Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 17, 2026
A Novel Model of Mild Traumatic Brain Injury for Juvenile Rats
Published on: December 8, 2014
Pediatric traumatic brain injury: the utility of beta-natriuretic peptide
1Division of Emergency Medicine and Transport Medicine, Childrens Hospital Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California 90027, USA. tochang@chla.usc.edu
Insights
Serum beta-natriuretic peptide (BNP) levels are not a reliable indicator for intracranial bleeding in pediatric trauma patients. Head CT scans remain the definitive diagnostic tool for identifying such injuries.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Traumatology
- Neurocritical Care
- Biomarker Research
Background:
- Elevated serum beta-natriuretic peptide (BNP) levels are documented in adult trauma patients with traumatic brain injury and intracranial hemorrhage.
- BNP has been proposed as a potential serum marker for traumatic brain injury, potentially reducing the need for radiation-intensive head CT scans in pediatric patients.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the hypothesis that serum BNP levels are elevated in pediatric trauma patients with intracranial bleeding confirmed by head CT.
- To assess the correlation between BNP levels and clinical indicators of head injury in pediatric trauma.
Main Methods:
- Serum BNP levels were measured in 95 pediatric trauma patients upon emergency department presentation.
- Patients were categorized into negative and positive intracranial bleeding groups based on head CT findings.
- Clinical data including Glasgow Coma Scale and hospital course were collected and analyzed using statistical tests.
Main Results:
- No significant increase in serum BNP levels was observed in pediatric patients with intracranial bleeding compared to those without.
- Serum BNP levels did not demonstrate a correlation with clinical variables such as loss of consciousness, Glasgow Coma Scale, Injury Severity Score, or length of hospital stay.
Conclusions:
- Serum BNP levels obtained during emergency department visits are not predictive of intracranial hemorrhage in pediatric trauma patients.
- Head CT remains the gold standard diagnostic imaging modality for the detection of intracranial hemorrhage in this patient population.
Background:
According to the literature, serum beta-natriuretic peptide (BNP) levels have been shown to increase in adult trauma patients, specifically for those with traumatic brain injury and in those with intracranial hemorrhage. It has been suggested that BNP levels may be an ideal serum marker for traumatic brain injury. It may save time and radiation if the levels correlated with head computed tomography (CT) scan findings, especially for pediatric patients who have higher radiation risks. We hypothesized that serum BNP levels would be elevated in patients with intracranial bleeding on head CT.
Method:
Serum BNP levels were drawn from 95 consecutive "Level I status" pediatric trauma patients immediately on presentation to the emergency department. These patients had high impact mechanisms, were altered, or were physiologically unstable. The findings of head CTs were recorded. Patients were subsequently divided into a negative bleed or positive bleed group. Clinical data such as Glasgow Coma Scale, loss of consciousness, and hospital course were collected. Results were compared using Wilcoxon rank sum test and Spearman correlation coefficients.
Results:
BNP levels did not increase significantly in the positive bleed group (n = 21) compared with the negative bleed group (n = 74) (p = 0.48). BNP levels did not correlate with loss of consciousness, Glasgow Coma Scale, Injury Severity Score, or hospital stay.
Conclusion:
BNP levels drawn at the time of the emergency department visit do not seem to be a predictor for intracranial hemorrhage in pediatric trauma patients. A head CT still remains the best diagnostic study for diagnosing intracranial hemorrhage.
