Patients with a head injury who "talk and die" in the 1990s.

J Trauma

Department of Neurosurgery, Univeristy of Glasgow, Institute of Neurological Sciences, Southern General Hospital, United Kingdom.

Published: March 2003

Background: Patients who "talk and die" after head injury may represent a group who suffer delayed and therefore potentially preventable complications after injury. We have compared the clinical and pathologic features of patients who talk and die with those who "talk and live" after head injury.

Methods: Data collected prospectively by the Scottish Trauma Audit Group were used to identify patients with a head injury and classify them according to verbal response at admission to hospital. All "talking" patients in the catchment area of a regional neurosurgical center were selected and those who died were compared with those who survived.

Results: Seven hundred eighty-nine talking patients were identified. Seven hundred twenty-seven patients survived and 62 died. Patients who talked and died were older, had more severe extracranial injuries, had lower consciousness levels, and reached theater more quickly than those who talked and lived. Thirty-one of the patients that died had extra-axial hematomas.

Conclusion: Even with increased availability of computed tomographic scanning, some patients still talk and die after head injury.

Download full-text PDF

Source
http://dx.doi.org/10.1097/01.TA.0000030627.71453.CDDOI Listing

Publication Analysis

Top Keywords

head injury
16
patients
10
patients head
8
"talk die"
8
patients talk
8
talk die
8
injury
5
injury "talk
4
die" 1990s
4
1990s background
4

Similar Publications

Aim The primary objective of the study was to evaluate the mid-term implant survivability, rate of revisions, and clinical and functional outcomes following patella resurfacing during total knee arthroplasty (TKA) utilizing posterior stabilized (PS) total knee system (TKS). Methods A prospective, single-arm, multi-center, post-marketing surveillance encompassed patients with end-stage primary knee osteoarthritis (OA) or inflammatory arthritis. The time points of the study included baseline, six weeks, six months, one year, and three years post-operatively.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Cervical subcutaneous emphysema and pneumomediastinum without pneumothorax are exceedingly rare complications following rhinoplasty, with limited cases reported in the literature. This report presents a case of revision septorhinoplasty using autologous costal cartilage, where the patient complained of a sore throat 36 hours postoperatively. On physical examination, cervical subcutaneous emphysema was palpated, and radiologic evaluation confirmed both cervical subcutaneous emphysema and pneumomediastinum.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a change in brain function or evidence of brain pathology caused by external mechanical forces. Brain Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF) is a neurotropin that functions as a neuron protective. Nigella sativa L is reported to have an antioxidant effect, administration of Nigella Sativa L to rats treated with ischemia-reperfusion brain injury.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Objective: Increased intracranial pressure (ICP) can worsen the clinical condition of traumatic brain injury (TBI) patients. One non-invasive and easily bedside-performed technique to estimate ICP is ultrasonographic measurement of optic nerve sheath diameter (ONSD). This study aimed to analyze ONSD and correlate it with ICP values obtained by intraparenchymal monitoring to establish the ONSD threshold value for elevated ICP and reference range of ONSD in severe TBI patients.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Slimmer's paralysis is a peripheral mononeuropathy of the common peroneal (fibular) nerve (CPN/CFN), typically associated with rapid weight loss resulting in loss of subcutaneous fat pad and subsequent neural compression at the fibular head. Here, we describe a young man with a 1-year history of right-sided foot drop, which developed following a rapid intentional weight loss of 11 kg over a period of 15 days. This weight loss was preceded by rapid weight gain over 2 days owing to binge eating.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Want AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?

Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!