A Post Hoc Analysis of Osmotherapy Use in the Erythropoietin in Traumatic Brain Injury Study-Associations With Acute Kidney Injury and Mortality

Effect of continuous hypertonic saline infusion on clinical outcomes in patients with traumatic brain injury

Osmotic therapy has been recognized as an important treatment option for patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI). Nevertheless, the effect of hypertonic saline (HTS) remains unknown, as findings are primarily based on a large database. This study aimed to elucidate the effect of HTS on the clinical outcomes of patients with TBI admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU). We retrospectively identified patients with moderate-to-severe TBI from two public databases: Medical Information Mart for Intensive Care (MIMIC)-IV and eICU Collaborative Research Database (eICU-CRD). A marginal structural Cox model (MSCM) was used, with time-dependent variates designed to reflect exposure over time during ICU stay. Trajectory modeling based on the intracranial pressure evolution pattern allowed for the identification of subgroups. Overall, 130 (6.65%) of 1955 eligible patients underwent HTS. MSCM indicated that the HTS significantly associated with higher infection complications (e.g., urinary tract infection (HR 1.88, 95% CI 1.26-2.81, p = 0.002)) and increased ICU LOS (HR 2.02, 95% CI 1.71-2.40, p < 0.001). A protective effect of HTS on GCS was found in subgroups with medium and low intracranial pressure. Our study revealed no significant difference in mortality between patients who underwent HTS and those who did not. Increased occurrence rates of infection and electrolyte imbalance are inevitable outcomes of continuous HTS infusion. Although the study suggests slight beneficial effects, including better neurological outcomes, these results warrant further validation.

Establishment and external validation of a nomogram for predicting 28-day mortality in patients with skull fracture

Background

Skull fracture can lead to significant morbidity and mortality, yet the development of effective predictive tools has remained a challenge. This study aimed to establish and validate a nomogram to evaluate the 28-day mortality risk among patients with skull fracture.

Materials and methods

Data extracted from the Medical Information Mart for Intensive Care (MIMIC) database were utilized as the training set, while data from the eICU Collaborative Research Database were employed as the external validation set. This nomogram was developed using univariate Cox regression, best subset regression (BSR), and the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) methods. Subsequently, backward stepwise multivariable Cox regression was employed to refine predictor selection. Variance inflation factor (VIF), akaike information criterion (AIC), area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC), concordance index (C-index), calibration curve, and decision curve analysis (DCA) were used to assess the model's performance.

Results

A total of 1,527 adult patients with skull fracture were enrolled for this analysis. The predictive factors in the final nomogram included age, temperature, serum sodium, mechanical ventilation, vasoactive agent, mannitol, extradural hematoma, loss of consciousness and Glasgow Coma Scale score. The AUC of our nomogram was 0.857, and C-index value was 0.832. After external validation, the model maintained an AUC of 0.853 and a C-index of 0.829. Furthermore, it showed good calibration with a low Brier score of 0.091 in the training set and 0.093 in the external validation set. DCA in both sets revealed that our model was clinically useful.

Conclusion

A nomogram incorporating nine features was constructed, with a good ability in predicting 28-day mortality in patients with skull fracture.

Acute kidney injury in neurocritical care

Approximately 20% of patients with acute brain injury (ABI) also experience acute kidney injury (AKI), which worsens their outcomes. The metabolic and inflammatory changes associated with AKI likely contribute to prolonged brain injury and edema. As a result, recognizing its presence is important for effectively managing ABI and its sequelae. This review discusses the occurrence and effects of AKI in critically ill adults with neurological conditions, outlines potential mechanisms connecting AKI and ABI progression, and highlights AKI management principles. Tailored approaches include optimizing blood pressure, managing intracranial pressure, adjusting medication dosages, and assessing the type of administered fluids. Preventive measures include avoiding nephrotoxic drugs, improving hemodynamic and fluid balance, and addressing coexisting AKI syndromes. ABI patients undergoing renal replacement therapy (RRT) are more susceptible to neurological complications. RRT can negatively impact cerebral blood flow, intracranial pressure, and brain tissue oxygenation, with effects tied to specific RRT methods. Continuous RRT is favored for better hemodynamic stability and lower risk of dialysis disequilibrium syndrome. Potential RRT modifications for ABI patients include adjusted dialysate and blood flow rates, osmotherapy, and alternate anticoagulation methods. Future research should explore whether these strategies enhance outcomes and if using novel AKI biomarkers can mitigate AKI-related complications in ABI patients.

The establishment and validation of a prediction model for traumatic intracranial injury patients: a reliable nomogram

Objective

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) leads to death and disability. This study developed an effective prognostic nomogram for assessing the risk factors for TBI mortality.

