Traumatic Brain Injury
Anjni Joiner
Search for more papers by this authorAnjni Joiner
Search for more papers by this authorDavid C. Cone MD
Professor of Emergency Medicine
Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut
Search for more papers by this authorJane H. Brice MD, MPH
Professor of Emergency Medicine
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
Search for more papers by this authorTheodore R. Delbridge MD, MPH
Executive Director
Maryland Institute for Emergency Medical Services Systems, Baltimore, Maryland
Search for more papers by this authorJ. Brent Myers MD, MPH
Chief Medical Officer ESO Associate Medical Director
Wake County EMS, Raleigh, North Carolina
Search for more papers by this authorSummary
Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a common cause of death and disability. Primary prevention is focused on injury prevention programs, education, and policies. Prehospital care is focused on rapid identification and prevention of secondary brain injury through appropriate volume resuscitation and maintaining adequate oxygenation and ventilation. Evidence does not support prehospital intubation for pediatric patients with TBI. Prehospital intubation by ground transport services in adult patients with severe TBI is also not supported, but may be of benefit in some systems with resources to ensure appropriate training and monitoring. Available evidence does not support the use of hyperosmolar agents in the prehospital setting. Concussions are a form of mild TBI and EMS personnel are often the first on scene for sports-related concussions. A structured approach to evaluating these patients is encouraged. Transportation and destination protocols for trauma and TBI patients should be implemented to support decision making. Adult patients with moderate and severe TBI should be transported to a Level I or Level II trauma center, and pediatric patients should be transported to a pediatric trauma center when available.
References
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention . Surveillance Report of Traumatic Brain Injury-Related Emergency Department Visits, Hospitalizations, and Deaths—United States, 2014 . Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services ; 2019 . Available from: https://www.cdc.gov/traumaticbraininjury/pdf/TBI-Surveillance-Report-508.pdf
- Reid LD , Fingar KR . Inpatient Stays and Emergency Department Visits Involving Traumatic Brain Injury, 2017 . HCUP Statistical Brief #255 [Internet]. Rockville, MD : Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality ; 2020 [cited September 12, 2020]. Available from: https://hcup-us.ahrq.gov/reports/statbriefs/sb255-Traumatic-Brain-Injury-Hospitalizations-ED-Visits-2017.jsp .
- Taylor CA , Bell JM , Breiding MJ , Xu L . Traumatic brain injury–related emergency department visits, hospitalizations, and deaths—United States, 2007 and 2013 . MMWR . 2017 ; 66 : 1 – 16 .
- Park E , Bell JD , Baker AJ . Traumatic brain injury: can the consequences be stopped? CMAJ . 2008 ; 178 : 1163 – 70 .
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention . Brain Injury Safety Tips and Prevention . Available at: cdc.gov/headsup/basics/concussion_prevention.html . Accessed Sept 12, 2020 .
- Whitmore RG , Thawani JP , Grady MS , Levine JM , Sanborn MR , Stein SC . Is aggressive treatment of traumatic brain injury cost-effective? J Neurosurg . 2012 ; 116 : 1106 – 13 .
- Spaite DW , Bobrow BJ , Keim SM , et al. Association of statewide implementation of the prehospital traumatic brain injury treatment guidelines with patient survival following traumatic brain injury: the Excellence in Prehospital Injury Care (EPIC) study . JAMA Surg . 2019 ; 154 : e191152 .
- Yeh DD , Velmahos GC . Prehospital intubation for traumatic brain injury: do it correctly, or not at all: Perspectives . ANZ J Surg . 2012 ; 82 : 484 – 5 .
- Chesnut RM , Marshall LF , Klauber MR , et al. The role of secondary brain injury in determining outcome from severe head injury . J Trauma . 1993 ; 34 : 216 – 22 .
- Davis DP , Dunford JV , Poste JC , et al. The impact of hypoxia and hyperventilation on outcome after paramedic rapid sequence intubation of severely head-injured patients . J Trauma . 2004 ; 57 : 1 – 8 .
- Fearnside MR , Cook RJ , McDougall P , McNeil RJ . The Westmead Head Injury Project outcome in severe head injury. A comparative analysis of pre-hospital, clinical and CT variables . Br J Neurosurg . 1993 ; 7 : 267 – 79 .
- Ong L , Selladurai BM , Dhillon MK , Atan M , Lye MS . The prognostic value of the Glasgow Coma Scale, hypoxia and computerised tomography in outcome prediction of pediatric head injury . Pediatr Neurosurg . 1996 ; 24 : 285 – 91 .
