefit in outcome after severe TBI, whereas longer-term hypothermia could be of benefit by reducing ICP. This article summarises current evidence and gives recommendations based upon the conclusions.
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Moderate traumatic brain injury (MTBI) is poorly defined in the literature and the nomenclature "moderate" is misleading, because up to 15 % of such patients may die. MTBI is a heterogeneous entity that shares many aspects of its pathophysiology and management with severe traumatic brain injury. Many patients who ''talk and died'' are MTBI. ⋯ On the other hand, those with higher range GCS (11-13) can be managed more conservatively with serial neurological examination and CT scans. Given the available evidence, MTBI is an entity that needs reclassification. Large-scale and well-designed studies are urgently needed.
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Worldviews Evid Based Nurs · Oct 2016
ReviewSystematic Review of Traumatic Brain Injury and the Impact of Antioxidant Therapy on Clinical Outcomes.
Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is an acquired brain injury that occurs when there is sudden trauma that leads to brain damage. This acute complex event can happen when the head is violently or suddenly struck or an object pierces the skull or brain. The current principal treatment of TBI includes various pharmaceutical agents, hyperbaric oxygen, and hypothermia. There is evidence that secondary injury from a TBI is specifically related to oxidative stress. However, the clinical management of TBI often does not include antioxidants to reduce oxidative stress and prevent secondary injury. ⋯ By incorporating antioxidant therapies into practice, clinicians can help attenuate the oxidative posttraumatic brain damage and optimize patients' recovery.
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Review Meta Analysis
SGEM Hot Off the Press: hypertonic saline in severe traumatic brain injury: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.
As part of the Canadian Journal of Emergency Medicine's (CJEM) developing social media strategy, 1 we are collaborating with the Skeptics' Guide to Emergency Medicine (SGEM) to summarize and critically appraise the current emergency medicine (EM) literature using evidence-based medicine principles. In the "Hot Off the Press" series, we select original research manuscripts published in CJEM to be featured on the SGEM website/podcast and discussed by the study authors and the online EM community. ⋯ Through this series, we hope to enhance the value, accessibility, and application of important, clinically relevant EM research. In this, the second SGEM HOP hosted collaboratively with CJEM, we discuss a systematic review evaluating the use of hypertonic saline in the treatment of severe traumatic brain injury. 2.
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Review
Brain Tissue Oxygen Monitoring and the Intersection of Brain and Lung: A Comprehensive Review.
Traumatic brain injury is a problem that affects millions of Americans yearly and for which there is no definitive treatment that improves outcome. Continuous brain tissue oxygen (PbtO2 ) monitoring is a complement to traditional brain monitoring techniques, such as intracranial pressure and cerebral perfusion pressure. PbtO2 monitoring has not yet become a clinical standard of care, due to several unresolved questions. ⋯ Thus, continuous monitoring of PbtO2 yields important information about both the brain and the lung. The preclinical and clinical studies demonstrating these findings are discussed. In this review, we demonstrate that patient management in a PbtO2 -directed fashion is not the sole answer to the problem of treating traumatic brain injury but is an important adjunct to the armamentarium of multimodal neuromonitoring.