Method

Data were extracted from an online database called "Multiparameter Intelligent Monitoring in Intensive Care IV" (MIMIC IV). The ICD code obtained data from 2,551 TBI persons (first ICU stay, >18 years old) from this database. R divided samples into 7:3 training and testing cohorts. The univariate analysis determined whether the two cohorts differed statistically in baseline data. This research used forward stepwise logistic regression after independent prognostic factors for these TBI patients. The optimal variables were selected for the model by the optimal subset method. The optimal feature subsets in pattern recognition improved the model prediction, and the minimum BIC forest of the high-dimensional mixed graph model achieved a better prediction effect. A nomogram-labeled TBI-IHM model containing these risk factors was made by nomology in State software. Least Squares OLS was used to build linear models, and then the Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curve was plotted. The TBI-IHM nomogram model's validity was determined by receiver operating characteristic curves (AUCs), correction curve, Hosmer-Lemeshow test, integrated discrimination improvement (IDI), net reclassification improvement (NRI), and decision-curve analysis (DCA).

Result

The eight features with a minimal BIC model were mannitol use, mechanical ventilation, vasopressor use, international normalized ratio, urea nitrogen, respiratory rate, and cerebrovascular disease. The proposed nomogram (TBI-IHM model) was the best mortality prediction model, with better discrimination and superior model fitting for severely ill TBI patients staying in ICU. The model's receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) was the best compared to the seven other models. It might be clinically helpful for doctors to make clinical decisions.

Conclusion

The proposed nomogram (TBI-IHM model) has significant potential as a clinical utility in predicting mortality in TBI patients.

Kidney Dysfunction After Traumatic Brain Injury: Pathophysiology and General Management

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) remains a major cause of mortality and morbidity, and almost half of these patients are admitted to the intensive care unit. Of those, 10% develop acute kidney injury (AKI) and 2% even need kidney replacement therapy (KRT). Although clinical trials in patients with TBI who have AKI are lacking, some general principles in this population may apply. The present review is an overview on the epidemiology and pathophysiology of AKI in patients with TBI admitted to the intensive care unit who are at risk for or who have developed AKI. A cornerstone in severe TBI management is preventing secondary brain damage, in which reducing the intracranial pressure (ICP) and optimizing the cerebral perfusion pressure (CPP) remain important therapeutic targets. To treat episodes of elevated ICP, osmolar agents such as mannitol and hypertonic saline are frequently administered. Although we are currently awaiting the results of a prospective randomized controlled trial that compares both agents, it is important to realize that both agents have been associated with an increased risk of developing AKI which is probably higher for mannitol compared with hypertonic saline. For the brain, as well as for the kidney, targeting an adequate perfusion pressure is important. Hemodynamic management based on the combined use of intravascular fluids and vasopressors is ideally guided by hemodynamic monitoring. Hypotonic albumin or crystalloid resuscitation solutions may increase the risk of brain edema, and saline-based solutions are frequently used but have a risk of hyperchloremia, which might jeopardize kidney function. In patients at risk, frequent assessment of serum chloride might be advised. Maintenance of an adequate CPP involves the optimization of circulating blood volume, often combined with vasopressor agents. Whether individualized CPP targets based on cerebrovascular autoregulation monitoring are beneficial need to be further investigated. Interestingly, such individualized perfusion targets are also under investigation in patients as a strategy to mitigate the risk for AKI in patients with chronic hypertension. In the small proportion of patients with TBI who need KRT, continuous techniques are advised based on pathophysiology and expert opinion. The need for KRT is associated with a higher risk of intracranial hypertension, especially if osmolar clearance occurs fast, which can even occur in continuous techniques. Precise ICP and CPP monitoring is mandatory, especially at the initiation of KRT.

Therapy of traumatic brain injury by modern agents and traditional Chinese medicine

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is the leading cause of disability and death, and the social burden of mortality and morbidity caused by TBI is significant. Under the influence of comprehensive factors, such as social environment, lifestyle, and employment type, the incidence of TBI continues to increase annually. Current pharmacotherapy of TBI mainly focuses on symptomatic supportive treatment, aiming to reduce intracranial pressure, ease pain, alleviate irritability, and fight infection. In this study, we summarized numerous studies covering the use of neuroprotective agents in different animal models and clinical trials after TBI. However, we found that no drug has been approved as specifically effective for the treatment of TBI. Effective therapeutic strategies for TBI remain an urgent need, and attention is turning toward traditional Chinese medicine. We analyzed the reasons why existing high-profile drugs had failed to show clinical benefits and offered our views on the research of traditional herbal medicine for treating TBI.