- Manley G , Knudson MM , Morabito D , Damron S , Erickson V , Pitts L . Hypotension, hypoxia, and head injury: frequency, duration, and consequences . Arch Surg . 2001 ; 136 : 1118 – 23 .
- Pigula FA , Wald SL , Shackford SR , Vane DW . The effect of hypotension and hypoxia on children with severe head injuries . J Pediatr Surg . 1993 ; 28 : 310 – 4 .
- McHugh GS , Engel DC , Butcher I , et al. Prognostic value of secondary insults in traumatic brain injury: results from the IMPACT study . J Neurotrauma . 2007 ; 24 : 287 – 93 .
- Miller JD , Sweet RC , Narayan R , Becker DP . Early insults to the injured brain . JAMA . 1978 ; 240 : 439 – 42 .
- Gentleman D . Causes and effects of systemic complications among severely head injured patients transferred to a neurosurgical unit . Int Surg . 1992 ; 77 : 297 – 302 .
- Hill DA , Abraham KJ , West RH . Factors affecting outcome in the resuscitation of severely injured patients . Aust N Z J Surg . 1993 ; 63 : 604 – 9 .
- Davis DP , Dunford JV , Ochs M , Park K , Hoyt DB . The use of quantitative end-tidal capnometry to avoid inadvertent severe hyperventilation in patients with head injury after paramedic rapid sequence intubation . J Trauma . 2004 ; 56 : 808 – 14 .
- Manley GT , Hemphill JC , Morabito D , et al. Cerebral oxygenation during hemorrhagic shock: perils of hyperventilation and the therapeutic potential of hypoventilation . J Trauma . 2000 ; 48 : 1025 – 32 .
- Gaither JB , Spaite DW , Bobrow BJ , et al. Balancing the potential risks and benefits of out-of-hospital intubation in traumatic brain injury: the intubation/hyperventilation effect . Ann Emerg Med . 2012 ; 60 : 732 – 6 .
- Badjatia N , Carney N , Crocco TJ , et al. Guidelines for prehospital management of traumatic brain injury 2nd edition . Prehosp Emerg Care . 2008 ; 12 : S1 – 52 .
- American College of Surgeons Committee on Trauma . Advanced Trauma Life Support® Student Course Manual . 10th ed. Chicago, IL : American College of Surgeons , 2018 .
- Gausche M , Lewis RJ , Stratton SJ , et al. Effect of out-of-hospital pediatric endotracheal intubation on survival and neurological outcome: a controlled clinical trial . JAMA . 2000 ; 283 : 783 – 90 .
- Cooper A , DiScala C , Foltin G , Tunik M , Markenson D , Welborn C . Prehospital endotracheal intubation for severe head injury in children: a reappraisal . Semin Pediatr Surg . 2001 ; 10 : 3 – 6 .
-
Teasdale G
,
Jennett B
.
Assessment of coma and impaired consciousness
.
Lancet
.
1974
;
304
:
81
–
4
.
10.1016/S0140-6736(74)91639-0 Google Scholar
- Menegazzi JJ , Davis EA , Sucov AN , Paris PM . Reliability of the Glasgow Coma Scale when used by emergency physicians and paramedics . J Trauma . 1993 ; 34 : 46 – 8 .
- Gómez PA , Lobato RD , Ortega JM , De La Cruz J . Mild head injury: differences in prognosis among patients with a Glasgow Coma Scale score of 13 to 15 and analysis of factors associated with abnormal CT findings . Br J Neurosurg . 1996 ; 10 : 453 – 60 .
- Norwood SH , McAuley CE , Berne JD , Vallina VL , Creath RG , McLarty J . A prehospital Glasgow Coma Scale score < or = 14 accurately predicts the need for full trauma team activation and patient hospitalization after motor vehicle collisions . J Trauma . 2002 ; 53 : 503 – 7 .
- Majidi S , Siddiq F , Qureshi AI . Prehospital neurologic deterioration is independent predictor of outcome in traumatic brain injury: analysis from National Trauma Data Bank . Am J Emerg Med . 2013 ; 31 : 1215 – 9 .
- Gill M , Martens K , Lynch EL , Salih A , Green SM . Interrater reliability of 3 simplified neurologic scales applied to adults presenting to the emergency department with altered levels of consciousness . Ann Emerg Med . 2007 ; 49 : 4037 .
- Hoffmann F , Schmalhofer M , Lehner M , Zimatschek S , Grote V , Reiter K . Comparison of the AVPU scale and the pediatric GCS in prehospital setting . Prehosp Emerg Care . 2016 ; 20 : 493 – 8 .
