View clinical trials related to Craniocerebral Trauma.
Filter by:Many patients who present to the emergency department (ED) receive a vast array of diagnostic tests, some of which might not be useful. Providers often feel obligated to order so many tests to protect themselves against the risk of being sued. The investigators believe if a standard of care providing legal protection for certain clinical conditions were agreed upon and followed, unnecessary testing would significantly decrease in the ED, which, in turn, would improve patient safety, augment the quality of care delivered, and increase patient satisfaction.
Introduction/Background Brain swelling/brain edema can occur due to many pathologies of the brain, such as infections, ischemia and trauma. The edema can be either primarily intra-cellular or extra-cellular. The mechanisms by which edema arise are not fully known but it is proposed that inside the damaged brain, fluid will pass over the blood-brain barrier of the vessels into the extra-cellular space. The accumulation of fluid will lead to an increase in distance between the cell and its closest capillary, which may lead to energy failure and intra-cellular edema. The extra volume of the fluid leads to increased intracranial pressure, which in turn leads to an increase in blood pressure, aggravating the edema. In addition to the physiological changes that occur, the edema will be increased by the immunological response to the tissue damage with release of pro-inflammatory cytokines that give rise to both extra- and intra-cellular edema. Today, no treatment has been proven efficient against traumatic brain edema. AF - anti-secretory factor is a 41 kDa protein that exists in humans and most animals. It was discovered due to its ability to inhibit experimental diarrhea. AF has been proven to have an effect on Mb Menière and glaucoma. In animal models, AF has been proven efficient in reducing increased intracranial pressure caused by trauma and virus infection in the brain. Salovum®, an egg yolk powder enriched in AF, is registered in the European Union as a medical food. Methods: 5 adult patients with severe traumatic brain injury will be included in the trial via next of kin consent. Medical interventions are protocol based. The protocol includes first, second and third treatment levels. Patients included in the trial, will receive two micro-dialysis (MD) catheters in addition to standard treatment. One catheter will be placed in a separate burr hole close to the ICP and LICOX catheter, the other MD catheter will be placed in vicinity of the damaged barin tissue. Patients will receive Salovum® 6 hours after trial inclusion. Patient dosage is 1g/kg body weight/24 hours, divided into 6 doses and administered orally, via tubing every 4 hours for 5 consecutive days. Objective: Primary end-point is to investigate if Salovum® has a beneficiary effect on ICP. Secondary endpoints are to investigate if Salovum® has a beneficiary effect on treatment intensity levels (TIL), brain-oxygenation, microdialysis bio-chemistry and cytokine expression in plasma and microdialysate.
The purpose of this study is to estimate the effect of an early induced hypernatremia protocol (150-155 milliequivalent/L) versus normonatremia plus mannitol (135 - 145 milliequivalent/L) in terms of neurologic outcome in patients with severe traumatic brain injury managed at critical care unit.
This is a research study to learn if a computer-based intervention that provides direct attention and metacognitive strategy development can improve attention, memory, and executive control in adolescents with moderate-to-severe TBI who are experiencing attention difficulties post injury.
This study looks at advanced airway management in critically ill or injured patients treated by physician manned emergency medical services, comparing early (on-scene) intubation to late (emergency department) intubation.
Cerebral edema is seen heterogenous group of neurological disease states that mainly fall under the categories of metabolic, infectious, neoplasia, cerebrovascular, and traumatic brain injury disease states. Regardless of the driving force, cerebral edema is defined as the accumulation of fluid in the brain's intracellular and extracellular spaces. This occurs secondary to alterations in the complex interplay between four distinct fluid compartments within the cranium. In any human cranium; fluid is contained in the blood, the cerebrospinal fluid, interstitial fluid of the brain parenchyma, and the intracellular fluid of the neurons and glia. Fluid movement occurs normally between these compartments and depends on specific concentrations of solutes (such as sodium) and water. In brain-injured states, the normal regulation of this process is disturbed and cerebral edema can develop. Cerebral edema leads to increased intracranial pressure and mortality secondary to brain tissue compression, given the confines of the fixed-volume cranium. Additionally, secondary neuronal dysfunction or death can occur at the cellular level secondary to the disruption of ion gradients that control metabolism and function. While studies utilizing bolus dosing of hyperosmolar therapy to target signs or symptoms of increased intracranial pressure secondary to cerebral edema are numerous, there is a paucity of studies relating to continuous infusion of hyperosmolar therapy for targeted sustained hypernatremia for the prevention and treatment of cerebral edema. The investigators hypothesize that induced, sustained hypernatremia following traumatic brain injury will decrease the rate of cerebral edema formation and improve patient outcomes.