Articles: traumatic-brain-injuries.
-
Meta Analysis
Outcomes After Tracheostomy in Patients with Severe Acute Brain Injury: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
To synthesize reported long-term outcomes in patients undergoing tracheostomy after severe acute brain injury (SABI). ⋯ Our findings suggest that about one in three patients with SABI who undergo tracheostomy may eventually achieve independence. Future research is needed to understand the reasons for the heterogeneity between studies and to identify those patients with promising outcomes as well as factors influencing outcome.
-
Journal of neurotrauma · Jun 2021
Meta AnalysisThe effect of growth hormone on neuropsychological outcomes and quality of life of patients with traumatic brain injury: a systematic review.
One of the most devastating chronic consequences of traumatic brain injury (TBI) is cognitive impairment. One of the possible underlying causes is growth hormone deficiency (GHD) caused by TBI-induced hypopituitarism. Currently, TBI patients are not routinely screened for pituitary function, and there are no standard therapies when GHD is diagnosed. ⋯ After TBI, regardless of GCS, 6-12 months of GH therapy, started in the chronic phase post-TBI, induced a moderate improvement in processing speed and memory capacities, decreased the severity of depression, and led to a marked improvement in quality of life. Limitations include the relatively low number of patients involved and the divergent neuropsychological tests used. These results indicate the need for further multi-centric controlled studies to substantiate the use of GH replacement therapy as a potential tool to alleviate TBI-related cognitive impairment and improve quality of life.
-
Journal of neurotrauma · Jun 2021
ReviewMolecular and DTI Biomarkers of Traumatic Brain Injury: Principles for Investigation and Integration.
The last 20 years have seen the advent of new technologies that enhance the diagnosis and prognosis of traumatic brain injury (TBI). There is recognition that TBI affects the brain beyond initial injury, in some cases inciting a progressive neuropathology that leads to chronic impairments. Medical researchers are now searching for biomarkers to detect and monitor this condition. ⋯ Integration of these technologies could advance models of disease prognosis, ultimately improving care. To date, however, few studies have explored relationships between molecular and DTI variables in patients with TBI. Here, we provide a short primer on each technology, review the latest research, and discuss how these biomarkers may be incorporated in future studies.
-
Post-traumatic headache is a common sequela of traumatic brain injury and is classified as a secondary headache disorder. In the past 10 years, considerable progress has been made to better understand the clinical features of this disorder, generating momentum to identify effective therapies. Post-traumatic headache is increasingly being recognised as a heterogeneous headache disorder, with patients often classified into subphenotypes that might be more responsive to specific therapies. ⋯ The scarcity of evidence-based approaches has left clinicians to choose therapies on the basis of the primary headache phenotype (eg, migraine and tension-type headache) and that are most compatible with the clinical picture. A concerted effort is needed to address these shortcomings and should include large prospective cohort studies as well as randomised controlled trials. This approach, in turn, will result in better disease characterisation and availability of evidence-based treatment options.
-
Curr Opin Crit Care · Jun 2021
ReviewHow do we identify the crashing traumatic brain injury patient - the intensivist's view.
Over 40% of patients with severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) show clinically significant neurological worsening within the acute admission period. This review addresses the importance of identifying the crashing TBI patient, the difficulties appreciating clinical neurological deterioration in the comatose patient and how neuromonitoring may provide continuous real-time ancillary information to detect physiologic worsening. ⋯ One of the central tenets of neurocritical care is to detect the brain in trouble. The first and most fundamental neurological monitoring tool is the clinical exam. Ancillary neuromonitoring data may provide early physiologic biomarkers to help anticipate, prevent or halt secondary brain injury processes. Future research should seek to understand how data integration and visualization technologies may reduce the cognitive workload to improve timely detection of neurological deterioration.