TBI: Post-Intubation Hypotension

🤔 Did you know that nearly two-thirds of traumatic brain injury (TBI) patients experience post-intubation hypotension (PIH), which can worsen their condition?

Recent research sheds light on ways to potentially mitigate this risk:

🌟 Study Highlights:

➡ This four-year observational study at a Level I trauma center involved 490 adult patients who suffered from isolated TBI and required endotracheal intubation.

➡ Patients were monitored for blood pressure changes before and after intubation, with PIH defined as a significant drop in blood pressure.

📊 Key Results:

➡ 62% of patients developed Post-intubation Hypotension.

➡ Use of pre-intubation vasopressors and hypertonic saline (HTS) significantly reduced the odds of PIH, regardless of TBI severity.

➡ HTS use was associated with a 60.7% decrease in odds of PIH.

➡ Vasopressors led to a 69% reduction in odds of PIH.

🔍 Implications for EMS:

➡ Pre-intubation administration of vasopressors or HTS in TBI patients reduces the risk of PIH.

➡ Continuous monitoring and timely management will prevent the adverse effects associated with PIH.

👉 Conclusion:

➡ The study emphasizes the importance of specific pre-intubation treatments to minimize PIH in TBI patients.

➡These findings could be pivotal in refining protocols and improving patient care in emergency settings.

📚 For a deeper dive into the study and more detailed data, check out the full article https://ow.ly/9hux50Ra08X