Improving the Outcome Prognostication of Critically Ill Patients with Moderate-Severe TBI

This presentation will highlight the critical need for improved outcome prognostication tools for critically ill patients with moderate-severe traumatic brain injury (TBI). Currently existing outcome prognostication tools and the notion of self-fulfilling prophecies by premature withdrawal of care will be explained. We will showcase the ongoing clinical research conducted at the University of Massachusetts Medical School with the overarching goal to improve outcome prediction for patients with moderate-severe TBI

Shared Decision Making in Neurocritical Care: Barriers and Facilitators

The presentation will introduce the audience to shared decision-making in general, as well as specifically in critical care, including the barriers and facilitators of shared-decision making in stakeholders. The presentation will also highlight the ongoing research activities at UMMS to develop and implement the first neuro-critical care based decision support tool for surrogate decision makers. This presentation is part of the mini-symposium entitled Building Bridges to Cross the Quality Chasm : The Challenges of Engaging Clinicians in Patient-Centered Care

Consensus statement from the International Consensus Meeting on the Role of Decompressive Craniectomy in the Management of Traumatic Brain Injury : Consensus statement

BACKGROUND: Two randomised trials assessing the effectiveness of decompressive craniectomy (DC) following traumatic brain injury (TBI) were published in recent years: DECRA in 2011 and RESCUEicp in 2016. As the results have generated debate amongst clinicians and researchers working in the field of TBI worldwide, it was felt necessary to provide general guidance on the use of DC following TBI and identify areas of ongoing uncertainty via a consensus-based approach. METHODS: The International Consensus Meeting on the Role of Decompressive Craniectomy in the Management of Traumatic Brain Injury took place in Cambridge, UK, on the 28th and 29th September 2017. The meeting was jointly organised by the World Federation of Neurosurgical Societies (WFNS), AO/Global Neuro and the NIHR Global Health Research Group on Neurotrauma. Discussions and voting were organised around six pre-specified themes: (1) primary DC for mass lesions, (2) secondary DC for intracranial hypertension, (3) peri-operative care, (4) surgical technique, (5) cranial reconstruction and (6) DC in low- and middle-income countries. RESULTS: The invited participants discussed existing published evidence and proposed consensus statements. Statements required an agreement threshold of more than 70% by blinded voting for approval. CONCLUSIONS: In this manuscript, we present the final consensus-based recommendations. We have also identified areas of uncertainty, where further research is required, including the role of primary DC, the role of hinge craniotomy and the optimal timing and material for skull reconstruction

Investigating User Satisfaction: An Adaptation of IS Success Model for Short-term Use

Research investigating the acceptance of information systems mostly focuses on systems designed for long-term use, rather than one-time or short-term use. However, short-term use systems are part of the health information technology portfolio. We propose a theoretical model inspired by the D&M IS Success Model to investigate user satisfaction, as a measure of acceptance, with a web-based decision aid designed for short-term decision-making. We hypothesize that media richness affects perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, learnability, information quality, perceived social presence, and trust, which eventually affect user satisfaction. We propose a mixed method to test hypotheses using eye-tracking, surveys, and interviews. As a pilot qualitative study (N=8), the survey outcomes indicated that constructs performed well (mean 7-point Likert scores >= 5.15 and mean system usability scale = 75). The eye-tracking and interview results showed that participants prefer multimedia, and pictures and visual designs drew their attention to the decision aid website

Traumatic Brain Injury: Translation from Animal Models and Genetics to Improving Outcomes

This presentation offers background information on traumatic brain injury (TBI), a public health problem which affects approximately 1.7 million Americans each year. The presentation is part of a mini-symposium highlighting the interdisciplinary and translational nature of TBI research at the University of Massachusetts Medical School

BRAIN TOPiC Study: Assessing Variability in Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) Outcome Prognostication – Do Self-Fulfilling Prophecies Exist in TBI, Too?

OBJECTIVE: In this study, we surveyed clinicians caring for patients with moderate-severe traumatic brain injury (msTBI) to assess (1) possible variability in outcome prognostication in TBI, varying by clinicians level of training and medical specialty, (2) possible biases and self-fulfilling prophecies, and (3) whether specific ICU medical complications may influence clinicians in their outcome prognostication. BACKGROUND: Patients with msTBI commonly die from withdrawal of support, likely as a consequence of an unfavorable outcome prognosis provided to the family by the treating physician. It is unknown whether prognostication may lead to self-fulfilling prophecies, and whether the presence of intensive care unit (ICU) complications may accentuate possible provider bias. DESIGN/METHODS: We conducted an anonymous electronic survey of clinicians, including faculty members (Neurology, Neurosurgery, Trauma, Anesthesia/Critical Care), neurology house staff, ICU affiliate practitioners and neuroICU nurses at a single Level I trauma center. The survey included three TBI case vignettes and their respective ICU courses. Questions were designed to assess the utilization of known TBI prognostic models, relative importance of ICU complications for outcome prognostication and aggressiveness of care recommended by the survey participant. RESULTS: The survey response rate was 72% (106 surveys returned). In all 3 cases, the majority of participants did not recommend withdrawal of care, but did predict unfavorable 6-month outcomes. 51% of participants consider medical ICU complications as very important in TBI prognostication. Age, ICU course and head CT findings are the prognostic variables considered most important to outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: We have discovered great variability in outcome predictions made by clinicians with different levels of experience in treating msTBI. Self-fulfilling prophecies may exist in msTBI outcomes. Outcome estimates should focus not only on admission variables, but also on ICU complications in order to guide clinicians in providing prognostication

Severity of Pre-existing Cerebral Small Vessel Disease is Associated with Outcome after Traumatic Brain Injury

