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Magnesium and Head Injury
Purpose of Study: Does Early Intravenous Magnesium Sulfate Administration Improve Neurological Outcome In Patients Sustaining Acute Moderate And Severe Closed Head Injury
Background: Administration of intravenous magnesium salts have been shown to improve neurologic outcome after traumatic brain injury (TBI). Previous studies were done using experimental TBI in rats and it was shown that magnesium can attenuate the secondary injury cascade that occurs after TBI leading to impaired cellular metabolism. Free intracellular magnesium after TBI falls hours after injury and continues for several days. To date there has not been a prospective study using magnesium in the early post injury period and correlating its effect on neurologic outcome. The aim of this study is to show that the use of intravenous magnesium sulfate within four hours after TBI and its continued daily use for 5 days will result in better neurologic outcomes in human subjects sustaining accidental severe and moderate TBI.
Traumatic Brain Injury in the Inland Empire
Abstract: Approximately 50,000 residents die each year as a result of traumatic brain injury (TBI) in the U.S. Many survivors of TBI are left with debilitating brain damage resulting not only in severe physical and cognitive disabilities, but also with major social and financial problems. Since 1979, a decline has continued in TBI-related deaths and during 1989-1998, TBI-related deaths declined 11.4%, from 21.9 to 19.4/100,000. Our study reports the epidemiology, trends, and financial implications in TBI-related mortality and morbidity during 2001-2004 in San Bernardino and Riverside counties and compares them with national trends.
Introduction and Background Information:
In June 1979, a pilot phase study named The National Traumatic Coma Data Bank was started in efforts to collect data on severe non-penetrating traumatic head injury in order to address critical questions relating to the functional outcome of these patients. In response to the information generated by this pilot study, the Traumatic Brain Act of 1996 (Public Law 104-166) was passed and authorizes State surveillance systems to obtain information on the number of people affected by Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), the causes of these injuries, and their severity. The following information has been obtained from this act:
· 230,00 people are hospitalized and survive
· 50,000 people die
· 80,000 to 90,000 people experience long-term disability
As the cumulative result of past TBIs, an estimated 5.3 million men, women, and children are living with a permanent TBI-related disability in the U.S. today. TBI is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in the U.S and mostly results from1, 2:
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