Pediatric traumatic brain injury: an update

Treatment of pediatric patients with traumatic brain injury by Dutch Helicopter Emergency Medical Services (HEMS)

BACKGROUND

Sparse data are available on prehospital care by Helicopter Emergency Medical Service (HEMS) for pediatric patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI). This study focusses on prehospital interventions, neurosurgical interventions and mortality in this group.

METHODS

We performed a retrospective analysis of pediatric (0-18 years of age) patients with TBI treated by Rotterdam HEMS.

RESULTS

From January 2012 to December 2017 415 pediatric (<18 years of age) patients with TBI were included. Intubation was required in in 92 of 111 patients with GCS ≤ 8, 92 (82.9%), compared to 12 of 77 (15.6%) with GCS 9-12, and 7 of 199 (3.5%) with GCS 13-15. Hyperosmolar therapy (HSS) was started in 73 patients, 10 with a GCS ≤8. Decompressive surgery was required in 16 (5.8%), nine patients (56.3%) of these received HSS from HEMS. Follow-up data was available in 277 patients. A total of 107 (38.6%) patients were admitted to a (P)ICU. Overall mortality rate was 6.3%(n = 25) all with GCS ≤8, 15 (60.0%) died within 24 hours and 24 (96.0%) within a week. Patients with neurosurgical interventions (N = 16) showed a higher mortality rate (18.0%).

CONCLUSIONS

The Dutch HEMS provides essential emergency care for pediatric TBI patients, by performing medical procedures outside of regular EMS protocol. Mortality was highest in patients with severe TBI (n = 111) (GCS≤8) and in those who required neurosurgical interventions. Despite a relatively good initial GCS (>8) score, there were patients who required prehospital intubation and HSS. This group will require further investigation to optimize care in the future.

Normobaric hyperoxia in wartime pediatric trauma casualties

BACKGROUND

Mounting evidence suggests hyperoxia therapy may be harmful. We describe injury characteristics and survival outcomes for pediatric trauma casualties in Iraq and Afghanistan, stratified by partial pressure of arterial oxygen (PaO2). Secondarily, we performed subgroup analyses for severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) and massive transfusion of blood products (MT).

METHODS

We utilized Department of Defense Trauma Registry data. We included subjects <18 years. We excluded subjects without an arterial blood gas (ABG). We stratified subjects as hyperoxemia (PaO2 100-300 mmHg) and extreme hyperoxemia (PaO2 >300 mmHg).

RESULTS

January 2007-January 2016, 3439 pediatric encounters were in the database. Of those, 1323 had an ABG, with 291 (22%) demonstrating hyperoxemia and 43 (3.3%) extreme hyperoxemia. The median age was 8, most were male (76%) in Afghanistan (69%), and injured by explosive (42%). There were no significant differences in survival between subjects with no hyperoxemia, hyperoxemia, and extreme hyperoxemia (92% vs 87% vs 86%; p = 0.078). Also, there were no significant differences in survival between groups among TBI and MT subjects, and there were no increased odds of survival between groups on multivariable regression analyses.

CONCLUSIONS

Hyperoxemia was common among hospitalized, wartime pediatric trauma casualties in Iraq and Afghanistan that underwent ABG analysis. Survival to hospital discharge rates were not significantly different between subjects with hyperoxemia and subjects without hyperoxemia.

Computerized Decision Support System for Traumatic Brain Injury Management

Mortality and morbidity related to traumatic brain injury (TBI) present a major health care burden. Patients with severe TBI must be managed rapidly and efficiently to minimize secondary brain injury potentially leading to permanent sequelae. This is especially important in young patients, whose brain is still in development, making them particularly susceptible to secondary insults. The complexity of both brain injury pathophysiology and the intensive care unit environment makes the management of these patients challenging, with a risk of delayed response and/or patient instability contributing to worsened outcome. Computerized assistance in TBI appears likely to improve patient management, by helping clinicians quickly analyze and respond to ongoing clinical changes and optimizing patient status by guiding management. Currently, computerized decision support systems (CDSSs) do not feature continuous medical assistance with individualized treatment plans. This review presents new developments in CDSSs specialized in TBI. We also present the framework for future CDSSs needed to improve TBI management in real time, taking into account individual patient characteristics.

Current approaches to the treatment of head injury in children

Head trauma is one of the most challenging fields of traumatology and demands immediate attention and intervention by first-line clinicians. Symptoms can vary from victim to victim and according to the victim's age, leading to difficulties in making timely and accurate decisions at the point of care. In children, falls, accidents while playing, sports injuries, and abuse are the major causes of head trauma. Traffic accidents are the main cause of disability and death in adolescents and adults. Injury sites include facial bones, muscles, ligaments, vessels, joints, nerves, and focal or whole-brain injuries. Of particular importance are cranial and intracranial injuries. A closed injury occurs when the head suddenly and violently hits an object but the object does not break through the skull. A penetrating injury occurs when an object pierces the skull and affects the brain tissue. Early diagnosis and proper management are crucial to treat patients with potentially life-threatening head and neck trauma. In this review, we discuss the different cases of traumatic brain injury and summarize the current therapies and neuroprotective strategies as well as the related outcomes for children with traumatic brain injury.

Prehospital management of severe traumatic brain injury: concepts and ongoing controversies

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

Prehospital management affects long-term outcome of patients with severe traumatic brain injury (TBI). This article reviews the current concepts and ongoing controversies of prehospital treatment of severe TBI.

RECENT FINDINGS

Prehospital management focuses on the prevention of secondary brain injury and rapid transport to a neurotrauma center for definitive diagnosis and life- as well as brain-saving emergency treatment such as decompressive craniotomy. There is a broad consensus that adequate airway management, prevention of hypoxia, hypocapnia or hypercapnia, prevention of hypotension and control of hemorrhage represent preclinical therapeutic modalities that may contribute to improved survival in severe TBI. The precise role of prehospital endotracheal intubation, osmotic agents and early therapeutic hypothermia needs to be clarified in the context of time required for transportation, local infrastructure, geographical factors and availability of experienced emergency teams.

SUMMARY

Prehospital management of TBI remains challenging. There are no universal objectives suitable to all patients. Randomized, controlled clinical trials are necessary for developing optimal protocols for paramedic and physician emergency medical teams.

Pediatric neurocritical care

Pediatric neurocritical care is an emerging multidisciplinary field of medicine and a new frontier in pediatric critical care and pediatric neurology. Central to pediatric neurocritical care is the goal of improving outcomes in critically ill pediatric patients with neurological illness or injury and limiting secondary brain injury through optimal critical care delivery and the support of brain function. There is a pressing need for evidence based guidelines in pediatric neurocritical care, notably in pediatric traumatic brain injury and pediatric stroke. These diseases have distinct clinical and pathophysiological features that distinguish them from their adult counterparts and prevent the direct translation of the adult experience to pediatric patients. Increased attention is also being paid to the broader application of neuromonitoring and neuroprotective strategies in the pediatric intensive care unit, in both primary neurological and primary non-neurological disease states. Although much can be learned from the adult experience, there are important differences in the critically ill pediatric population and in the circumstances that surround the emergence of neurocritical care in pediatrics.