Physiologic Impact of In-Flight Stress Following Traumatic Brain Injury
Abstract
Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a growing concern in both the military and civilian populations. Explosive devices used in military combat commonly result in a blast-induced TBI. Warfighters participating in combat operations have a reported 8-22 percent incidence of TBI. Those with the most severe TBI often require emergency medical evacuation, first by helicopter then by fixed wing aircraft. During aeromedical transport, wounded warfighters and pilots experience whole body vibration characterized by common frequencies of 16 and 100 Hz due to the movement of the rotors. The effect of this ongoing vibration on patients with TBI is currently unknown. In addition, transported patients may also experience a mild hypoxia in flight, which has been associated with increased morbidity and mortality following TBI. Secondary brain injury can occur by exposure to posttraumatic insults, exacerbating the primary brain injury and contributing to poor outcomes. For this study, we developed a porcine model of traumatic brain injury to investigate the effects of the continuous vibration and hypoxia of simulated aeromedical evacuation on the injured brain. We hypothesized that the combination of vibration and hypoxia would contribute to secondary brain injury following TBI, as evidenced by serum biomarkers or neuroimaging. We used serum biomarkers, neurologic monitoring, blood gas analysis, imaging, and histology to evaluate the effects of vibration and hypoxia following TBI. Serum biomarkers, magnetic resonance imaging, and histology demonstrated changes following TBI but were similar between groups with or without vibration after TBI. Our study demonstrated that pigs subjected to post-TBI vibration, hypoxia, or both did not demonstrate any detectable differences by 6 hours after injury.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Mar 01, 2019
- Accession Number
- AD1070680
Entities
People
- Amy T. Makley
- Andrew D. Jung
- Daniel Cox
- Lou Ann Friend
- Mackenzie C. Morris
- Michael D Goodman
- Rosalie Veile
- Sabre Stevens-topie
- Timothy A. Pritts
Organizations
- University of Cincinnati