Increased blood glucose is related to disturbed cerebrovascular pressure reactivity after traumatic brain injury

Increased blood glucose and impaired pressure reactivity (PRx) after traumatic brain injury (TBI) are both known to correlate with unfavorable patient outcome. However, the relationship between these two variables is unknown.

To test the hypothesis that increased blood glucose leads to increased PRx, we retrospectively analyzed data from 86 traumatic brain injured patients admitted to the Neurocritical Care Unit. Data analyzed included arterial glucose concentration, intracranial pressure (ICP), cerebral perfusion pressure (CPP) and end-tidal CO2. PRx was calculated as the moving correlation coefficient between averaged (10 seconds) arterial blood pressure and ICP. One arterial glucose concentration and one time-aligned PRx value were obtained for each patient, during each day until the fifth day after ictus.

Mean arterial glucose concentrations during the first 5 days since ictus were positively correlated with mean PRx (Pearson correlation coefficient = 0.25, p = 0.02). The correlation was strongest on the first day after injury (Pearson correlation coefficient = 0.47, p = 0.008).

Our preliminary findings indicate that increased blood glucose may impair cerebrovascular reactivity, potentially contributing to a mechanistic link between increased blood glucose and poorer outcome after TBI.