Early Systolic Dysfunction Following Traumatic Brain Injury

Abstract

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a major medical and socio-economic problem, and is the leading cause of death in children and young adults. Significant brain-heart interactions and paroxysmal sympathetic hyperactivity are observed in other neurological conditions (Prathep et al., 2014). In similar ways, TBI may negatively influence cardiac function and may have its own downstream impact on physiological endpoints and patient outcomes. Our aim in this study is to determine the longitudinal course, and admission risk factors for systolic dysfunction in patients with isolated moderate-severe TBI. All subjects included in the study are diagnosed of mild TBI and moderate-severe TBI within 24 hours of injury and TBI severity was based on the admission Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) score after resuscitation. Patients more than 65 years old and any patient with a documented history of cardiac diseases or severe systemic comorbidities were excluded