Fluid percussion models produce brain injury by rapidly injecting fluid volumes into the cranial cavity. The authors have systematically examined the effects of varying magnitudes of fluid percussion injury in the rat on neurological, systemic physiological, and histopathological changes. Acute neurological experiments showed that fluid percussion injury in 53 rats produced either irreversible apnea and death or transient apnea (lasting 54 seconds or less) and reversible suppression of postural and nonpostural function (lasting 60 minutes or less). As the magnitude if injury increased, the mortality rate and the duration of suppression of somatomotor reflexes increased. Unlike other rat models in which concussive brain injury is produced by impact, convulsions were observed in only 13% of survivors. Transient apnea was probably not associated with a significant hypoxic insult to animals that survived. Ten rats that sustained a moderate magnitude of injury (2.9 atm) exhibited chronic locomotor deficits that persisted for 4 to 8 days. Systemic physiological experiments in 20 rats demonstrated that all levels of injury studied produced acute systemic hypertension, bradycardia, and increased plasma glucose levels. Hypertension with subsequent hypotension resulted from higher magnitudes of injury. The durations of hypertension and suppression of amplitude on electroencephalography were related to the magnitudes of injury. While low levels of injury produced no significant histopathological alterations, higher magnitudes produced subarachnoid and intraparenchymal hemorrhage and, with increasing survival, necrotic change and cavitation. These data demonstrate that fluid percussion injury in the rat reproduces many of the features of head injury observed in other models and species. Thus, this animal model could represent a useful experimental approach to studies of pathological changes similar to those seen in human head injury.

There is still controversy over whether or not patients should be hyperventilated after traumatic brain injury, and a randomized trial has never been conducted. The theoretical advantages of hyperventilation are cerebral vasoconstriction for intracranial pressure (ICP) control and reversal of brain and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) acidosis. Possible disadvantages include cerebral vasoconstriction to such an extent that cerebral ischemia ensues, and only a short-lived effect on CSF pH with a loss of HCO3-buffer from CSF. The latter disadvantage might be overcome by the addition of the buffer tromethamine (THAM), which has shown some promise in experimental and clinical use. Accordingly, a trial was performed with patients randomly assigned to receive normal ventilation (PaCO2 35 +/- 2 mm Hg (mean +/- standard deviation): control group), hyperventilation (PaCO2 25 +/- 2 mm Hg: HV group), or hyperventilation plus THAM (PaCO2 25 +/- 2 mm Hg: HV + THAM group). Stratification into subgroups of patients with motor scores of 1-3 and 4-5 took place. Outcome was assessed according to the Glasgow Outcome Scale at 3, 6, and 12 months. There were 41 patients in the control group, 36 in the HV group, and 36 in the HV + THAM group. The mean Glasgow Coma Scale score for each group was 5.7 +/- 1.7, 5.6 +/- 1.7, and 5.9 +/- 1.7, respectively; this score and other indicators of severity of injury were not significantly different. A 100% follow-up review was obtained. At 3 and 6 months after injury the number of patients with a favorable outcome (good or moderately disabled) was significantly (p less than 0.05) lower in the hyperventilated patients than in the control and HV + THAM groups. This occurred only in patients with a motor score of 4-5. At 12 months posttrauma this difference was not significant (p = 0.13). Biochemical data indicated that hyperventilation could not sustain alkalinization in the CSF, although THAM could. Accordingly, cerebral blood flow (CBF) was lower in the HV + THAM group than in the control and HV groups, but neither CBF nor arteriovenous difference of oxygen data indicated the occurrence of cerebral ischemia in any of the three groups. Although mean ICP could be kept well below 25 mm Hg in all three groups, the course of ICP was most stable in the HV + THAM group. It is concluded that prophylactic hyperventilation is deleterious in head-injured patients with motor scores of 4-5.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

