Incidence of moderate-to-severe traumatic brain injuries after reduction in alcohol prices.

Objective: Alcohol may be involved in 40-50% of traumatic brain injuries (TBI). In Finland, the cutting of alcohol taxes by one third in 2004 resulted in a marked increase in per capita alcohol consumption. We investigated the consequences of increased alcohol consumption on the incidence of moderate-to-severe traumatic brain injury among a defined population.

Mild traumatic brain injury diagnosis frequently remains unrecorded in subjects with craniofacial fractures.

Background: Traumatic brain injuries (TBI) in subjects with craniofacial fractures are usually diagnosed by emergency room physicians. We investigated how often TBI remains unrecorded in these subjects, and whether diagnostic accuracy has improved after the implementation of new TBI guidelines.

Methods: All subjects with craniofacial fractures admitted to Oulu University Hospital in 1999 and in 2007 were retrospectively identified.