Effects of Head Trauma and Brain Injury on Neuroendocrinologic Function.
Abstract
Patients with traumatic injury, admitted within 48 hours of their accident were studied to determine the association between the severity of injury assessed by standard techniques and sympathetic nervous system function in order to determine whether 1) catecholamine levels can be used to predict patient outcome; and 2) excessive catecholamine release contributes to morbidity and mortality. During the period covered by this report, 50 patients (88 over the two years of the contact) with head injury were studied, of whom 14 had systemic trauma and 3 had spinal cord injuries. In later phases of the reporting period, patients with systemic, but not brain injuries, were enrolled and 8 such patients were enrolled. Investigation of the catecholamine response to traumatic brain injury revealed that admission catecholamine levels in patients with severe neurologic impairment (Glasgow Coma Score 3/4), who were otherwise indistinguishable, separates patients into those likely to have significant neurologic improvement at one a week from those who will die or remain severely impaired. The exceedingly high catecholamine levels in patients with severe neurologic impairment who fail to improve suggest that the catecholamines themselves may be contributing to the poor prognosis. Keywords: Injury severity score; Multi-traumatized patients; Head injury severity scale; Computerized tomography scan; Gonadal insufficiency; Dopamine; Epinephrine; Norepinephrine; Testosterone; Lutenizing hormone; Follicle stimulating hormone.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Sep 06, 1985
- Accession Number
- ADA176356
Entities
People
- Joseph V. Mcdonald
- Paul D. Wolf
- Robert W. Hamill
Organizations
- University of Rochester Medical Center