Early management of isolated severe traumatic brain injury patients in a hospital without neurosurgical capabilities: a consensus and clinical recommendations of the World Society of Emergency Surgery (WSES)

BACKGROUND

Severe traumatic brain-injured (TBI) patients should be primarily admitted to a hub trauma center (hospital with neurosurgical capabilities) to allow immediate delivery of appropriate care in a specialized environment. Sometimes, severe TBI patients are admitted to a spoke hospital (hospital without neurosurgical capabilities), and scarce data are available regarding the optimal management of severe isolated TBI patients who do not have immediate access to neurosurgical care.

METHODS

A multidisciplinary consensus panel composed of 41 physicians selected for their established clinical and scientific expertise in the acute management of TBI patients with different specializations (anesthesia/intensive care, neurocritical care, acute care surgery, neurosurgery and neuroradiology) was established. The consensus was endorsed by the World Society of Emergency Surgery, and a modified Delphi approach was adopted.

RESULTS

A total of 28 statements were proposed and discussed. Consensus was reached on 22 strong recommendations and 3 weak recommendations. In three cases, where consensus was not reached, no recommendation was provided.

CONCLUSIONS

This consensus provides practical recommendations to support clinician's decision making in the management of isolated severe TBI patients in centers without neurosurgical capabilities and during transfer to a hub center.

Comparative safety of multiple doses of erythropoietin for the treatment of traumatic brain injury: A systematic review and network meta-analysis

Introduction

Over the past few decades, advances in traumatic brain injury (TBI) pathology research have dynamically enriched our knowledge. Therefore, we aimed to systematically elucidate the safety and efficacy of erythropoietin (EPO) dosing regimens in patients with TBI.

Methods

Data search included PubMed, the Cochrane Library, Embase, Web of Science, and ClinicalTrials.gov for related research published before July 2022. The network meta-analysis was conducted using ADDIS 1.16.8, and the CINeMA tool was used to assess the quality level of evidence.

Results

A total of six RCTs involving 981 patients were included in the network meta-analysis. EPO did not significantly reduce mortality in patients with TBI, but its risk of death decreased with increasing dosage (odds ratio (OR) of 12,000u vs. placebo = 0.98, 95% CI: 0.03-40.34; OR of group 30,000u vs. placebo = 0.56, 95% CI: 0.06-5.88; OR of 40,000u vs. placebo = 0.35, 95% CI: 0.01-9.43; OR of 70,000u vs. placebo = 0.29, 95% CI: 0.01-9.26; OR of group 80,000u vs. placebo = 0.22, 95% CI: 0.00-7.45). A total of three studies involving 739 patients showed that EPO did not increase the incidence of deep vein thrombosis in patients with TBI. However, the risk tended to rise as the dosage increased. Another two studies demonstrated that EPO did not increase the incidence of pulmonary embolism. The quality of evidence for all outcomes was low to moderate.

Conclusion

Although the efficacy of EPO was not statistically demonstrated, we found a trend toward an association between EPO dosage and reduced mortality and increased embolic events in patients with TBI. More high-quality original studies should be conducted to obtain strong evidence on the optimal dosage of EPO.

Systematic review registration

https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/display_record.php?RecordID=272500. The study protocol was registered with PROSPERO (CRD42021272500).

Management of moderate to severe traumatic brain injury: an update for the intensivist

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) remains one of the most fatal and debilitating conditions in the world. Current clinical management in severe TBI patients is mainly concerned with reducing secondary insults and optimizing the balance between substrate delivery and consumption. Over the past decades, multimodality monitoring has become more widely available, and clinical management protocols have been published that recommend potential interventions to correct pathophysiological derangements. Even while evidence from randomized clinical trials is still lacking for many of the recommended interventions, these protocols and algorithms can be useful to define a clear standard of therapy where novel interventions can be added or be compared to. Over the past decade, more attention has been paid to holistic management, in which hemodynamic, respiratory, inflammatory or coagulation disturbances are detected and treated accordingly. Considerable variability with regards to the trajectories of recovery exists. Even while most of the recovery occurs in the first months after TBI, substantial changes may still occur in a later phase. Neuroprognostication is challenging in these patients, where a risk of self-fulfilling prophecies is a matter of concern. The present article provides a comprehensive and practical review of the current best practice in clinical management and long-term outcomes of moderate to severe TBI in adult patients admitted to the intensive care unit.