- Thompson DO , Hurtado TR , Liao MM , Byyny RL , Gravitz C , Haukoos JS . Validation of the Simplified Motor Score in the out-of-hospital setting for the prediction of outcomes after traumatic brain injury . Ann Emerg Med . 2011 ; 58 : 417 – 25 .
- Signorini DF , Andrews PJ , Jones PA , Wardlaw JM , Miller JD . Predicting survival using simple clinical variables: a case study in traumatic brain injury . J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry . 1999 ; 66 : 20 – 5 .
- Jiang J-Y , Gao G-Y , Li W-P , Yu M-K , Zhu C . Early indicators of prognosis in 846 cases of severe traumatic brain injury . J Neurotrauma . 2002 ; 19 : 869 – 74 .
- Parry-Jones BL , Vaughan FL , Miles Cox W . Traumatic brain injury and substance misuse: a systematic review of prevalence and outcomes research (1994–2004) . Neuropsychol Rehabil . 2006 ; 16 : 537 – 60 .
- Shahin H , Gopinath SP , Robertson CS . Influence of alcohol on early Glasgow Coma Scale in head-injured patients . J Trauma . 2010 ; 69 : 1176 – 81 .
- Uccella L , Bongetta D , Fumagalli L , Raffa G , Zoia C . Acute alcohol intoxication as a confounding factor for mild traumatic brain injury . Neurol Sci . 2020 ; 41 : 2127 – 34 .
- Sasser SM , Hunt RC , Faul M , et al. Guidelines for field triage of injured patients: recommendations of the National Expert Panel on Field Triage, 2011 . MMWR . 2012 ; 61 : 1 – 20 .
- Blissitt PA . Care of the critically ill patient with penetrating head injury . Crit Care Nurs Clin North Am . 2006 ; 18 : 321 – 32 .
- Gressot LV , Chamoun RB , Patel AJ , et al. Predictors of outcome in civilians with gunshot wounds to the head upon presentation . J Neurosurg . 2014 ; 121 : 645 – 52 .
- Murray JA , Demetriades D , Berne TV , et al. Prehospital intubation in patients with severe head injury . J Trauma . 2000 ; 49 : 1065 – 70 .
- Adelson PD , Bratton SL , Carney NA , et al. Guidelines for the acute medical management of severe traumatic brain injury in infants, children, and adolescents. Chapter 3. Prehospital airway management . Pediatr Crit Care Med . 2003 ; 4 : S9 – 11 .
- Davis DP , Hoyt DB , Ochs M , et al. The effect of paramedic rapid sequence intubation on outcome in patients with severe traumatic brain injury . J Trauma . 2003 ; 54 : 444 – 53 .
- Stockinger ZT , McSwain NE . Prehospital endotracheal intubation for trauma does not improve survival over bag-valve-mask ventilation . J Trauma . 2004 ; 56 : 531 – 6 .
- Wang HE , Peitzman AB , Cassidy LD , Adelson PD , Yealy DM . Out-of-hospital endotracheal intubation and outcome after traumatic brain injury . Ann Emerg Med . 2004 ; 44 : 439 – 50 .
- Davis DP , Peay J , Sise MJ , et al. The impact of prehospital endotracheal intubation on outcome in moderate to severe traumatic brain injury . J Trauma . 2005 ; 58 : 933 – 9 .
- Davis DP , Koprowicz KM , Newgard CD , et al. The relationship between out-of-hospital airway management and outcome among trauma patients with Glasgow Coma Scale scores of 8 or less . Prehosp Emerg Care . 2011 ; 15 : 184 – 92 .
- Davis DP , Stern J , Sise MJ , Hoyt DB . A follow-up analysis of factors associated with head-injury mortality after paramedic rapid sequence intubation . J Trauma . 2005 ; 59 : 486 – 90 .
- Lecky F , Bryden D , Little R , Tong N , Moulton C . Emergency intubation for acutely ill and injured patients . Cochrane Database Syst Rev . 2008 ; 2 :CD001429.
- Pepe PE , Roppolo LP , Fowler RL . Prehospital endotracheal intubation: elemental or detrimental? Crit Care . 2015 ; 19 : 121 .
- Bernard SA , Nguyen V , Cameron P , et al. Prehospital rapid sequence intubation improves functional outcome for patients with severe traumatic brain injury: a randomized controlled trial . Ann Surg . 2010 ; 252 : 959 – 65 .
- Thomas SH , Orf J , Wedel SK , Conn AK . Hyperventilation in traumatic brain injury patients: inconsistency between consensus guidelines and clinical practice . J Trauma . 2002 ; 52 : 47 – 52 .
