Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2020 May;46(5):919-929.
doi: 10.1007/s00134-019-05900-x. Epub 2020 Jan 21.

A management algorithm for adult patients with both brain oxygen and intracranial pressure monitoring: the Seattle International Severe Traumatic Brain Injury Consensus Conference (SIBICC)

Affiliations

A management algorithm for adult patients with both brain oxygen and intracranial pressure monitoring: the Seattle International Severe Traumatic Brain Injury Consensus Conference (SIBICC)

Randall Chesnut et al. Intensive Care Med. 2020 May.

Abstract

Background: Current guidelines for the treatment of adult severe traumatic brain injury (sTBI) consist of high-quality evidence reports, but they are no longer accompanied by management protocols, as these require expert opinion to bridge the gap between published evidence and patient care. We aimed to establish a modern sTBI protocol for adult patients with both intracranial pressure (ICP) and brain oxygen monitors in place.

Methods: Our consensus working group consisted of 42 experienced and actively practicing sTBI opinion leaders from six continents. Having previously established a protocol for the treatment of patients with ICP monitoring alone, we addressed patients who have a brain oxygen monitor in addition to an ICP monitor. The management protocols were developed through a Delphi-method-based consensus approach and were finalized at an in-person meeting.

Results: We established three distinct treatment protocols, each with three tiers whereby higher tiers involve therapies with higher risk. One protocol addresses the management of ICP elevation when brain oxygenation is normal. A second addresses management of brain hypoxia with normal ICP. The third protocol addresses the situation when both intracranial hypertension and brain hypoxia are present. The panel considered issues pertaining to blood transfusion and ventilator management when designing the different algorithms.

Conclusions: These protocols are intended to assist clinicians in the management of patients with both ICP and brain oxygen monitors but they do not reflect either a standard-of-care or a substitute for thoughtful individualized management. These protocols should be used in conjunction with recommendations for basic care, management of critical neuroworsening and weaning treatment recently published in conjunction with the Seattle International Brain Injury Consensus Conference.

Keywords: Algorithm; Brain injury; Brain oxygen; Consensus; Head trauma; Intracranial pressure; PbtO2; Protocol; SIBICC; Seattle; Tiers.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

On behalf of all authors, the corresponding author states that there are no relevant conflicts of interest.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Consensus-based basic severe traumatic brain injury care for patients with an ICP and brain oxygen monitor in situ. These are basic treatments recommended as fundamental to the care of patients with sTBI, to be initiated (“Expected interventions”) or considered (“Recommended interventions”) upon ICU admission of a patient with both an ICP and brain oxygen monitor, regardless of the measured values. CO2 carbon dioxide, CPP cerebral perfusion pressure, Hg hemoglobin, HOB head of bed, ICP intracranial pressure, ICU intensive care unit, spO2 arterial oxygen saturation
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
This matrix provides the schema for the 4 clinical conditions encountered in patients with both ICP and brain oxygen monitors in situ. Type A reflects normal values for both monitors and does not require treatment. Type B involves ICP elevation but normal brain oxygen values; we propose a distinct treatment algorithm for such patients than in those with ICP elevation and unknown PbtO2 values. Type C patients have hypoxic brains but normal ICP and Type D patients have both brain hypoxia and ICP elevation. An ICP of 22 mmHg discriminates normal (lower) and abnormal (higher) values while PbtO2 values of 20 mmHg discriminates normal (higher) and abnormal (lower) values. ICP intracranial pressure, PbtO2 partial pressure of brain oxygen
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Consensus-based algorithm for the management of severe traumatic brain injury with intracranial hypertension and normal brain oxygenation. Lower tier treatments are viewed as having a more favorable side effect profile than higher tiers and generally should be employed first. Inter-tier recommendations encourage patient reassessment for remediable causes of treatment resistance. See text for details. CPP cerebral perfusion pressure, EEG electroencephalogram, EVD external ventricular drain, ICP intracranial pressure, kPa kiloPascals, MAP mean arterial pressure, PaCO2 arterial partial pressure of carbon dioxide
Fig. 4
Fig. 4
Consensus-based algorithm for the management of severe traumatic brain injury with brain hypoxia and normal intracranial pressure. Lower tier treatments are viewed as having a more favorable side effect profile than higher tiers and generally should be employed first. Inter-tier recommendations encourage patient reassessment for remediable causes of treatment resistance. See text for details. CPP cerebral perfusion pressure, EEG electroencephalogram, EVD external ventricular drain, ICP intracranial pressure, kPa kiloPascals, MAP mean arterial pressure, PaCO2 arterial partial pressure of carbon dioxide
Fig. 5
Fig. 5
Consensus-based algorithm for the management of severe traumatic brain injury with intracranial hypertension and brain hypoxia. Lower tier treatments are viewed as having a more favorable side effect profile than higher tiers and generally should be employed first. Inter-tier recommendations encourage patient reassessment for remediable causes of treatment resistance. See text for details. CPP cerebral perfusion pressure, EEG electroencephalogram, EVD external ventricular drain, ICP intracranial pressure, kPa kiloPascals, MAP mean arterial pressure, PaCO2 arterial partial pressure of carbon dioxide
Fig. 6
Fig. 6
Critical neuroworsening and its management. SIBICC definition (upper box), response (middle box) and a list of suggested differential diagnoses (bottom) surrounding critical neurological deterioration (critical neuroworsening). CNS central nervous system, GCS Glasgow Coma Scale, ICP intracranial pressure

