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. 2018 Jun;46(6):965-971.
doi: 10.1097/CCM.0000000000003052.

Association of Early Myocardial Workload and Mortality Following Severe Traumatic Brain Injury

Vijay Krishnamoorthy  1   2 , Monica S Vavilala  2   3 , Nophanan Chaikittisilpa  2   3 , Frederick P Rivara  2   4   5 , Nancy R Temkin  2   6   7 , Abhijit V Lele  2   3 , Edward F Gibbons  2   8 , Ali Rowhani-Rahbar  2   4
Affiliations

Association of Early Myocardial Workload and Mortality Following Severe Traumatic Brain Injury

Vijay Krishnamoorthy et al. Crit Care Med. 2018 Jun.

Abstract

Objectives: To examine the impact of early myocardial workload on in-hospital mortality following isolated severe traumatic brain injury.

Design: Retrospective cohort study.

Setting: Data from the National Trauma Databank, a multicenter trauma registry operated by the American College of Surgeons, from 2007 to 2014.

Patients: Adult patients with isolated severe traumatic brain injury (defined as admission Glasgow Coma Scale < 8 and head Abbreviated Injury Score ≥ 4).

Interventions: Admission rate-pressure product, categorized into five levels based on published low, normal, and submaximal human thresholds: less than 5,000; 5,000-9,999; 10,000-14,999; 15,000-19,999; and greater than 20,000.

Measurements and main results: Data from 26,412 patients were analyzed. Most patients had a normal rate-pressure product (43%), 35% had elevated rate-pressure product, and 22% had depressed rate-pressure product at hospital admission. Compared with the normal rate-pressure product group, in-hospital mortality was 22 percentage points higher in the lowest rate-pressure product group (cumulative mortality, 50.2%; 95% CI, 43.6-56.9%) and 11 percentage points higher in the highest rate-pressure product group (cumulative mortality, 39.2%; 95% CI, 37.4-40.9%). The lowest rate-pressure product group was associated with a 50% increased risk of mortality, compared with the normal rate-pressure product group (adjusted relative risk, 1.50; 95% CI, 1.31-1.76%; p < 0.0001), and the highest rate-pressure product group was associated with a 25% increased risk of mortality, compared with the normal rate-pressure product group (adjusted relative risk, 1.25; 95% CI, 1.18-1.92%; p < 0.0001). This relationship was blunted with increasing age. Among patients with normotension, those with depressed and elevated rate-pressure products experienced increased mortality.

Conclusions: Adults with severe traumatic brain injury experience heterogeneous myocardial workload profiles that have a "U-shaped" relationship with mortality, even in the presence of a normal blood pressure. Our findings are novel and suggest that cardiac performance is important following severe traumatic brain injury.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflicts of Interest: None

Copyright form disclosure: The remaining authors have disclosed that they do not have any potential conflicts of interest.

All authors report no potential conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Association of admission myocardial workload and in-hospital mortality, stratified by the age categories of 18–44, 45–64, and ≥65 years
Figure 2
Figure 2
Association of admission myocardial workload and in-hospital mortality among patients with admission hypertension (Panel A), normotension (Panel B), and hypotension (Panel C)
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Comment in

  • Brain Injured and Heart Strained.
    Lazaridis C. Lazaridis C. Crit Care Med. 2018 Jun;46(6):1023-1024. doi: 10.1097/CCM.0000000000003096. Crit Care Med. 2018. PMID: 29762407 No abstract available.

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