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. 2024 Oct 17:39:100915.
doi: 10.1016/j.lana.2024.100915. eCollection 2024 Nov.

Clinical profile of patients with acute traumatic brain injury undergoing cranial surgery in the United States: report from the 18-centre TRACK-TBI cohort study

Collaborators, Affiliations

Clinical profile of patients with acute traumatic brain injury undergoing cranial surgery in the United States: report from the 18-centre TRACK-TBI cohort study

John K Yue et al. Lancet Reg Health Am. .

Abstract

Background: Contemporary surgical practices for traumatic brain injury (TBI) remain unclear. We describe the clinical profile of an 18-centre US TBI cohort with cranial surgery.

Methods: The prospective, observational Transforming Research and Clinical Knowledge in Traumatic Brain Injury Study (2014-2018; ClinicalTrials.gov #NCT02119182) enrolled subjects who presented to trauma centre and received head computed tomography within 24-h (h) post-TBI. We performed a secondary data analysis in subjects aged ≥17-years with hospitalisation. Clinical characteristics, surgery type/timing, hospital and six-month outcomes were reported.

Findings: Of 2032 subjects (age: mean = 41.4-years, range = 17-89-years; male = 71% female = 29%), 260 underwent cranial surgery, comprising 65% decompressive craniectomy, 23% craniotomy, 12% other surgery. Subjects with surgery (vs. without surgery) presented with worse neurological injury (median Glasgow Coma Scale = 6 vs. 15; midline shift ≥5 mm: 48% vs. 2%; cisternal effacement: 61% vs. 4%; p < 0.0001). Median time-to-craniectomy/craniotomy was 1.8 h (interquartile range = 1.1-5.0 h), and 67% underwent intracranial pressure monitoring. Seventy-three percent of subjects with decompressive craniectomy and 58% of subjects with craniotomy had ≥3 intracranial lesion types. Decompressive craniectomy (vs. craniotomy) was associated with intracranial injury severity (median Rotterdam Score = 4 vs. 3, p < 0.0001), intensive care length of stay (median = 13 vs. 4-days, p = 0.0002), and six-month unfavourable outcome (62% vs. 30%; p = 0.0001). Earlier time-to-craniectomy was associated with intracranial injury severity.

Interpretation: In a large representative cohort of patients hospitalised with TBI, surgical decision-making and time-to-surgery aligned with intracranial injury severity. Multifocal TBIs predominated in patients with cranial surgery. These findings summarise current TBI surgical practice across US trauma centres and provide the foundation for analyses in targeted subpopulations.

Funding: National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke; US Department of Defense; Neurosurgery Research and Education Foundation.

Keywords: Craniotomy; Decompressive craniectomy; Glasgow outcome scale; Medical decisionmaking; Neuroimaging; Traumatic brain injury; Traumatic intracranial hemorrhage; Triage.

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Conflict of interest statement

AMD declares: grant funding from the Mercatus Center at George Mason University (not related to the current work). DKM declares: grant funding from United Kingdom National Institute for Health Research (not related to the current work). KKWW declares: is a shareholder of Gryphon Bio, Inc. (not related to the current work). All other authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Flow diagram of included subjects. The CONsolidated Standards of Reporting Trials (CONSORT) flow diagram for the current study, which aimed to characterise subjects hospitalised with acute TBI who underwent cranial surgery. TRACK-TBI, Transforming Research and Clinical Knowledge in Traumatic Brain Injury.
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Traumatic intracranial lesion types in the cranial surgery cohort. UpSet plots were used to display concurrent traumatic intracranial lesion types on initial head CT scan in subjects who underwent decompressive craniectomy (DC) or craniotomy. Four primary TBI lesion types were examined (SDH, SAH, contusion, EDH). The sample size differs slightly from the full cohort (DC: N = 169, craniotomy: N = 61) as 11 subjects with DC and 8 subjects with craniotomy did not have complete data for CT lesion types and were not included in these plots. CT, computed tomography; EDH, epidural haematoma; SAH, subarachnoid haemorrhage; SDH, subdural haematoma; TRACK-TBI, Transforming Research and Clinical Knowledge in Traumatic Brain Injury.

References

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