Tag: TBI

Posted on

Wartime penetrating traumatic brain injury of the anterior skull base involving the paranasal sinuses: a single-center, first-year experience from Dnipro, Ukraine

J Neurosurg 142:829–838, 2025

• Study Focus: The study explores wartime penetrating traumatic brain injuries (pTBIs) involving the anterior skull base and paranasal sinuses during the first year of the Russian-Ukrainian war.

• Objective: To identify factors associated with favorable short-term outcomes and survival in patients with pTBIs.

• Methodology: A single-center retrospective review was conducted on patients treated at Mechnikov Dnipropetrovsk Regional Clinical Hospital in Ukraine.

• Key Findings: High Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) scores, favorable injury lateralization, and low Injury Severity Scores (ISS) were linked to better short-term outcomes.

• Treatment Protocol: The study implemented early primary neurosurgical treatment, including debridement and skull base reconstruction, which showed promising early results.

• Patient Outcomes: 84% of patients achieved a favorable outcome, with low rates of postoperative complications like CSF leaks and infections.

• Comparison with Other Conflicts: The study highlights differences in management strategies compared to US military experiences in Iraq and Afghanistan.

• Limitations: The study lacks a direct comparison group and long-term outcomes are not available due to follow-up challenges.

Posted on

Interactive iBook-Based Patient Education in a NeuroTrauma Clinic

Neurosurgery 81:787–794, 2017

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a leading cause of death and disability in the United States. Educational interventions may alleviate the burden of TBI for patients and their families. Interactive modalities that involve engagement with the educational material may enhance patient knowledge acquisition when compared to static text-based educational material.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the effects of educational interventions in the outpatient setting on self-reported patient knowledge, with a focus on iPad-based (Apple, Cupertino, California) interactive modules.

METHODS: Patients and family members presenting to a NeuroTrauma clinic at a tertiary care academic medical center completed a presurvey assessing baseline knowledge of TBI or concussion, depending on the diagnosis. Subjects then received either an interactive iBook (Apple) on TBI or concussion, or an informative pamphlet with identical information in text format. Subjects then completed a postsurvey prior to seeing the neurosurgeon.

RESULTS: All subjects (n = 152) significantly improved on self-reported knowledge measures following administration of either an iBook (Apple) or pamphlet (P < .01, 95% confidence interval [CI]). Subjects receiving the iBook (n = 122) performed significantly better on the postsurvey (P < .01, 95% CI), despite equivalent presurvey scores, when compared to those receiving pamphlets (n = 30). Lastly, patients preferred the iBook to pamphlets (P < .01, 95% CI).

CONCLUSION: Educational interventions in the outpatient NeuroTrauma setting led to significant improvement in self-reported measures of patient and family knowledge. This improved understanding may increase compliance with the neurosurgeon’s recommendations and may help reduce the potential anxiety and complications that arise following a TBI.

Proudly powered by WordPress