Prehospital TBI - Beyond the "Code"

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Prehospital TBI - Beyond the "Code"

Of the injuries that one will care for in the pre-hospital setting, traumatic brain injury is one of the most challenging.  Quite often, more than one organ system has been injured and they require rapid, thoughtful, and precise management of their airway and hemodynamics.  In addition, TBI patients require frequent reassessment to detect progression of the primary neurologic injury.  This is easier said than done in the dynamic, unpredictable, and resource-limited prehospital environment.

To help simplify their care, the following “Code of Care” forms the core principles that characterize optimal TBI care:

  1. NO Hypoxia (SpO2 < 90%) – therefore, apneic oxygenation for all TBI patients
  2. NO Hypotension (sBP < 90 mmHg) – greatest iatrogenic risk is with induction and provision of positive pressure ventilation
  3. Blown pupil -> Hyperosmotic therapy + Hyperventilate
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Lessons in Transport - Hypotensive Resuscitation

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Lessons in Transport - Hypotensive Resuscitation

Permissive Hypotensionis also known as hypotensive resuscitation or low volume resuscitation

What is it?

A resuscitation strategy in the critically ill trauma patient (primarily applicable to penetrating trauma but also adapted to blunt trauma) where we allow the systolic BP to remain as low as necessary to avoid exsanguination while still maintaining critical end organ perfusion. (typically defined as appropriate mental status & or the presence of a radial pulse)

The Thought Process:"Don't pop the clot"...

By allowing lower blood pressures we avoid the potential disruption of an unstable fresh clot and thus worsening bleeding caused by higher BP's. 

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