Clinical indicators for traumatic intracranial findings in mild traumatic brain injury patients

Role of sex and gender in concussion outcome differences among patients presenting to the emergency department: a systematic review

OBJECTIVE

This systematic review aimed to identify research involving adults presenting to the emergency department (ED) with a concussion to document the reporting of sex and/or gender according to the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) guidelines, the prevalence of sex and gender-based analysis (SGBA) and to summarise sex and/or gender-based differences in ED presentation, management and outcomes.

DESIGN

Systematic review.

METHODS

Electronic databases and grey literature were searched to identify studies that recruited adult patients with concussion from the ED. Two independent reviewers identified eligible studies, assessed quality and extracted data. A descriptive summary of the evidence was generated, and sex and/or gender reporting was examined for accuracy according to standardised criteria.

RESULTS

Overall, 126 studies were included in the analyses. A total of 80 (64%) studies reported sex and/or gender as demographic information, of which 51 (64%) included sex and/or gender in their analysis; however, 2 (3%) studies focused on an SGBA. Sex was more accurately reported in alignment with CIHR definitions than gender (94% vs 12%; p<0.0001). In total, 25 studies used an SGBA for outcomes of interest. Males and females experience different causes of concussion, 60% of studies documented that females had less frequent CT scanning while in the ED, and 57% of studies reported that postconcussion syndrome was more prevalent in females and women.

CONCLUSION

This systematic review highlighted that sex is reported more accurately than gender, approximately half of studies did not report either sex and/or gender as demographic information, and one-third of studies did not include SGBA. There were important sex and gender differences in the cause, ED presentation, management and outcomes of concussions.

PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER

CRD42021258613.

Analysis of Clinical and Laboratory Risk Factors of Post-Traumatic Intracranial Hemorrhage in Patients on Direct Oral Anticoagulants with Mild Traumatic Brain Injury: An Observational Multicenter Cohort

BACKGROUND

Assessing the risk of intracranial hemorrhage (ICH) in patients with a mild traumatic brain injury (MTBI) who are taking direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) is challenging. Currently, extensive use of computed tomography (CT) is routine in the emergency department (ED).

OBJECTIVE

This study aims to investigate whether the clinical and laboratory characteristics presented at the ED evaluation can also estimate the risk of post-traumatic ICH in DOAC-treated patients with MTBI.

METHODS

A retrospective observational study was conducted in three EDs in Italy from January 1, 2016 to March 15, 2020. All patients treated with DOACs who were evaluated for an MTBI in the ED were enrolled. The primary outcome of the study was the presence of post-traumatic ICH in the head CT performed in the ED.

RESULTS

Of 930 patients on DOACs with MTBI who were enrolled, 6.8% (63 of 930) had a post-traumatic ICH and 1.5% (14 of 930) were treated with surgery or died as a result of the ICH. None of the laboratory factors were associated with an increased risk of ICH. On multivariate analysis, previous neurosurgical intervention, major trauma dynamic, post-traumatic loss of consciousness, post-traumatic amnesia, Glasgow Coma Scale score of 14, and evidence of trauma above the clavicles were associated with a higher risk of post-traumatic ICH. The net clinical benefit provided by risk factor assessment appears superior to the strategy of performing CT on all DOAC-treated patients.

CONCLUSIONS

Assessment of the clinical characteristics presented at ED admission can help identify DOAC-treated patients with MTBI who are at risk of ICH.

Predicting factors for abnormal brain computed tomography in children with minor head trauma

Background

Deciding whether a cranial Computed Tomography (CT) scan in a patient with minor head trauma (MHT) is necessary or not has always been challenging. Diagnosing Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) is a fundamental part of MHT managing especially in children who are more vulnerable in terms of brain CT radiation consequences and TBI. Defining some indications to timely and efficiently predict the likelihood of TBI is necessary. Thus, we aimed to determine the impact of clinical findings to predict the need for brain CT in children with MHT.

Methods

In a prospective cohort study, 200 children (2 to 14 years) with MHT were included from 2019 to 2020. The data of MHT-related clinical findings were gathered. The primary and secondary outcomes were defined as a positive brain CT and any TBI requiring neurosurgery intervention, respectively. In statistical analysis, we performed Binary Logistic regression analysis, Fisher’s exact test and independent samples t-test using SPSS V.26.

Results

The mean age of participants was 6.5 ± 3.06 years. Ninety patients underwent brain CT. The most common clinical finding and injury mechanism were headache and falling from height, respectively. The results of brain CTs were positive in seven patients (3.5%). We identified three predicting factors for an abnormal brain CT including headache, decreased level of consciousness, and vomiting.

Conclusion

We showed that repetitive vomiting (≥2), headache, and decreased level of consciousness are predicting factors for an abnormal brain CT in children with MHT.

Development of clinical decision rules for traumatic intracranial injuries in patients with mild traumatic brain injury in a developing country

Background

The majority of clinical decision rules for prediction of intracranial injury in patients with mild traumatic brain injury (TBI) were developed from high-income countries. The application of these rules in low or middle-income countries, where the primary mechanism of injury was traffic accidents, is questionable.

Methods

We developed two practical decision rules from a secondary analysis of a multicenter, prospective cohort of 1,164 patients with mild TBI who visited the emergency departments from 2013 to 2016. The clinical endpoints were the presence of any intracranial injury on CT scans and the requirement of neurosurgical interventions within seven days of onset.

Results

Thirteen predictors were included in both models, which were age ≥60 years, dangerous mechanism of injury, diffuse headache, vomiting >2 episodes, loss of consciousness, posttraumatic amnesia, posttraumatic seizure, history of anticoagulant use, presence of neurological deficits, significant wound at the scalp, signs of skull base fracture, palpable stepping at the skull, and GCS <15 at 2 hours. For the model-based score, the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AuROC) was 0.85 (95%CI 0.82, 0.87) for positive CT results and 0.87 (95%CI 0.83, 0.91) for requirement of neurosurgical intervention. For the clinical-based score, the AuROC for positive CT results and requirement of neurosurgical intervention was 0.82 (95%CI 0.79, 0.85) and 0.84 (95%CI 0.80, 0.88), respectively.

Conclusions

The models delivered good calibration and excellent discrimination both in the development and internal validation cohort. These rules can be used as assisting tools in risk stratification of patients with mild TBI to be sent for CT scans or admitted for clinical observation.