PURPOSE: Despite advances in modern medicine, traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) are still a major medical problem. Early diagnosis of TBI is crucial for clinical decision-making and prognosis. This study aims to compare the predictive value of Helsinki, Rotterdam, and Stockholm CT scores in predicting the 6-month outcomes in blunt TBI patients. METHODS: This cohort study was conducted on blunt TBI patients of 15 years or older. All of them were admitted to the surgical emergency department of Shahid Beheshti Hospital in Kashan, Iran from 2020 to 2021 and had abnormal trauma-related findings on brain CT images. The patients' demographic data such as age, gender, history of comorbid conditions, mechanism of trauma, Glasgow coma scale, CT images, length of hospital stay, and surgical procedures were recorded. The Helsinki, Rotterdam, and Stockholm CT scores were simultaneously determined according to the existing guidelines. The included patients' 6-month outcome was determined using the Glasgow outcome scale extended. M Data were analyzed by SPSS software version 16.0. Sensitivity, specificity, negative/positive predictive value and the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve were calculated for each test. The Kappa agreement coefficient and Kuder Richardson-20 were used to compare the scoring systems. RESULTS: Altogether 171 TBI patients met the inclusion and exclusion criteria, with the mean age of (44.9 ± 20.2) years. Most patients were male (80.7%), had traffic related injuries (83.1%) and mild TBIs (64.3%). Patients with lower Glasgow coma scale had higher Helsinki, Rotterdam, and Stockholm CT scores and lower Glasgow outcome scale extended scores. Among all the scoring systems, the Helsinki and Stockholm scores showed the highest agreement in predicting patients' outcomes (kappa = 0.657, p < 0.001). The Rotterdam scoring system had the highest sensitivity (90.1%) in predicting death of TBI patients, whereas the Helsinki scoring system had the highest sensitivity (89.8%) in predicting the 6-month outcome in TBI patients. CONCLUSION The Rotterdam scoring system was superior in predicting death in TBI patients, whereas the Helsinki scoring system was more sensitive in predicting the 6-month outcome.
Humans ; Male ; Young Adult ; Adult ; Middle Aged ; Aged ; Female ; Cohort Studies ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed/methods* ; Brain Injuries, Traumatic/diagnosis* ; Brain Injuries ; Prognosis ; Glasgow Coma Scale ; Wounds, Nonpenetrating/diagnostic imaging* ; Brain

In subarachnoid hemorrhage following traumatic brain injury (TBI), the high intracisternal pressure drives the cerebrospinal fluid into the brain parenchyma, causing cerebral edema. Basal cisternostomy involves opening the basal cisterns to atmospheric pressure and draining cerebrospinal fluid in an attempt to reverse the edema. We describe a case of basal cisternostomy combined with decompressive craniectomy. A 35-year-old man with severe TBI following a road vehicle accident presented with acute subdural hematoma, Glasgow coma scale score of 6, fixed pupils and no corneal response. Opening of the basal cisterns and placement of a temporary cisternal drain led to immediate relaxation of the brain. The patient had a Glasgow coma scale score of 15 on postoperative day 6 and was discharged on day 10. We think basal cisternostomy is a feasible and effective procedure that should be considered in the management of TBI.
Adult ; Brain ; Brain Edema ; Brain Injuries, Traumatic/surgery* ; Decompressive Craniectomy/methods* ; Glasgow Coma Scale ; Humans ; Male ; Treatment Outcome

