Year: 2016
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: \nDegree Project thesis, Programme in Medicine\nAnalysis of Traumatic Head Injury in Kathmandu, Nepal\nErik Stenholm, Student of Medicine\nSupervisor: Prof. Mohan Raj Sharma. Department of Surgery, Tribhuvan University Teaching\nHospital, Kathmandu, Nepal\nSahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden\nBackground\nNepal is one of the worlds poorest countries. Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a major strain on\nNepal’s healthcare. The fatalities are about 15-20 times higher than in more developed\ncountries such as Sweden. More studies about TBI are crucial in order to decrease mortality\nand morbidity.\nObjectives\nThe objective of the study us to characterise patients who are admitted to a neurosurgical\ntertiary care centre at Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital (TUTH) and to assess the\nvalue of Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) at admission and if surgery affects the outcome. An\nauxiliary aim is to study if the results differs between men and women.\nMethods\nIn a prospective observation study, information about patients admitted to the neurosurgical\ntertiary care centre at TUTH was collected during October and November 2015. Inclusion\ncriteria were: admitted with a brain injury caused by trauma and age of 16 or more.\nThe severity of the injuries was classified with GCS. The outcome was classified with\nGlasgow Outcome Score (GOS).\nResults\nA total of 46 patients were included, 33 males and 13 females. The most common modes of\ninjury were fall from ground/heights and road traffic accidents. Patients admitted with GCS 3-\n8 had worse outcome (-1.5 GOS, p=0.002) than patients admitted with GCS 13-15. In patients\nwho had undergone surgery the outcome tended to be worse (-0.5 GOS, p=0.097). The most\ncommon mode of injury was fall from ground/heights and road traffic accidents.\nConclusions\nGCS at admission can be used to predict the outcome of patients with TBI. Surgery worsened\nthe outcome but this was not statistically confirmed. A study with larger sample needs to be\ndone to analyse differences between males and females.
Author: Erik Stenholm
Language: English
Subfield: Clinical Neurology
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W2518623092