Survival after traumatic brain injury improves with deployment of neurosurgeons: a comparison of US and UK military treatment facilities during the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts.

Breeze, John, Bowley, Douglas M, Harrisson, Stuart E, Dye, Justin, Neal, Christopher, Bell, Randy S, Armonda, Rocco A, Beggs, Andrew D, DuBose, Jospeh, Rickard, Rory F and Powers, David Bryan (2020) Survival after traumatic brain injury improves with deployment of neurosurgeons: a comparison of US and UK military treatment facilities during the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts. Journal of neurology, neurosurgery, and psychiatry. ISSN 1468-330X. This article is available to all UHB staff and students via ASK Discovery tool http://tinyurl.com/z795c8c by using their UHB Athens login IDs

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Abstract

INTRODUCTION

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is the most common cause of death on the modern battlefield. In recent conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan, the US typically deployed neurosurgeons to medical treatment facilities (MTFs), while the UK did not. Our aim was to compare the incidence, TBI and treatment in US and UK-led military MTF to ascertain if differences in deployed trauma systems affected outcomes.

METHODS

The US and UK Combat Trauma Registries were scrutinised for patients with HI at deployed MTFs between March 2003 and October 2011. Registry datasets were adapted to stratify TBI using the Mayo Classification System for Traumatic Brain Injury Severity. An adjusted multiple logistic regression model was performed using fatality as the binomial dependent variable and treatment in a US-MTF or UK-MTF, surgical decompression, US military casualty and surgery performed by a neurosurgeon as independent variables.

RESULTS

15 031 patients arrived alive at military MTF after TBI. Presence of a neurosurgeon was associated with increased odds of survival in casualties with moderate or severe TBI (p<0.0001, OR 2.71, 95% CI 2.34 to 4.73). High injury severity (Injury Severity Scores 25-75) was significantly associated with a lower survival (OR 4×10, 95% CI 1.61×10 to 110.6×10, p<0.001); however, having a neurosurgeon present still remained significantly positively associated with survival (OR 3.25, 95% CI 2.71 to 3.91, p<0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

Presence of neurosurgeons increased the likelihood of survival after TBI. We therefore recommend that the UK should deploy neurosurgeons to forward military MTF whenever possible in line with their US counterparts.

Item Type:	Article
Additional Information:	This article is available to all UHB staff and students via ASK Discovery tool http://tinyurl.com/z795c8c by using their UHB Athens login IDs
Subjects:	WL Nervous system. Neurology WO Surgery
Divisions:	Emergency Services > Neurology
Related URLs:	https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?ter...
Depositing User:	Jamie Edgar
Date Deposited:	14 Feb 2020 13:05
Last Modified:	14 Feb 2020 13:05
URI:	http://www.repository.uhblibrary.co.uk/id/eprint/2845

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