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Updated: Jul 7, 2026
Brain Death Induction in Mice Using Intra-Arterial Blood Pressure Monitoring and Ventilation via Tracheostomy
Published on: April 17, 2020
Clinico-radiological related to early brain death factors
D Escudero1, I Astola1, S Balboa1
1Servicio de Medicina Intensiva, Hospital Universitario Central de Asturias, Oviedo, Spain.
Objective:
To identify clinical and radiological factors associated to early evolution to brain death (BD), defined as occurring within the first 24 h.
Design:
A retrospective cohort study was made covering the period 2015-2017.
Setting:
An adult Intensive Care Unit (ICU).
Patients/Methods:
Epidemiological, clinical and imaging (CT scan) parameters upon admission to the ICU in patients evolving to BD.
Results:
A total of 166 patients with BD (86 males, mean age 62.7 years) were analyzed. Primary cause: intracerebral hemorrhage 42.8%, subarachnoid hemorrhage 18.7%, traumatic brain injury 17.5%, anoxia 9%, stroke 7.8%, other causes 4.2%. Epidemiological data: arterial hypertension 50%, dyslipidemia 34%, smoking 33%, antiplatelet medication 21%, alcoholism 19%, anticoagulant therapy 15%, diabetes 15%. The Glasgow Coma Score (GCS) upon admission was 3 in 68.8% of the cases in early BD versus in 38.2% of the cases in BD occurring after 24 h (p = 0.0001). Eighty-five patients presented supratentorial hematomas with a volume of 90.9 ml in early BD versus 82.7 ml in BD > 24 h (p = 0.54). The mean midline shift was 10.7 mm in early BD versus 7.8 mm in BD > 24 h (p = 0.045). Ninety-one patients presented ventriculomegaly and 38 additionally ependymal transudation (p = 0.021). Thirty-six patients with early BD versus 24 with BD > 24 h presented complete effacement of basal cisterns (p = 0.005), sulcular effacement (p = 0.013), loss of cortico-subcortical differentiation (p = 0.0001) and effacement of the suprasellar cistern (p = 0.005). The optic nerve sheath measurements showed no significant differences between groups.
Conclusions:
Early BD (>24 h) was associated to GCS < 5, midline shift, effacement of the basal cisterns, cerebral sulci and suprasellar cistern, and ependymal transudation.
