Early management of severe head injury in Northern Ireland

As part of a study into the management of major trauma, the early management of severe head injury in Northern Ireland was evaluated over a 12-month period. The injury severity score was used to define those patients considered to have severe head injury. There were 131 patients with severe head injury; 27 per cent were hypoxic and 18 per cent were hypotensive on admission to the primary hospital. Almost half had severe multiple injuries. Early endotracheal intubation was performed in 92 per cent of comatose patients, and adequate resuscitation (including laparotomy in some) was performed in 87 per cent of shocked patients transferred to the neurosurgical unit (NSU). Eighty patients were transferred to the NSU; 60 per cent were comatose, 68 per cent were intubated and ventilated, and 74 per cent were transferred by an anaesthetist. Two patients were in hypovolaemic shock after transfer and required laparotomy. Thirty-eight had evacuation of an acute intracranial haematoma; 26 of these would not have been classified as severe head injury by the Glasgow coma scale. The overall mortality rate was 38 per cent, and 24 per cent for those transferred to the NSU. We conclude that the early management of head injury in Northern Ireland is good, but there are problems, including pre-hospital oxygenation and delays in transfer.