Injury profiles, demography and representativeness of patients with TBI attending a regional emergency department

Abstract

Objectives: The aim of this study was to describe the demography and epidemiology of Finnish patients with TBI and to analyse the representativeness of a study sample.

Materials and methods: This prospective multi-centre study was conducted as part of an international collaboration within the EU-funded TBIcare project. The study group was recruited from patients attending the regional emergency department (ED) of the Turku University Hospital, Finland. Pre-defined exclusion criteria included age < 18 years, more than 2 weeks from the injury and uncertain diagnosis of TBI. To be included, a need for an acute head CT (NICE-criteria) was required.

Results: Of the 620 patients with TBI or suspected TBI, 203 patients were recruited to the study. Falls were the most common injury mechanism. The study group included more males than the total eligible population (p = 0.011), but no other statistical differences were found. The most common cause for being excluded was lack of information available to the research group before discharge (34%).

Conclusion: This study supports previous findings that falls are the most common injury mechanism in the Western countries. Uncertainty about the diagnosis of TBI, lack of representativeness without continuous recruitment and poor information transfer about the ED attendees are major challenges for prospective TBI studies.

Keywords:

• Closed head injury
• demographics
• epidemiology
• traumatic brain injury

Acknowledgements

Patricia Bertényi, RN and Satu Timlin, RN are thanked for their valuable work and effort during the recruitment period and during data collection and analysis.

Declaration of interest

Henna Ala-Seppälä, Iiro Heino, Ari J. Katila, Anna Kyllönen, Henna-Riikka Maanpää, Jussi Tallus and Olli Tenovuo report no conflicts of interest. Janek Frantzén is a member of the board of directors in Bonalive Ltd, a biotechnology company manufacturing bioactive glass used for bone regeneration, also a minority shareholder in Bonalive Ltd (less than 10.000 euros). Bonalive Ltd has no affiliation with the work presented in this article, nor have any payments been made directly or through a third party for this article. Janek Frantzén has also received travel grants covering flights and hotel accommodation and congress fees (Functional neurosurgery and spine surgery) from Medtronic Ltd and Depuy-Synthes Ltd during the last 5 years, and is a shareholder in Hospital NEO, Turku, Finland, the owner and CEO of a holding company, Venturia Ltd (100%) and owner of Winjet Ltd (20%), none involved in the work presented in this article. Riikka S. K. Takala has received speakers fees from Abbott, Fresenius-Kabi and UCB, has received financial support in the form of a congress fee and travel expenses paid by Pfizer, and is a stockholder of Orion. Jussi P. Posti has received financial support in the form of a congress fee and travel expenses paid by Skulle Implants Ltd.