Patterns and Impact of Traumatic Brain Injury at King Abdulaziz Medical City in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia: A Retrospective Cohort Study

Abstract

The objectives of this study are to explore the most common causes, patterns, and severities of head traumas, to evaluate the outcomes of traumatic head injury (TBI) patients followed in the clinic, and to calculate the prevalence of admitted cases. MethodsIn our retrospective cohort study, we included all the cases of adults above 18 years old diagnosed with head traumas (171 patients). The inclusion criteria were patients who presented to the emergency department at National Guard Health Affairs (NGHA), Jeddah, Saudi Arabia from 2016 to 2020. Patients were categorized according to their Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) score upon admission. ResultsOf the 171 patients in this study, 151 (88.3%) were males and 20 (11.7%) were females. The median age of our patients was 31 years. Most of the cases had no medical illnesses 124 (72.5%). The most common mechanism of injury was motor vehicle accidents (MVAs) in the majority of our cases (105, 61.4%), followed by falls from heights (34, 19.9%). The commonest computed tomography (CT) finding was subdural hematoma (47, 27.4%). The majority of the associated injuries were thoracic cases (43, 25.1%), followed by spinal (40, 23.4%). Most of the patients were admitted to NGHA (120, 70.2%), while the rest (51, 29.8%) were transferred from other hospitals. Of the total of 171 patients, 134 (78.4%) were treated conservatively. There were no associations between mortality nor length of stay and patients' demographics, except for GCS on admission showed a significant p-value (<0.005). ConclusionIn this study, it was found that the most common causes of TBI are MVAs followed by falls from heights. Therefore, preventive measures such as traffic safety rules need to be addressed.

Pattern and In-Hospital Mortality of Thoracoabdominal Injuries Associated with Motor Vehicle Accident-Related Head Injury: a Single-Center Retrospective Study

“…Motor vehicle accidents (MVAs) are the main causes of TBI in Saudi Arabia [ 5 , 6 ]. Furthermore, MVAs are considered the main causes of TBI in developing countries [ 7 , 8 ].…”

Unusual Presentation of Diffuse Axonal Injury: A Case Report

“…Patients present acutely with no lucid interval, abnormal pupil response, and decerebrate or decorticate posture [ 2 ]. The annual incidence rate of TBI globally is 200 per 100,000 people, leading to 40-50% of TBI patients developing DAI [ 3 , 4 ]. It is caused by acceleration-deceleration forces that cause axonal shearing and micro-hemorrhages in the grey-white junction in the cortex and white matter throughout the brain, which can be radiographically confirmed [ 5 ].…”