Hypobaria or Hypoxia: Which Insult Matters Most to the Injured Brain
Abstract
Traumatic brain injury (TBI)-related morbidity is caused by a primary insult occurring at the time of injury followed by secondary damage caused by hypoxia, excessive sympathetic drive, and uncontrolled inflammation. The military routinely utilizes aeromedical evacuation (AE) to transport wounded warriors to higher levels of care rapidly. The hypothesis is that both hypobaric and hypoxic conditions would contribute to more severe TBI-related secondary injury in a porcine model. Results show the hypobaric environment of AE worsens the systemic release of several neuroinflammatory cytokines and may contribute to secondary injury following TBI. The mitigation of hypoxemia does not improve this systemic inflammatory response to AE via supplemental oxygen or the strategy of Cabin Altitude Restriction. Further studies are warranted to analyze the systemic inflammatory response following TBI and delayed hypobaric exposure, representing delayed AE following traumatic injury.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Mar 15, 2024
- Accession Number
- AD1231030
Entities
People
- Adam D. Price
- Chad M. Archdeacon
- Chelsea Caskey
- Ellen R. Becker
- Maia P. Smith
- Matthew R. Baucom
- Michael D. Goodmaan
- Rebecca Schuster
- Richard J. Strilka
- Thomas C Blakeman
- Timothy A. Pritts
Organizations
- University of Cincinnati