Table 2.
Characteristics of all BCVI patients, questionnaire responders and non-responders
| All BCVI patients (n = 71) | Responders (n = 38) | Non-responders (n = 8) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Age (years) | |||
| At trauma | 50 [29–68] | 50 [29–65] | 47 [31–61] |
| At follow-up | N/A | 54 [35–69] | N/A |
| Male | 46 (65) | 24 (63) | 5 (63) |
| ISS | 26 [16–36] | 21 [13–33] | 28 [13–38] |
| Polytrauma | 54 (76) | 27 (71) | 6 (75) |
| GCS score at admission | 14 [3–15] | 15 [11–14] | 15 [3–15] |
| Neurological deficits at admission | 61 (86) | 32 (84) | 7 (88) |
| Brain injury | 30 (42) | 10 (26) | 3 (38) |
| Intracranial hemorrhage | 28 (39) | 9 (24) | 3 (38) |
| Thoracic injury | 40 (56) | 17 (45) | 4 (50) |
| Abdominal injury | 13 (18) | 6 (16) | 2 (25) |
| Basilar skull fracture | 22 (31) | 9 (24) | 2 (25) |
| Spine injurya | |||
| Cervical | 61 (86) | 33 (87) | 7 (88) |
| Thoracic | 13 (18) | 6 (16) | 2 (25) |
| Lumbar | 6 (8) | 1 (3) | 0 (0) |
| Spinal cord injury | 19 (27) | 10 (26) | 2 (25) |
| Type of BCVIa | |||
| Carotid artery injury | 33 (46) | 11 (29) | 5 (63) |
| Vertebral artery injury | 48 (68) | 30 (79) | 3 (38)* |
| Treatment | |||
| Antiplatelet | 40 (56) | 25 (66) | 7 (88) |
| None | 28 (39) | 12 (32) | 1 (12) |
| Endovascular | 2 (3) | 1 (3) | 0 (0) |
| Surgical | 1 (1) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) |
| Hospital stay (days) | 11 [4–29] | 12 [7–29] | 28 [8–39] |
| ICU stay (days) | 1 [0–7] | 0 [0–7] | 3 [0–11] |
| Outcomes | |||
| Total ischemic stroke | 20 (28) | 8 (21) | 3 (38) |
| Carotid artery strokeb,c | 11 (15) | 2 (5) | 3 (38) |
| Vertebral artery strokeb,c | 9 (13) | 6 (16) | 0 (0) |
| In-hospital ischemic stroke | 18 (25) | 8 (21) | 2 (25) |
| In-hospital mortality | 16 (23) | N/A | N/A |
| BCVI related in-hospital mortality | 6 (8) | N/A | N/A |
Data are presented as the number (%) or the median [IQR: 25th–75th percentile]
ISS Injury Severity Score, GCS Glasgow Coma Scale, ICU Intensive care unit
*p < 0.05
aTotal number and percentage is greater than 100%, since multiple patients suffered from multiple injuries
bOne patient suffered from ischemia in both the medial and posterior circulation
cOne patient died due to diffuse cerebral ischemia, suffering from an affected carotid artery, occluded basilar artery and severe intracranial bleeding. It was, therefore, impossible to determine the responsible artery