References

    1. Hawryluk GWJ, Aguilera S, Buki A, Bulger E, Citerio G, Cooper DJ, Arrastia RD, Diringer M, Figaji A, Gao G, Geocadin R, Ghajar J, Harris O, Hoffer A, Hutchinson P, Joseph M, Kitagawa R, Manley G, Mayer S, Menon DK, Meyfroidt G, Michael DB, Oddo M, Okonkwo D, Patel M, Robertson C, Rosenfeld JV, Rubiano AM, Sahuquillo J, Servadei F, Shutter L, Stein D, Stocchetti N, Taccone FS, Timmons S, Tsai E, Ullman JS, Vespa P, Videtta W, Wright DW, Zammit C, Chesnut RM. A management algorithm for patients with intracranial pressure monitoring: the Seattle International Severe Traumatic Brain Injury Consensus Conference (SIBICC) Intensive Care Med. 2019;45:1783–1794. doi: 10.1007/s00134-019-05805-9. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Carney N, Totten AM, O'Reilly C, Ullman JS, Hawryluk GW, Bell MJ, Bratton SL, Chesnut R, Harris OA, Kissoon N, Rubiano AM, Shutter L, Tasker RC, Vavilala MS, Wilberger J, Wright DW, Ghajar J. Guidelines for the management of severe traumatic brain injury, fourth edition. Neurosurgery. 2017;80:6–15. doi: 10.1227/NEU.0000000000001432. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Okonkwo DO, Shutter LA, Moore C, Temkin NR, Puccio AM, Madden CJ, Andaluz N, Chesnut RM, Bullock MR, Grant GA, McGregor J, Weaver M, Jallo J, LeRoux PD, Moberg D, Barber J, Lazaridis C, Diaz-Arrastia RR. Brain oxygen optimization in severe traumatic brain injury phase-II: a phase II randomized trial. Crit Care Med. 2017;45:1907–1914. doi: 10.1097/CCM.0000000000002619. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Kochanek PM, Tasker RC, Bell MJ, Adelson PD, Carney N, Vavilala MS, Selden NR, Bratton SL, Grant GA, Kissoon N, Reuter-Rice KE, Wainwright MS. Management of pediatric severe traumatic brain injury: 2019 consensus and guidelines-based algorithm for first and second tier therapies. Pediatr Crit Care Med. 2019;20:269–279. doi: 10.1097/PCC.0000000000001737. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Kochanek PM, Tasker RC, Carney N, Totten AM, Adelson PD, Selden NR, Davis-O'Reilly C, Hart EL, Bell MJ, Bratton SL, Grant GA, Kissoon N, Reuter-Rice KE, Vavilala MS, Wainwright MS. Guidelines for the management of pediatric severe traumatic brain injury, third edition: update of the brain trauma foundation guidelines. Pediatr Crit Care Med. 2019;20:S1–S82. doi: 10.1097/PCC.0000000000001735. - DOI - PubMed