Table 1.
Characteristics of the 431 Suspected Mild TBI Study Patients With GCS 13–15 and the Subgroup With GCS 15
| Characteristics | All Patients With GCS 13–15 (n = 431) | Patients With GCS 15 (n = 314) |
|---|---|---|
| Age (yr), mean ± SD (range) | 38.4 ± 18 (18–103) | 38.3 ± 18 (18–99) |
| Sex | ||
| Female | 155 (36) | 113 (36) |
| Male | 276 (64) | 201 (64) |
| Mechanism of injury | ||
| MVC | 223 (51.7) | 160 (51.0) |
| Motorcycle collision | 18 (4.2) | 14 (4.5) |
| Other motorized vehicles | 13 (3.0) | 8 (2.6) |
| Pedestrian struck and thrown | 5 (1.2) | 4 (1.3) |
| Pedestrian struck | 8 (1.9) | 3 (1.0) |
| Bicycle struck | 9 (2.1) | 7 (2.2) |
| Bicycle collision | 5 (1.2) | 2 (0.7) |
| Other bicycle | 5 (1.2) | 4 (1.3) |
| Fall from elevation > 10 feet/15 stairs | 13 (3.0) | 12 (3.8) |
| Fall from elevation 3–10 feet/5–15 stairs | 30 (7.0) | 22 (7.0) |
| Fall from elevation < 3 feet/5 stairs | 27 (6.3) | 21 (6.7) |
| Assault blunt object | 19 (4.4) | 15 (4.8) |
| Assault fist or feet | 30 (7.0) | 23 (7.3) |
| Diving | 1 (0.2) | 1 (0.3) |
| Fall onto head (axial load) | 2 (0.5) | 1 (0.3) |
| Contact sports (axial load) | 3 (0.7) | 3 (1.0) |
| Heavy object onto head (axial load) | 5 (1.2) | 4 (1.3) |
| Other sports | 3 (0.7) | 2 (0.6) |
| Head struck by other object | 9 (2.1) | 6 (1.9) |
| Hit head on an object | 2 (0.5) | 2 (0.6) |
| Other | 1 (0.2) | 0 (0.0) |
| MVC characteristics* | ||
| Simple rear-end MVC | 11 (2.6) | 9 (2.9) |
| Ejection from vehicle | 41 (9.5) | 21 (6.7) |
| Rollover | 51 (11.8) | 30 (9.6) |
| Death in same MVC | 6 (1.4) | 4 (1.3) |
| “Head-on” collision | 22 (5.1) | 13 (4.1) |
| Time from injury to assessment | ||
| <30 minutes | 52 (12.1) | 40 (12.7) |
| 1 hour | 139 (32.3) | 93 (29.6) |
| 2 to 3 hours | 61 (14.2) | 44 (14.01) |
| 3 to 24 hours | 62 (14.4) | 47 (15.0) |
| Arrived by ambulance | 346 (80.3) | 240 (76.4) |
| Transfer from another institution | 18 (4.2) | 15 (4.8) |
| Witnessed loss of consciousness | 147 (34.1) | 107 (34.1) |
| Amnesia | 139 (32.3) | 83 (26.4) |
| Initial GCS score | ||
| 15 | 314 (72.9) | 314 (100) |
| 14 | 94 (21.8) | – |
| 13 | 23 (5.3) | – |
| Admitted | 259 (60.1) | 169 (53.8) |
| CT of head performed | 428 (99.3) | 314 (100) |
| Skull fracture | 8 (1.9) | 5 (1.6) |
| Basal | 4 (0.9) | 1 (0.3) |
| Linear | 4 (0.9) | 4 (1.3) |
| Depressed | 0 (0.0) | 0 (0.0) |
| Any acute brain injury | 42 (9.7) | 22 (7.0) |
| Cerebral contusion | 18 (4.2) | 8 (2.6) |
| Subarachnoid hemorrhage | 21 (4.9) | 10 (3.2) |
| Subdural hematoma | 8 (1.9) | 4 (1.3) |
| Epidural hematoma | 4 (0.9) | 1 (0.3) |
| Pneumocephalus | 3 (0.7) | 2 (0.6) |
| Intracerebral hematoma | 0 (0.0) | 0 (0.0) |
| Intraventricular hemorrhage | 1 (0.2) | 1 (0.3) |
| Diffuse cerebral edema | 0 (0.0) | 0 (0.0) |
| Clinically important brain injury* | 27 (6.3) | 11 (3.5) |
| Clinically unimportant brain injury* | 15 (3.5) | 11 (3.5) |
| Neurosurgical intervention* | 5 (1.2) | 3 (1.0) |
| Craniotomy | 2 (0.5) | 0 (0.0) |
| Elevation of skull fracture | 0 (0.0) | 0 (0.0) |
| Intubation for head injury | 3 (0.7) | 3 (1.0) |
| Death secondary to head injury | 0 (0.0) | 0 (0.0) |
| Intracranial pressure monitoring | 0 (0.0) | 0 (0.0) |
Values are reported as n (%) unless otherwise noted.
GCS = Glasgow Coma Scale; MVC = motor vehicle collision; TBI = traumatic brain injury.
*
Some patients have more than one characteristic.