Coagulopathy as a predictor of mortality after penetrating traumatic brain injury.

Study Hypothesis: Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a leading cause of mortality with penetrating TBI (p-TBI) patients having worse outcomes. These patients are more likely to be coagulopathic than blunt TBI (b-TBI) patients, thus we hypothesize that coagulopathy would be an early predictor of mortality.

Methods: We identified highest-level trauma activation patients who underwent an admission head CT and had ICU admission orders from August 2009-May 2013, excluding those with polytrauma and anticoagulant use.

Early plasma transfusion is associated with improved survival after isolated traumatic brain injury in patients with multifocal intracranial hemorrhage.

Background: Plasma-based resuscitation improves outcomes in trauma patients with hemorrhagic shock, while large-animal and limited clinical data suggest that it also improves outcomes and is neuroprotective in the setting of combined hemorrhage and traumatic brain injury. However, the choice of initial resuscitation fluid, including the role of plasma, is unclear for patients after isolated traumatic brain injury.

Methods: We reviewed adult trauma patients admitted from January 2011 to July 2015 with isolated traumatic brain injury.

Predicting progressive hemorrhagic injury from isolated traumatic brain injury and coagulation.

Background: Progressive hemorrhagic injury (PHI) in traumatic brain injury (TBI) patients is associated with poor outcomes. Early prediction of PHI is difficult yet vital. We hypothesize that TBI subtype and coagulation would be predictors of PHI.