A pilot study evaluating a simple cardiac dysfunction score to predict complications and survival among...

To describe the frequency of cardiovascular complications and cardiac dysfunction in critically-ill patients with moderate-severe traumatic brain injury (msTBI) and cardiac factors associated with in-hospital survival.

Retrospective analysis of a prospective cohort study at a single Level-1 trauma center with a dedicated neuro-trauma intensive care unit (ICU). Adult patients admitted to the ICU with msTBI were consecutively enrolled in the prospective OPTIMISM study between November 2009 and January 2017. Cardiac dysfunction was measured using a combination of EKG parameters, echocardiography abnormalities, and peak serum troponin-I levels during the index hospitalization. These items were combined into a cardiac dysfunction index (CDI), ranging from 0 to 3 points and modeled in a Cox regression analysis.

A total of 326 patients with msTBI were included. For every one-point increase in the CDI, the multivariable adjusted risk of dying during the patient's acute hospitalization more than doubled (adjusted HR 2.41; 95% CI 1.29-4.53).

Cardiac dysfunction was common in patients with msTBI and independently associated with more severe brain injury and a reduction in hospital survival in this population. Further research is needed to validate the CDI and create more precise scoring tools.