Emergency pharmacological management of Traumatic brain injuries at Tamale Teaching Hospital: A cross-sectional study

Résumé fourni par la source

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a silent epidemic with socioeconomic impact on patients. This study assessed the pharmacological management of TBI and the treatment outcomes at the Accident and Emergency Department (AED) of Tamale Teaching Hospital (TTH). A retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted to ascertain clinical records of patients admitted with TBI in 2021. Data were analysed with IBM SPSS version 29, and results were presented as frequencies and percentages. Statistical significance was set at P-value <0.05. A total of 521 had TBI in 2021, out of which 72.7% were males. The mean age was 28.3±16.2 years, and the mean length of stay was 2.7±1.6 days. Road traffic accident (RTA) (84.4%) was the leading cause of TBI, and most cases (49.7%) had a door-to-CT time of 3 to 4 days. Analgesics (29.2%), antibiotics (21.3%), antitoxins (18.8%), and intravenous fluids (IVF) (17.1%) were the commonly prescribed, with mannitol being the only hyperosmolar agent used. Appropriate pharmacological therapy was associated with favourable outcomes, while severe TBI was associated with unfavourable outcomes (p<0.001). The management of TBI should be improved by developing a treatment protocol that emphasizes a door-to-CT time not exceeding 24 hours and the choice of medications

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