Dataset Information

Scandinavian guidelines for initial management of minimal, mild and moderate head injuries in adults: an evidence and consensus-based update.

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: The management of minimal, mild and moderate head injuries is still controversial. In 2000, the Scandinavian Neurotrauma Committee (SNC) presented evidence-based guidelines for initial management of these injuries. Since then, considerable new evidence has emerged. METHODS: General methodology according to the Appraisal of Guidelines for Research and Evaluation (AGREE) II framework and the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) system. Systematic evidence-based review according to Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) methodology, based upon relevant clinical questions with respect to patient-important outcomes, including Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies (QUADAS) and Centre of Evidence Based Medicine (CEBM) quality ratings. Based upon the results, GRADE recommendations, guidelines and discharge instructions were drafted. A modified Delphi approach was used for consensus and relevant clinical stakeholders were consulted. CONCLUSIONS: We present the updated SNC guidelines for initial management of minimal, mild and moderate head injury in adults including criteria for computed tomography (CT) scan selection, admission and discharge with suggestions for monitoring routines and discharge advice for patients. The guidelines are designed to primarily detect neurosurgical intervention with traumatic CT findings as a secondary goal. For elements lacking good evidence, such as in-hospital monitoring, routines were largely based on consensus. We suggest external validation of the guidelines before widespread clinical use is recommended.

SUBMITTER: Unden J

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3621842 | biostudies-other | 2013

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-other

ACCESS DATA

Publications

Scandinavian guidelines for initial management of minimal, mild and moderate head injuries in adults: an evidence and consensus-based update.

Undén Johan J Ingebrigtsen Tor T Romner Bertil B

BMC medicine 20130225

<h4>Background</h4>The management of minimal, mild and moderate head injuries is still controversial. In 2000, the Scandinavian Neurotrauma Committee (SNC) presented evidence-based guidelines for initial management of these injuries. Since then, considerable new evidence has emerged.<h4>Methods</h4>General methodology according to the Appraisal of Guidelines for Research and Evaluation (AGREE) II framework and the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) system. ...[more]

PMID: 23432764

Similar Datasets

Project description:Glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) has become the most promising biomarker for detecting traumatic abnormalities on head computed tomography (CT) in patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI), but most studies have not addressed the potential added value of combining the biomarker with clinical variables that confer risk for intracranial injuries. The Scandinavian Guidelines for Initial Management of Minimal, Mild, and Moderate Head Injuries in Adults were the first clinical decision rules in the field with an incorporated biomarker, the S100 astroglial calcium-binding protein B (S100B), which is used in the Mild (Low Risk) group defined by the guidelines. Our aim was to evaluate the performance of the guidelines when S100B was substituted with GFAP. The sample (N = 296) was recruited from the Tampere University Hospital's emergency department between November 2015 and November 2016, and there were 49 patients with available GFAP results who were stratified in the Mild (Low Risk) group (thus patients undergoing biomarker triaging). A previously reported cutoff of plasma GFAP ≥140 pg/mL was used. Within the Mild (Low Risk) group (n = 49), GFAP sensitivity (with 95% confidence intervals in parentheses) for detecting traumatic CT abnormalities was 1.0 (0.40-1.00), specificity 0.34 (0.19-0.53), the negative predictive value (NPV) 1.0 (0.68-1.00), and the positive predictive value (PPV) 0.16 (0.05-0.37). The sensitivity and specificity of the modified guidelines with GFAP, when applied to all imaged patients (n = 197) in the whole sample, were 0.94 (0.77-0.99) and 0.20 (0.15-0.28), respectively. NPV was 0.94 (0.80-0.99) and PPV 0.18 (0.13-0.25). In the Mild (Low Risk) group, none of the patients with GFAP results below 140 pg/mL had traumatic abnormalities on their head CT. These findings were derived from a small patient subgroup. Future researchers should replicate these findings in larger samples and assess whether GFAP has added or comparable value to S100B in acute TBI management.

Project description:OBJECTIVEThere remains uncertainty regarding the appropriate level of care and need for repeating neuroimaging among children with mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) complicated by intracranial injury (ICI). This study's objective was to investigate physician practice patterns and decision-making processes for these patients in order to identify knowledge gaps and highlight avenues for future investigation.METHODSThe authors surveyed residents, fellows, and attending physicians from the following pediatric specialties: emergency medicine; general surgery; neurosurgery; and critical care. Participants came from 10 institutions in the United States and an email list maintained by the Canadian Neurosurgical Society. The survey asked respondents to indicate management preferences for and experiences with children with mTBI complicated by ICI, focusing on an exemplar clinical vignette of a 7-year-old girl with a Glasgow Coma Scale score of 15 and a 5-mm subdural hematoma without midline shift after a fall down stairs.RESULTSThe response rate was 52% (n = 536). Overall, 326 (61%) respondents indicated they would recommend ICU admission for the child in the vignette. However, only 62 (12%) agreed/strongly agreed that this child was at high risk of neurological decline. Half of respondents (45%; n = 243) indicated they would order a planned follow-up CT (29%; n = 155) or MRI scan (19%; n = 102), though only 64 (12%) agreed/strongly agreed that repeat neuroimaging would influence their management. Common factors that increased the likelihood of ICU admission included presence of a focal neurological deficit (95%; n = 508 endorsed), midline shift (90%; n = 480) or an epidural hematoma (88%; n = 471). However, 42% (n = 225) indicated they would admit all children with mTBI and ICI to the ICU. Notably, 27% (n = 143) of respondents indicated they had seen one or more children with mTBI and intracranial hemorrhage demonstrate a rapid neurological decline when admitted to a general ward in the last year, and 13% (n = 71) had witnessed this outcome at least twice in the past year.CONCLUSIONSMany physicians endorse ICU admission and repeat neuroimaging for pediatric mTBI with ICI, despite uncertainty regarding the clinical utility of those decisions. These results, combined with evidence that existing practice may provide insufficient monitoring to some high-risk children, emphasize the need for validated decision tools to aid the management of these patients.