✓ This study describes the relationship between raised intracranial pressure (ICP), hypotension, and outcome from severe head injury. The study is based on information derived from the Traumatic Coma Data Bank where ICP records from a relatively large number of patients were available to help delineate the major factors influencing outcome. From the total data base of 1030 patients, 428 met minimum monitoring duration criteria for inclusion in the present analysis. Outcome was classified according to the Glasgow Outcome Scale score determined at 6 months postinjury. Arrays of comparably defined summary measures describing the patient's course were considered for ICP, blood pressure (BP), central perfusion pressure, and therapy intensity level. For instance, the array of ICP summary descriptors included the proportion of ICP readings greater than x, for x = 0 to 80 mm Hg by increments of 5 mm Hg. A total of 187 candidate summary descriptors were considered. A stepwise ordinal logistic regression was used to select the subset of candidate summary descriptors that best explained the 6-month outcome. As established previously, age, admission motor score, and abnormal pupils were each highly significant in explaining outcome. Beyond these factors, the proportion of hourly ICP readings greater than 20 mm Hg was next selected and was also highly significant in explaining outcome (p < 0.0001). In addition to the ICP factor, the cutoff point of 20 mm Hg was selected by the procedure as most indicative of outcome. With these four factors modeled, the next selected factor was the proportion of hourly BP readings less than 80 mm Hg. Again, the BP factor was highly significant in explaining outcome (p < 0.0001). As with the ICP factor, the BP cutoff point of 80 mm Hg was objectively selected as most indicative of outcome. In summary, the incidence of mortality and morbidity resulting from severe head trauma is strongly related to raised ICP and hypotension measured during the course of ICP management. Moreover, these ICP and BP factors provide a better indication of outcome than the similarly defined factors of central perfusion pressure or therapy intensity level.

Although experimental and pathological studies suggest an important role for ischemia in the majority of fatal cases of traumatic brain injury, ischemia has been a rare finding in most clinical studies of cerebral blood flow (CBF) in head-injured patients. The hypothesis of the present study was that cerebral ischemia occurs in the first few hours after injury, but that CBF measurements have not been performed early enough. Early measurements of CBF (by the 133Xe intravenous method) and arteriovenous oxygen difference (AVDO2) were obtained in 186 adult head-injured patients with a Glasgow Coma Scale score of 8 or less, and were correlated with neurological status and outcome. During the first 6 hours after injury, CBF was low (22.5 +/- 5.2 ml/100 gm/min) but increased significantly during the first 24 hours. The AVDO2 followed the opposite course; the decline of AVDO2 was most profound in patients with low motor scores, suggesting relative hyperemia after 24 hours. A significant correlation between motor score and CBF was found in the first 8 hours after injury (Spearman coefficient = 0.69, p less than 0.001), but as early as 12 hours postinjury this correlation was lost. A similar pattern was found for the relationship between CBF and outcome. Cerebral blood flow below the threshold for infarction (CBF less than or equal to 18 ml/100 gm/min) was found in one-third of the studies obtained within 6 hours, the incidence rapidly decreasing thereafter. A low CBF after 24 hours was not generally associated with a high AVDO2, and was probably a reflection of low oxidative metabolism rather than frank ischemia. In 24 patients, a CBF of 18 ml/100 gm/min or less was found at some point after injury; the mortality rate was significantly higher in this subgroup, and survivors did worse. In some cases, ischemia was successfully treated by reducing hyperventilation or inducing arterial hypertension. These results support the above hypothesis, and suggest that early ischemia after traumatic brain injury may be an important factor determining neurological outcome. Moreover, these data indicate that early hyperventilation or lowering of blood pressure to prevent brain edema may be harmful.

Data in this report affirm that gait improvement immediately following ELD is the best prognostic indicator of a positive shunt outcome, with an accuracy of prediction greater than 90%. Furthermore, bolus resistance testing is useful as a prognostic tool, does not require hospitalization, can be performed in an outpatient setting, and has an overall accuracy of 72% in predicting successful ELD outcome. Equally important is the finding that improvement with shunt surgery is independent of age up to the ninth decade of life in patients who improved on ELD.