Perioperative cardiovascular changes in patients with traumatic brain injury: A prospective observational study

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is an acutely stressful condition. Stress and conglomeration of various factors predispose to the involvement of other organ systems. The stress response from TBI has been associated with cardiovascular complications reflecting as repolarization abnormalities on electrocardiogram (ECG) to systolic dysfunction on echocardiography. However, the perioperative cardiac functions in patients with TBI have not been evaluated.

We conducted a prospective observational study in 60 consecutive adult patients of either sex between the age of 10 and 70 years with an isolated head injury who were taken up for decompressive craniectomy as per institutional protocol. ECG and transthoracic echocardiography was carried out preoperatively and then postoperatively within 24-48 h.

The mean age of our study population was 39 + 13 years with a median Glasgow coma score of 11. A majority (73%) of our patients suffered moderate TBI. Preoperatively, ECG changes were seen in 48.33% of patients. Postoperatively, ECG changes declined and were seen only in 13.33% of the total patients. Similarly, echocardiography demonstrated preoperative systolic dysfunction in 13.33% of the total study population. Later, it was found that systolic function significantly improved in all the patients after surgery.

Cardiac dysfunction occurs frequently following TBI. Even patients with mild TBI had preoperative systolic dysfunction on echocardiography. Surgical intervention in the form of hematoma evacuation and decompression was associated with significant regression of both ECG and echocardiographic changes.