Project description:Encounters between Scandinavian brown bears (Ursus arctos) and humans that result in human injuries and fatalities typically coincide with den entry in October and November, and commonly occur near a den. Our aim was to determine when bears arrive at their dens, identify potential predictors of this event, document behavior and activity associated with this period, and attempt to explain the increased risk of bear-caused human injuries in this period. We analyzed global positioning system (GPS) location and activity data from brown bears in south-central Sweden, using generalized linear mixed models, statistical process control, and activity analyses. Bears arrived at their den sites between 6 October and 1 December. Timing varied by reproductive category, bear age, and year. Half of all bears significantly reduced their activity before arriving at the den area: on average 2,169 m away from the den and 1.8 days before arrival. The other half reduced their activity after arriving at the den area. The latter bears took longer time to reach hibernation activity levels, but we did not find a difference in the start date of hibernation between the 2 groups. Bears also appeared to be sensitive to disturbance in this period, with higher den abandonment rates than later in winter, particularly for males and for bears that had not visited their den sites previously. Den entry occurred from October to December, with high variability and poor predictability of its timing. Therefore, restricting hunting or other recreation activities to reduce risk of injury by bears and disturbing bears probably would be both impractical and ineffective. Our findings can be used to educate hunters about bear behavior at this time of year. Many people associate dens with an increased risk of a bear responding aggressively to disturbance to defend its den, but our results indicate that other behavioral, and possibly physiological, changes in this period also may be involved. © 2014 The Authors. The Journal of Wildlife Management published by The Wildlife Society.

Project description:BackgroundTrauma guidelines on spinal motion restriction (SMR) have changed drastically in recent years. An international group of experts explored whether consensus could be reached and if guidelines on SMR performed by trained lifeguards and prehospital EMS following in-water traumatic spinal cord injury (TSCI) should also be changed.MethodsAn international three-round Delphi process was conducted from October 2022 to November 2023. In Delphi round one, brainstorming resulted in an exhaustive list of recommendations for handling patients with suspected in-water TSCI. The list was also used to construct a preliminary flowchart for in-water SMR. In Delphi round two, three levels of agreement for each recommendation and the flowchart were established. Recommendations with strong consensus (≥ 85% agreement) underwent minor revisions and entered round three; recommendations with moderate consensus (75-85% agreement) underwent major revisions in two consecutive phases; and recommendations with weak consensus (< 75% agreement) were excluded. In Delphi round 3, the level of consensus for each of the final recommendations and each of the routes in the flowchart was tested using the same procedure as in Delphi round 2.ResultsTwenty-four experts participated in Delphi round one. The response rates for Delphi rounds two and three were 92% and 88%, respectively. The study resulted in 25 recommendations and one flowchart with four flowchart paths; 24 recommendations received strong consensus (≥ 85%), and one recommendation received moderate consensus (81%). Each of the four paths in the flowchart received strong consensus (90-95%). The integral flowchart received strong consensus (93%).ConclusionsThis study produced expert consensus on 25 recommendations and a flowchart on handling patients with suspected in-water TSCI by trained lifeguards and prehospital EMS. These results provide clear and simple guidelines on SMR, which can standardise training and guidelines on SMR performed by trained lifeguards or prehospital EMS.

Project description:OBJECTIVE Minimal aortic injuries (MAIs) are being recognized more frequently due to the increasing use of high-resolution diagnostic techniques. The objective of this case series review was to report the clinical and radiological characteristics and outcomes of a series of patients with MAI. METHODS From January 2000 to December 2011, 54 major blunt trauma patients were admitted to our institution with traumatic aortic injuries. Nine of them presented with MAI, whereas the remaining 45 patients suffered a significant aortic injury (SAI). RESULTS MAIs accounted for 17% of the overall traumatic aortic injuries in our series. Major trauma patients with MAI and SAI were similar regarding the presence of severe associated non-aortic injuries and the expected mortality calculated by injury severity score, revised trauma score and trauma injury severity score. There were no statistically significant differences in in-hospital mortality between MAI (22.2%) and SAI (30.2%). No death in the MAI group was aortic related, whereas five deaths in the SAI group were caused by an aortic complication. The survival of MAI patients was 77.8% at 1 and 5 years. There was no late mortality among MAI patients. The survival of SAI patients was 69.7% at 1 year and 63.6% at 5 and 10 years. None of the seven surviving patients with MAI presented a progression of the aortic injury. In six patients, the intimal tear completely healed in imaging controls, whereas one patient developed a small saccular pseudoaneurysm. CONCLUSIONS Blunt traumas presenting MAI are as severe as traumas that associate SAI and present similar in-hospital mortality. In contrast to SAI traumas, in-hospital mortality due to MAI is not usually related to the aortic injury, so these injuries are more amenable to a conservative management. It is mandatory to perform a close imaging surveillance to detect early any potential adverse evolution of an MAI. Nevertheless, a balance must be struck between a close serial imaging surveillance and the potentially detrimental effects of obtaining high-resolution additional images.

Dataset Information

Scandinavian guidelines for initial management of minimal, mild and moderate head injuries in adults: an evidence and consensus-based update.

Publications

Scandinavian guidelines for initial management of minimal, mild and moderate head injuries in adults: an evidence and consensus-based update.

Similar Datasets

OmicsDI is part of the ELIXIR infrastructure

Tweets