- Wakai A , McCabe A , Roberts I , Schierhout G . Mannitol for acute traumatic brain injury . Cochrane Database Syst Rev . 2013 ; 8 :CD001049.
- Bulger EM , May S , Brasel KJ , et al. Out-of-hospital hypertonic resuscitation following severe traumatic brain injury: a randomized controlled trial . JAMA . 2010 ; 304 : 1455 – 64 .
- SAFE Study Investigators, Australian and New Zealand Intensive Care Society Clinical Trials Group, Australian Red Cross Blood Service , et al. Saline or albumin for fluid resuscitation in patients with traumatic brain injury . N Engl J Med . 2007 ; 357 : 874 – 84 .
- Roberts I , Yates D , Sandercock P , et al. Effect of intravenous corticosteroids on death within 14 days in 10008 adults with clinically significant head injury (MRC CRASH trial): randomised placebo-controlled trial . Lancet . 2004 ; 364 : 1321 – 8 .
- Bennett KS , DeWitt PE , Harlaar N , Bennett TD . Seizures in children with severe traumatic brain injury . Pediatr Crit Care Med . 2017 ; 18 : 54 – 63 .
- Sagalyn E , Band RA , Gaieski DF , Abella BS . Therapeutic hypothermia after cardiac arrest in clinical practice: review and compilation of recent experiences . Crit Care Med . 2009 ; 37 : S223 – 6 .
- Farag E , Manno EM , Kurz A . Use of hypothermia for traumatic brain injury: point of view . Minerva Anestesiol . 2011 ; 77 : 366 – 70 .
- Dunkley S , McLeod A . Therapeutic hypothermia in patients following traumatic brain injury: a systematic review . Nurs Crit Care . 2017 ; 22 : 150 – 60 .
- Boer C , Franschman G , Loer SA . Prehospital management of severe traumatic brain injury: concepts and ongoing controversies . Curr Opin Anaesthesiol . 2012 ; 25 : 556 – 62 .
- Langlois JA , Rutland-Brown W , Wald MM . The epidemiology and impact of traumatic brain injury: a brief overview . J Head Trauma Rehabil . 2006 ; 21 : 375 – 8 .
- Kerr ZY , Chandran A , Nedimyer AK , Arakkal A , Pierpoint LA , Zuckerman SL . Concussion incidence and trends in 20 high school sports . Pediatrics . 2019 ; 144 : e20192180 .
- Harmon KG , Clugston JR , Dec K , et al. American Medical Society for Sports Medicine position statement on concussion in sport . Br J Sports Med . 2019 ; 53 : 213 – 25 .
- Lumba-Brown A , Yeates KO , Sarmiento K , et al. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guideline on the diagnosis and management of mild traumatic brain injury among children . JAMA Pediatr . 2018 ; 172 : e182853 .
- Carroll LJ , Cassidy JD , Holm L , Kraus J , Coronado VG , WHO Collaborating Centre Task Force on Mild Traumatic Brain Injury . Methodological issues and research recommendations for mild traumatic brain injury: the WHO Collaborating Centre Task Force on Mild Traumatic Brain Injury . J Rehabil Med . 2004 ; 43 : 113 – 25 .
- Echemendia RJ , Meeuwisse W , McCrory P , et al. The Sport Concussion Assessment Tool, 5th Ed. (SCAT5): background and rationale . Br J Sports Med . 2017 ; 51 : 848 – 50 .
- Davis GA , Purcell L , Schneider KJ , et al. The Child Sport Concussion Assessment Tool, 5th Ed. (Child SCAT5): background and rationale . Br J Sports Med . 2017 ; 51 : 859 – 61 .
- Echemendia RJ , Meeuwisse W , McCrory P , et al. The Concussion Recognition Tool, 5th Ed. (CRT5): background and rationale . Br J Sports Med . 2017 ; 51 : 870 – 1 .
-
Vavilala MonicaS
,
Kannan N
,
Ramaiah R
.
Pediatric neurotrauma
.
Int J Crit Illn Inj Sci
.
2014
;
4
:
130
.
10.4103/2229-5151.134152 Google Scholar
- Keenan HT . A population-based study of inflicted traumatic brain injury in young children . JAMA . 2003 ; 290 : 621 .
- Härtl R , Gerber LM , Iacono L , Ni Q , Lyons K , Ghajar J . Direct transport within an organized state trauma system reduces mortality in patients with severe traumatic brain injury . J Trauma . 2006 ; 60 : 1250 – 6 .
- Caterino JM , Raubenolt A , Cudnik MT . Modification of Glasgow Coma Scale criteria for injured elders . Acad Emerg Med . 2011 ; 18 : 1014 – 21 .