PURPOSE: Traumatic brain injury (TBI) generally causes mortality and disability, particularly in children. Machine learning (ML) is a computer algorithm, applied as a clinical prediction tool. The present study aims to assess the predictability of ML for the functional outcomes of pediatric TBI. METHODS: A retrospective cohort study was performed targeting children with TBI who were admitted to the trauma center of southern Thailand between January 2009 and July 2020. The patient was excluded if he/she (1) did not undergo a CT scan of the brain, (2) died within the first 24 h, (3) had unavailable complete medical records during admission, or (4) was unable to provide updated outcomes. Clinical and radiologic characteristics were collected such as vital signs, Glasgow coma scale score, and characteristics of intracranial injuries. The functional outcome was assessed using the King's Outcome Scale for Childhood Head Injury, which was thus dichotomized into favourable outcomes and unfavourable outcomes: good recovery and moderate disability were categorized as the former, whereas death, vegetative state, and severe disability were categorized as the latter. The prognostic factors were estimated using traditional binary logistic regression. By data splitting, 70% of data were used for training the ML models and the remaining 30% were used for testing the ML models. The supervised algorithms including support vector machines, neural networks, random forest, logistic regression, naive Bayes and k-nearest neighbor were performed for training of the ML models. Therefore, the ML models were tested for the predictive performances by the testing datasets. RESULTS: There were 828 patients in the cohort. The median age was 72 months (interquartile range 104.7 months, range 2-179 months). Road traffic accident was the most common mechanism of injury, accounting for 68.7%. At hospital discharge, favourable outcomes were achieved in 97.0% of patients, while the mortality rate was 2.2%. Glasgow coma scale score, hypotension, pupillary light reflex, and subarachnoid haemorrhage were associated with TBI outcomes following traditional binary logistic regression; hence, the 4 prognostic factors were used for building ML models and testing performance. The support vector machine model had the best performance for predicting pediatric TBI outcomes: sensitivity 0.95, specificity 0.60, positive predicted value 0.99, negative predictive value 1.0; accuracy 0.94, and area under the receiver operating characteristic curve 0.78. CONCLUSION The ML algorithms of the present study have a high sensitivity; therefore they have the potential to be screening tools for predicting functional outcomes and counselling prognosis in general practice of pediatric TBIs.
Bayes Theorem ; Brain Injuries, Traumatic/therapy* ; Child ; Female ; Glasgow Coma Scale ; Humans ; Machine Learning ; Prognosis ; Retrospective Studies

PURPOSE: Patients' gender, which can be one of the most important determinants of traumatic brain injury (TBI) outcomes, is also likely to interact with many other outcome variables of TBI. This multicenter descriptive study investigated gender differences in epidemiological, clinical, treatment, mortality, and variable characteristics in adult TBI patients. METHODS: The selection criteria were defined as patients who had been diagnosed with TBI and were admitted to the hospital between January 1, 2016 and December 31, 2018. A total of 4468 adult TBI patients were enrolled at eight University Hospitals. Based on the list of enrolled patients, the medical records of the patients were reviewed and they were registered online at each hospital. The registered patients were classified into three groups according to the Glasgow coma scale (GCS) score: mild (13-15), moderate (9-12), and severe (3-8), and the differences between men and women in each group were investigated. The risk factors of moderated and severe TBI compared to mild TBI were also investigated. RESULTS: The study included 3075 men and 1393 women and the proportion of total males was 68.8%. Among all the TBI patients, there were significant differences between men and women in age, past history, and GCS score. While the mild and severe TBI groups showed significant differences in age, past history, and clinical symptoms, the moderate TBI group showed significant differences in age, past history, cause of justice, and diagnosis. CONCLUSION To the best of our knowledge, this multicenter study is the first to focus on gender differences of adult patients with TBI in Korea. This study shows significant differences between men and women in many aspects of adult TBI. Therefore, gender differences should be strongly considered in TBI studies.
Adult ; Brain Injuries ; Brain Injuries, Traumatic/epidemiology* ; Female ; Glasgow Coma Scale ; Humans ; Male ; Prospective Studies ; Sex Factors

OBJECTIVE: To study the value of amplitude-integrated EEG (aEEG), Full Outline of Unresponsiveness (FOUR), and Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) in evaluating the prognosis of children with disturbance of consciousness in the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU). METHODS: A total of 164 children with disturbance of consciousness who were admitted to the PICU of Children's Hospital Affiliated to Soochow University were enrolled as subjects. According to prognosis, they were divided into a poor prognosis group with 111 children and a good prognosis group with 53 children. The results of aEEG monitoring, FOUR score, and GCS score on days 1 and 5 of admission were collected. The association between evaluation methods and prognosis was analyzed. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to evaluate the value of aEEG, FOUR, and GCS in predicting prognosis. RESULTS: The children with no improvement or abnormal aggravation of aEEG on day 5 tended to have a poor prognosis. The results of aEEG was positively correlated with prognosis (r=0.689, P<0.001), and FOUR and GCS were negatively correlated with prognosis (r=-0.655 and -0.554 respectively, P<0.001). The areas under the ROC curve (AUC) of aEEG, FOUR, and GCS were 0.894, 0.903, and 0.840 respectively, and there was no significant difference in the AUC between the three indices (P>0.05), while aEEG combined with FOUR had an AUC of 0.945, which was significantly larger than that of each index alone (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS Both aEEG and FOUR can be used as effective tools to predict the prognosis of children with disturbance of consciousness, and a combination of aEEG and FOUR can improve the predictive value.
Child ; Consciousness ; Electroencephalography ; Glasgow Coma Scale ; Humans ; Prognosis ; ROC Curve

