Table 1. Demographic, Laboratory and Clinical Characteristics of Severe TBI Patients.
| Resuscitation Group | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
||||
| Variables | All Patients | HS | HSD | NS |
| Demographics | ||||
| No. of patients | 83 | 22 | 22 | 39 |
| Sex, n (% male) | 61 (73.5%) | 19 (86.4%) | 13 (59.1%) | 29 (74.4%) |
| Age, mean (SD), years | 39.8 (19.5) | 39.1 (17.7) | 37.2 (21.0) | 36.2 (19.1) |
| Vital Signs | ||||
| ED SBP, mean (SD), mmHg | 140.4 (28.4) | 144.0 (25.0) | 148.8 (25.2)*,a | 133.8 (30.8) |
| GCS at entry, median (IQR) | 5.0 (3-7) | 5.0 (3-7) | 5.5 (3-7) | 5.0 (3-7) |
| Worst MODS, mean (SD) | 8.7 (9.0) | 7.5 (8.3) | 9.3 (8.9) | 8.6 (9.0) |
| ISS, median (IQR) | 27.0 (15-36) | 25.5 (17.5-35) | 29 (17-38) | 29 (16-35) |
| Injuries | ||||
| Type of injury, n (%) | ||||
| Blunt | 81 (97.6%) | 21 (95.5%) | 21 (95.5%) | 39 (100%) |
| Penetrating | 2 (2.4%) | 1 (4.5%) | 1 (4.5%) | 0 (0%) |
| Head AIS | 3.9 (1.1) | 4.1 (1.0) | 4.0 (1.2) | 3.8 (1.1) |
| Laboratory Values | ||||
| Sodium, mean (SD), mM | 143.0 (5.8) | 147.2 (3.9)*,a | 148.1 (6.6)*,a | 139.8 (2.7) |
| Chloride, mean (SD), mM | 113.0 (10.1) | 116.6 (4.8) | 120.0 (15.1) | 107.2 (3.9) |
| Osmolality, mean (SD), mOsm/l | 321.5 (25.8) | 323.5 (21.8) | 330.1 (25.3) | 315.6 (27.1) |
| Hemoglobin, mean (SD), g/l | 113.4 (24.7) | 121.5 (19.0)*,a | 111.3 (25.2) | 109.9 (27.0) |
| Hematocrit, mean (SD), l/l | 0.33 (0.07) | 0.35 (0.06) | 0.31 (0.08) | 0.32 (0.08) |
| Fluids | ||||
| Total pre-hospital fluid, mean (SD), l | 0.89 (0.63) | 0.82 (0.51) | 0.87 (0.56) | 0.78 (0.61) |
| Total fluids first 24 h, mean (SD), l | 5.9 (4.4) | 5.1 (2.9) | 5.8 (5.1) | 6.4 (4.7) |
| Infections | ||||
| One or more infections, n (%) | 26 (31.3%) | 8 (36.4%) | 7 (31.8%) | 10 (25.6%) |
| Outcomes | ||||
| Length of stay, mean (SD), d | 32.9 (50.0) | 30.8 (22.8) | 21.9 (27.8) | 28.7 (29.3) |
| Overall mortality, n (%) | 23 (27.7%) | 5 (22.7%) | 7 (31.8%) | 11 (28.2%) |
| ARDS free survival to 28 d, n (%) | 61 (73.5%) | 18 (81.8%) | 15 (68.2%) | 28 (71.8%) |
| GOS-E, 6-month, median (IQR) | 4.0 (1-6) | 3.5 (2-6) | 3.5 (1-6) | 4.0 (1-6) |
| DRS, 6-month, median (IQR) | 5 (2-6) | 5.5 (3-6) | 6 (2-6) | 5 (3-6) |
Abbreviations: NS, normal saline; HSD, hypertonic saline plus dextran; ED, emergency department admission; SBP, systolic blood pressure; GCS, Glasgow Coma Scale; ISS, Injury Severity Score; worst MODS, highest Multiple Organ Dysfunction Score during entire observation period; SD, standard deviation; IQR, interquartile range; d, days; GCS, Glasgow Coma Score; head AIS, Abbreviated Injury Score for the head; ISS, Injury Severity Score; ARDS, acute respiratory distress syndrome; GOS-E, Extended Glasgow Outcome Score; DRS, Disability Rating Score. Statistical differences with p < 0.05 between the HS or HSD groups and the NS group are indicated by astersiks followed by the type of test used (a, Student's t-test; b, Mann-Whitney U test; c, Chi-square test).