OBJECTIVES Our aim was to determine the incidence of traumatic brain injury (TBI) in older adults and investigate the relationship between injury characteristics and outcomes. METHODS Retrospective analysis of prospectively collected data submitted to Trauma Audit and Research Network (TARN) database for a major trauma centre in the West Midlands, UK, from 2008 to 2014. The Mayo Scale was use...

OBJECTIVE The concomitance of vitreous/subhyaloid haemorrhage (Terson syndrome; TS) and aneurysmal subarachnoid haemorrhage (aSAH) is commonly underestimated. The aim of this study was to determine the incidence of TS and to identify parameters that predispose its development, indicate the severity of the underlying disease, and predict outcome. METHODS Sixty consecutive patients suffering fr...

There are currently no international guidelines regarding treatment in the early rehabilitation phase for persons with severe traumatic brain injury (TBI), and only a few studies have investigated the effect of integrating rehabilitation into acute TBI care. The aim of the study was to evaluate whether a continuous chain of rehabilitation that begins with the acute phase could improve the funct...

OBJECTIVES To assess cognitive outcome and quality of life in patients with moderate disability after bacterial meningitis as compared to patients with good recovery. METHODS Neuropsychological evaluation was performed in 40 adults after pneumococcal meningitis; 20 patients with moderate disability at discharge on the glasgow outcome scale (GOS score 4) and 20 with good recovery (GOS score 5)...

Computed tomography (CT) of the head has become the diagnostic tool of choice, particularly for moderate and severe traumatic brain injury (TBI). Various CT characteristics are associated with outcome, and may therefore be used as outcome predictors. One of the most prominent predictors appears to be the status of the basal cisterns. This study describes the prognostic value of the appearance o...

Background: Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a critical public health problem worldwide, constituting major cause of mortality and morbidity for people all ages, but especially in the younger population. Decompressive craniectomy (DC) cisternostomy are surgical procedures commonly used management severe TBI, their effectiveness improving outcomes remains controversial. Methods: We conducted pros...

BACKGROUND Understanding the factors that impact on disability is necessary to inform trauma care and enable adequate risk adjustment for benchmarking and monitoring. A key consideration is how to adjust for pre-existing conditions when assessing injury outcomes, and whether the inclusion of comorbidity is needed in addition to adjustment for age. This study compared different approaches to mod...

BACKGROUND In patients with traumatic brain injury, hypothermia can reduce intracranial hypertension. The benefit of hypothermia on functional outcome is unclear. METHODS We randomly assigned adults with an intracranial pressure of more than 20 mm Hg despite stage 1 treatments (including mechanical ventilation and sedation management) to standard care (control group) or hypothermia (32 to 35°...

BACKGROUND Optimizing cerebral oxygenation is advocated to improve outcome in head-injured patients. The purpose of this study was to compare outcomes in brain-injured patients treated with 2 types of monitors. METHODS Patients with traumatic brain injury and a Glasgow Coma Scale score<8 were identified on admission. A polarographic cerebral oxygen/pressure monitor (Licox) or fiberoptic intra...