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the causes and clinical features of children with traumatic brain injury (TBI) who need hospitalization or emergency observation. METHODS: A retrospective analysis was performed for the clinical data of 126 children with TBI who were admitted to the emergency department from January 1, 2014 to August 31, 2016, including causes of injury and clinical features. RESULTS: Of the 126 children, there were 95 boys and 31 girls, with a mean age of 2.8 years (range 0.8-5.5 years). The children aged <1 year accounted for 38.1% (48/126), and 26 children died. The two most common types of TBI were epidural hematoma (54.0%) and subarachnoid hemorrhage (50.8%). Of the 126 children, 83 (65.9%) had a Glasgow Coma Scale score of ≤8 within 24 hours after admission. There were different causes of TBI and places where TBI occurred in different age groups. The two leading causes of TBI were falls (51.6%) and road traffic injuries (42.9%). Compared with those in the other age groups, the children in the age <1 year group were most likely to experience injury due to falls (46%; P=0.023). Thirty-five percent of all TBI due to road traffic injuries occurred in the children aged 3-6 years (P<0.001). Most TBI cases occurred at home (47.6%) or on roads/streets (45.2%). Among those who experienced TBI at home, the children aged <1 year accounted for the highest proportion of 48% (P=0.002), and 53% of the patients aged 3-6 years experienced TBI on roads/streets. The most common cause of death in children with TBI was road traffic injury, which accounted for 69%. Among those who died, the children aged <1 year accounted for the highest proportion (62%). CONCLUSIONS There are different causes of TBI and places where TBI occurs in different age groups. Among children with TBI, the children aged <1 year account for the highest proportion and have the highest number of deaths, with falls at home as the most common cause of TBI. Children aged 3-6 years tend to suffer TBI due to road traffic injury. Road traffic injury is the leading cause of death.
Brain Injuries, Traumatic ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Female ; Glasgow Coma Scale ; Hospitalization ; Humans ; Male ; Retrospective Studies

The goal of the present study was to test the reliability and validity of the Japanese version of the Quality of Life after Brain Injury (QOLIBRI) scale. Correlations between the QOLIBRI and Glasgow Coma Scale scores, anxiety, depression, general quality of life (QOL), and demographic characteristics were examined to assess scale validity. The structure of the QOLIBRI was investigated with exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses, as well as the Partial Credit Model. Test–retest reliability was assessed over a 2-week interval. Participants were 129 patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI) recruited from rehabilitation centers in Japan. The QOLIBRI showed good-to-excellent internal consistency (Cronbach's α: 0.82–0.96), test–retest reliability, and validity (r = 0.77–0.90). Factor analyses revealed a 6-factor structure. Compared to an international sample (IS), Japanese patients had lower QOLIBRI scores and lower satisfaction in several domains. There were positive correlations between the QOLIBRI scales and the Short Form 36 Health Survey (r = 0.22–0.41). The Japanese version of the QOLIBRI showed good-to-excellent psychometric properties. Differences between JS and IS may reflect sampling bias and cultural norms regarding self-evaluation. The QOLIBRI could be a useful tool for assessing health-related QOL in individuals with TBI.
Anxiety ; Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; Brain Injuries ; Brain ; Depression ; Diagnostic Self Evaluation ; Glasgow Coma Scale ; Health Surveys ; Humans ; Japan ; Psychometrics ; Quality of Life ; Rehabilitation Centers ; Reproducibility of Results ; Selection Bias ; Weights and Measures

OBJECTIVES: Severe complications of tramadol overdose have been reported; however, few large-scale studies have investigated this issue. Therefore, this study aimed to explore the presentation and complications of tramadol overdose in patients admitted to an intoxication referral center in northwestern Iran. METHODS: Patients with tramadol overdose admitted to Sina Teaching Hospital in Tabriz, Iran during 2013-2017 were included. For each patient, the following data were collected: demographics, previous drug or medication overdose, whether the patient was in the process of quitting drug use, ingested dose of tramadol and co-ingestants, Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) score, clinical symptoms at the time of admission, and admission characteristics. Serotonin toxicity was diagnosed in patients who fit the Hunter criteria. Multiple logistic regression was performed to identify variables associated with the incidence of severe complications of tramadol overdose. RESULTS: In total, 512 cases of tramadol overdose were evaluated, of which 359 patients were included, with a median age of 41 years (range, 16-69) and a median tramadol dose of 1,500 mg (range, 500-4,000). The most frequent complications associated with tramadol overdose were hypertension (38.4%), tachycardia (24.8%), and seizure (14.5%). No serotonin toxicity was detected in patients. Having a GCS score <15, having taken a tramadol dose of >1,000 mg, being in the process of quitting drug use, being 30-49 years old, and male sex were significantly related to the incidence of severe complications of tramadol overdose. CONCLUSIONS: Although seizure was prevalent among Iranian patients with tramadol poisoning, serotonin toxicity and cardiogenic shock were rare findings.
Demography ; Glasgow Coma Scale ; Hospitals, Teaching ; Humans ; Hypertension ; Incidence ; Iran ; Logistic Models ; Male ; Poisoning ; Referral and Consultation ; Seizures ; Serotonin ; Serotonin Syndrome ; Shock, Cardiogenic ; Tachycardia ; Tramadol

