Protocol-Based Early Decompressive Craniectomy in a Resource-Constrained Environment: A Tertiary Care Hospital Experience

Abstract

Objectives: Decompressive craniectomy (DC) is an emergency life-saving procedure used to treat refractory intracranial hypertension (RICH). The authors aim to analyze their experience with protocol-based early DC (<24 h) in RICH cases diagnosed based on clinical and radiological evidence, without preoperative intracranial pressure monitoring done over 10 years.

Materials and methods: This is a retrospective, observational study which includes 58 consecutive patients who underwent protocol-based early DC by the senior author at a single institution between 2007 and 2017. Background variables and outcome in the form of Glasgow Outcome Score-Extended (GOS-E) at 6 months and 1 year were analyzed.

Results: Fourteen patients had traumatic brain injury (TBI), 17 had intracranial hemorrhage (ICH), 14 had malignant cerebral infarcts (MCI), and the reminder 13 patients had other causes. At 6 months, the mortality rate was 22.4%. Good recovery, moderate disability, and severe disability were seen in 13.8%, 17.2%, and 43.1% of patients, respectively. Two patients were in vegetative state. The cutoff for favorable/unfavorable outcome was defined as GOS-E 4-8/1-3. By this application, 63.8% of patients had favorable outcome at 6 months. The favorable outcome in patients of TBI, ICH, and MCI was 57.1%, 58.8%, and 85.7%, respectively.

Conclusions: DC helps in obtaining a favorable outcome in selected patients with a defined pathology. The diagnosis of RICH based on clinical and radiological parameters, and protocol-based early DC, is reasonably justified as the way forward for resource-constrained environments. The risk of vegetative state is small.

Keywords: Early decompressive craniectomy; protocol-based decompressive craniectomy; refractory intracranial hypertension; resource-constrained environment.