Novel PHD2/HDACs hybrid inhibitors protect against cisplatin-induced acute kidney injury

Acute kidney injury (AKI) is associated with high morbidity and mortality. Cisplatin is a common chemotherapeutic, but its nephrotoxicity-driven AKI limits its clinical application. Currently, there are no specific and satisfactory therapies in the clinic for AKI. Inhibitors of hypoxia-inducible factor prolyl hydroxylase 2 (HIF-PHD2) or histone deacetylase (HDACs) had shown renoprotective effects against AKI in preclinical studies. This study aimed to develop a novel therapeutic to prevent AKI progression by targeting PHD2 and HDACs simultaneously. We designed and synthesized a series of PHD2/HDACs hybrid inhibitors. The initial drug activity screening identified a candidate compound 31c, which exhibited potent inhibitory activities against PHD2 and HDAC1/2/6. Cellular analyses further showed that 31c did not affect cisplatin's antitumor activity in cancer cells but strongly protected cisplatin-induced toxicity on HK-2 cells. In vivo studies with the cisplatin-induced AKI mouse model demonstrated that 31c remarkably alleviated kidney dysfunction with suppressed plasma BUN/SCr and increased EPO levels. The potent renoprotective effects of 31c on AKI were confirmed by significant improvements in pathological kidney conditions in the mouse model. These results suggest that the novel PHD2/HDACs hybrid inhibitor, 31c, has a clinical potential as the renoprotective agent for the treatment/prevention of cisplatin-induced AKI for various cancers.

Risk Factors Associated with Durable Progression-Free Survival in Patients with Relapsed or Refractory Multiple Myeloma Treated with Anti-BCMA CAR T-cell Therapy

PURPOSE

B-cell maturation antigen (BCMA) chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy results in high remission rates in patients with relapsed/refractory (R/R) multiple myeloma. However, the factors associated with prognosis following CAR T-cell therapy are unknown.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Between July 1, 2018 and July 31, 2020, 61 patients with R/R multiple myeloma received anti-BCMA CAR T-cell therapy (Chictr.org number, ChiCTR1800017404). Step-wise multivariate Cox regression and competing risk analyses were conducted to identify poor prognosis-associated risk factors.

RESULTS

Sixty patients (98.4%) experienced cytokine release syndrome (CRS), including 33, 23, and 4 cases of CRS grades 1 to 2, 3, and 4, respectively. The objective response rate (ORR) was 98.3%, and the complete remission (CR) rate was 70.3%. With a median follow-up period of 21.1 months, the 1-year overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) rates were 78.0% and 50.2%, respectively. The median PFS was 12.7 months. Cox modeling revealed that poor PFS was associated with extramedullary disease [HR = 2.59, 95% confidence interval (95% CI) = 1.29-5.21, P = 0.008], light chain multiple myeloma (HR = 2.53, 95% CI = 1.03-5.97, P = 0.035), high-risk cytogenetics (HR = 2.80, 95% CI = 1.27-6.14, P = 0.01), and prior treatment with more than 3 therapeutic lines (HR = 3.14, 95% CI = 1.34-7.34, P = 0.008). Among the 41 CR cases, competing risk analyses demonstrated higher relapse predispositions in those with extramedullary disease (HR = 4.51, 95% CI = 1.86-10.9, P = 0.001), light chain multiple myeloma (HR = 4.89, 95% CI = 1.52 - 15.7, P = 0.008), or high-risk cytogenetics (HR = 5.09, 95% CI = 1.63-15.9, P = 0.005).

CONCLUSIONS

Anti-BCMA CAR T-cell therapy is safe and effective for R/R multiple myeloma. For patients with high-risk factors, improvements to extend remission and more specific individualized therapies are needed.

Perioperative management of severe brain injured patients

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a leading cause of mortality and disability worldwide. Head injured patients may frequently require emergency neurosurgery. The perioperative TBI period is very important as many interventions done in this stage can have a profound effect on the long-term neurological outcome. This practical concise narrative review focused mainly on: 1) the management of severe TBI patients with neurosurgical lesions admitted to a spoke center (i.e. hospital without neurosurgery) and therefore needing a transfer to the hub center (i.e. hospital with neurosurgery); 2) the management of severe TBI patients with intracranial hypertension/brain herniation awaiting for neurosurgery and 3) the neuromonitoring-oriented management in the immediate post-operative period. The proposals presented in this review mainly apply to severe TBI patients admitted to high-income countries.

Potentially Detrimental Effects of Hyperosmolality in Patients Treated for Traumatic Brain Injury

Hyperosmotic therapy is commonly used to treat intracranial hypertension in traumatic brain injury patients. Unfortunately, hyperosmolality also affects other organs. An increase in plasma osmolality may impair kidney, cardiac, and immune function, and increase blood-brain barrier permeability. These effects are related not only to the type of hyperosmotic agents, but also to the level of hyperosmolality. The commonly recommended osmolality of 320 mOsm/kg H2O seems to be the maximum level, although an increase in plasma osmolality above 310 mOsm/kg H2O may already induce cardiac and immune system disorders. The present review focuses on the adverse effects of hyperosmolality on the function of various organs.