OBJECTIVE: Although traumatic brain injury (TBI) occurs in people of all age groups, the elderly population is at a particular risk. The proportion of elderly population in the society is markedly increasing and Korea is one of the most rapidly aging societies. Here, we analyzed the data from 904 patients older over 65 years who were registered in the Korean Neuro-Trauma Data Bank System (KNTDBS).METHODS: The Korean Society of Neurotraumatology recorded data from 20 institutions between September 2010 and March 2014. This retrospective study examined the clinical epidemiology, sex difference, outcome epidemiology, sociodemographic variables, and outcomes in the geriatric population related to TBI based on data from the KNTDBS.RESULTS: The study included 540 men and 364 women. The age distributions in the male and female groups were statistically significantly different. The most common cause of trauma was a fall and diagnosis was acute subdural hematoma. The incidence was the highest in men aged 80–84 years and in women aged 75–79 years. The most common time of arrival to hospital after TBI was within 1 hour and 119 rescue team provided first aid earliest to patients with TBI. The mortality rate stratified according to the cause of trauma was significantly different, with mortality rates of 3.77% in fall and 11.65% in traffic accident. The mortality rates according the severity of brain injury, Glasgow Coma Scale score, and treatment were statistically significant.CONCLUSION: To our knowledge, this study is the first to focus on elderly patients with TBI in Korea and particularly investigate mortality and characteristics related to TBI-related death based on data from the KNTDBS. Although the study has some limitations, our results may be used to obtain useful information to study targeted prevention and more effective treatment options for older TBI patients and establish novel treatment guidelines and health polish for the geriatric population.
Accidents, Traffic ; Age Distribution ; Aged ; Aging ; Brain Injuries ; Diagnosis ; Epidemiology ; Female ; First Aid ; Glasgow Coma Scale ; Hematoma, Subdural, Acute ; Humans ; Incidence ; Korea ; Male ; Mortality ; Retrospective Studies ; Sex Characteristics

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effects of trauma center establishment on the clinical characteristics and outcomes of trauma patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI).METHODS: We enrolled 322 patients with severe trauma and TBI from January 2015 to December 2016. Clinical factors, indexes, and outcomes were compared before and after trauma center establishment (September 2015). The outcome was the Glasgow outcome scale classification at 3 months post-trauma.RESULTS: Of the 322 patients, 120 (37.3%) and 202 (62.7%) were admitted before and after trauma center establishment, respectively. The two groups were significantly different in age (p=0.038), the trauma location within the city (p=0.010), the proportion of intensive care unit (ICU) admissions (p=0.001), and the emergency room stay time (p < ;0.001). Mortality occurred in 37 patients (11.5%). Although the preventable death rate decreased from before to after center establishment (23.1% vs. 12.5%), the difference was not significant. None of the clinical factors, indexes, or outcomes were different from before to after center establishment for patients with severe TBI (Glasgow coma scale score ≤8). However, the proportion of inter-hospital transfers increased and the time to emergency room arrival was longer in both the entire cohort and patients with severe TBI after versus before trauma center establishment.CONCLUSION: We confirmed that for patients with severe trauma and TBI, establishing a trauma center increased the proportion of ICU admissions and decreased the emergency room stay time and preventable death rate. However, management strategies for handling the high proportion of inter-hospital transfers and long times to emergency room arrival will be necessary.
Brain Injuries ; Classification ; Cohort Studies ; Coma ; Emergency Service, Hospital ; Glasgow Coma Scale ; Glasgow Outcome Scale ; Humans ; Intensive Care Units ; Korea ; Mortality ; Retrospective Studies ; Trauma Centers