Background and purpose: It is now well accepted that traumatic white matter injury constitutes a critical determinant of post-traumatic functional impairment. However, the contribution of pre-existing white matter rarefaction on outcome following traumatic brain injury (TBI) is unknown. Hence, we sought to determine whether the burden of pre-existing cerebral small vessel disease related white matter rarefaction (leukoaraiosis) is independently associated with outcome after TBI. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed consecutive, prospectively enrolled patients of ≥50 years (n=136) that were admitted to a single neurological-trauma intensive care unit. Supratentorial white matter hypoattenuation on head CT was graded on a 5-point scale (range 0-4) reflecting increasing severity of leukoaraiosis. Outcome was ascertained according to the modified Rankin Scale (mRS) and Glasgow outcome scale (GOS) via telephone interview at 3 and 12 months, respectively. Results: After adjustment for other factors, leukoaraiosis-severity was significantly associated with a poor outcome at 3 and 12 months as defined as mRS 3-6 and GOS 1-3, respectively. The independent association between leukoaraiosis and a poor outcome remained when the analysis was restricted to patients that survived to 3 months, had moderate-to-severe TBI (enrolment Glasgow Coma Scale [GCS] ≤12; p=0.001), or had mild TBI (GCS 13-15; p=0.002), respectively. Conclusion: We provide first evidence that pre-existing cerebral small vessel disease independently predicts a poor functional outcome after closed head TBI. This association is independent of other established outcome predictors such as age, comorbid state as well as intensive care unit complications and interventions. This knowledge may help improve prognostic accuracy, clinical management, and resource utilization

Heat Capacity of ^3He in Aerogel

The heat capacity of pure ^3He in low density aerogel is measured at 22.5 bar. The superfluid response is simultaneously monitored with a torsional oscillator. A slightly rounded heat capacity peak, 65 mu K in width, is observed at the ^3He-aerogel superfluid transition, T_{ca}. Subtracting the bulk ^3He contribution, the heat capacity shows a Fermi-liquid form above T_{ca}. The heat capacity attributed to superfluid within the aerogel can be fit with a rounded BCS form, and accounts for 0.30 of the non-bulk fluid in the aerogel, indicating a substantial reduction in the superfluid order parameter consistent with earlier superfluid density measurements.Comment: 4 pages, 5 figure

Can a detailed neurological exam improve prediction of extubation success in neurocritically ill patients?

Predictors of extubation success in neurocritically ill patients differ from those in the medical or surgical ICU without acute neurological injury. Presence of a cough and a higher Glasgow Coma Scale has previously been associated with extubation success. A recent study in neurocritically ill patients at Harvard Medical School has suggested that a detailed neurological exam may identify important additional signs of extubation success. This cohort, however, included predominantly stroke patients. We aimed to validate these findings in our mixed patient cohort including neurotrauma, stroke and status epilepticus. In this ongoing prospective observational cohort study, we have enrolled 61 neurocritically ill patients who have required intubation and followed them through their hospital course. Routine care included daily evaluation for extubation readiness, including spontaneous breathing trials, arterial blood gases and weaning according to an institutional weaning protocol. Prior to a planned extubation, patients underwent a simple neurological exam by the bedside nurse according to study protocol. After extubation, patients were followed for extubation failure, defined as re-intubation within 72 hours of extubation. Additional data on possible confounders is collected, including chest X-ray appearance, infectious complications, and other comorbid conditions. Mean age of the sample was 59 years and 64% were male, Mean GCS was 12. Extubation failure was seen in 6.5 %, diagnosis of pneumonia 72 hours prior to extubation 24%, after an average number of 3 intubation days. Enrollment will continue until July 2012. A planned analysis includes the identification of predictors of extubation success, focusing on aspects of the neurological examination while controlling for key confounders. We also plan to combine our cohort with the Harvard cohort to improve the power of our analysis. We hope to identify important predictors of extubation success in a broad neurocritical care cohort in order to build a more generalizable model that may improve the prediction of extubation success in neurocritically ill patients

Genetic determinants of cerebral edema in severe traumatic brain injury: A pilot study of the role of CACNA1 and AQP4 gene mutations

Cerebral edema is the one of the most significant predictors of poor outcome after traumatic brain injury. It is still unclear what the pathophysiological and cellular mechanisms and predictors of post-traumatic edema are. The exponential growth in genetic information has opened an avenue for investigation in traumatic brain injury and implicated specific genes in the pathophysiology of post-traumatic injury edema. Two examples are the Aquaporin-4 and CACNA1 genes, which respectively encode water and calcium channels. The Aquaporin-4 gene on chromosome 18q11.2-12.1 encodes the Aquaporin-4 protein (AQP4) water channel. AQP4 is one of the bidirectional high capacity water channels that is primarily expressed in astrocytic foot processes in the central nervous system at the blood-brain barrier and is thought to be critical for brain water homeostasis. Experimental studies showed that AQP4 deficient mice had significantly reduced cerebral edema and better survival in a water intoxication model. The CACNA1 gene on chromosome 19p13 encodes the a1A subunit of a neuronal calcium channel. Patients with Familial Hemiplegic Migraine and delayed fatal cerebral edema and seizuresfrom minor trauma have been found to have mutations in CACNA1, which are hypothesized to enhance development of cytotoxic edema. A missense mutation is reported to enhance risk of delayed fatal cerebral edema. Hypothesis: The CACNA1 gene missense mutation S218L and AQP4 polymorphisms will be over-represented in patients with post-traumatic cerebral edema. Our Specific Aim is to perform full exon sequence analysis of these two genes in 20 well-defined cases of excessive cerebral edema. Our long term goal is to systematically investigate genetic variants as determinants of risk of excessive cerebral edema. It is hoped that this will further elucidate secondary mechanisms of injury specifically in the formation of post-traumatic edema and lead to targeted therapies in the future