TY - JOUR
PY - 2024//
TI - Incidence of traumatic brain injuries within the prehospital trauma registry system
JO - Journal of Special Operations Medicine
A1 - Braden, Stephen F.
A1 - Schauer, Steven Gremel
A1 - Dengler, Bradley A.
A1 - April, Michael D.
A1 - Rizzo, Julie
A1 - Long, Brit
SP - ePub
EP - ePub
VL - ePub
IS - ePub
N2 - BACKGROUND: Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is often underreported or undetected in prehospital civilian and military settings. This study evaluated the incidence of TBI within the Prehospital Trauma Registry (PHTR) system.
METHODS: We reviewed PHTR and the linked Department of Defense Trauma Registry (DoDTR) records of casualties from January 2003 through May 2019 for diagnostic data and surgical reports.
RESULTS: A total of 709 casualties met inclusion criteria. The most common mechanism was blast, including 328 (51%) in the non-TBI and 45 (63%) in the TBI cohorts. The median injury severity scores in the non-TBI and TBI cohorts were 5 and 14, respectively. The survival scores in the non-TBI and TBI cohorts were 98% and 92%, respectively. Subdural hematomas, followed by subarachnoid hemorrhages were the most common classifiable brain injuries. Other nonspecific TBIs occurred in 85% of the TBI cohort casualties. Seventy-two cases (10%) were documented by the Role 1 clinician. Based on coding or operative data, 15 of the 72 (21%) were identified as TBIs. Of the 637 cases, which could not be decided based on coding or operative data, TBI was suspected in 42 (7%) cases based on Role 1 records.
CONCLUSIONS: Over 1 in 10 casualties presenting to a Role 1 facility had a TBI requiring transfer to a higher level of care. Our findings suggest the need for improved diagnostic technologies and documentation systems at Role 1 facilities for accurate TBI diagnosis and reporting.
Language: en
LA - en SN - 1553-9768 UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.55460/6RSJ-GXLF ID - ref1 ER -