UVA Physician Helps Craft New CDC Treatment Guideline for Kids With Concussions

The new guidelines represent a comprehensive review of the evidence regarding the management of patients suffering traumatic brain injury, beginning with the initial approach used to gauge severity of injury and including the need for imaging and other interventions.

University of Virginia Health System emergency medicine physician helped develop new Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) treatment recommendations for kids with concussions, also known as mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI). //

Robert E. O'Connor, MD, chair of UVA's Department of Emergency Medicine, is one of the authors of the CDC Guideline on the Diagnosis and Management of Mild Traumatic Brain Injury Among Children, published today in the scientific journal JAMA Pediatrics. According to the CDC, the new guideline is based on the most comprehensive review of the science on pediatric mTBI, covering 25 years of research.

Head Injury | Brain Injury Overview Types Causes Symptoms Diagnosis Treatment
Head injury or traumatic brain injury is a leading cause of disability among children and young adults that leads to varying degrees of physical and mental stability. Fortunately, it is also one of the preventable brain disorder.

‘The new guidelines represent a comprehensive review of the evidence regarding the management of patients suffering traumatic brain injury, beginning with the initial approach used to gauge severity of injury and including the need for imaging and other interventions. ’

"Traumatic brain injury is a term used to cover a broad array of conditions following head trauma, yet there is little in the way of guidance to assist clinicians in approaching these patient in a systematic manner," O'Connor said. Five key practice-changing recommendations from the Pediatric mTBI guideline:

Do not routinely image pediatric patients to diagnose mTBI to avoid unnecessary exposure to radiation.

Use validated, age-appropriate symptom scales to diagnose mTBI.

Test your Knowledge on Brain Injury
Injury to the head or brain can have a short-term as well as long-term effects. Trauma to the brain is common in young adults, as well as in the elderly due to falls. Besides trauma, other conditions like reduced oxygen supply to the brain or the presence of toxins can also injure the brain. Test your knowledge on brain injury by taking this quiz.

Assess for risk factors for prolonged recovery, including:

History of mTBI or other brain injury

Suicide Risk Higher in People With Traumatic Brain Injury
Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is associated with a higher risk of suicide, found new study.

Severe symptoms immediately after the injury

Personal characteristics and family history (such as learning difficulties and family and social stressors)

Obesity Linked to Traumatic Brain Injury Recovery
Overweight and obesity pose risk to traumatic brain injury recovery. Healthy diet and exercise following a TBI are critical goals for recovery.

Provide patients with instructions on returning to activity customized to their symptoms.

Counsel patients to return gradually to non-sports activities after no more than two to three days of rest. Evidence has shown that children recover faster if non-sports activities are resumed quickly.

To help implement the recommendations, the CDC developed supporting tools and materials for healthcare providers as well as for families, coaches and schools. Ranging from screening forms to assess young patients to discharge instructions and recovery tips for parents, these resources will help healthcare providers and families improve children's care and recovery. These tools are available at http://www.cdc.gov/HEADSUP.

In developing the Pediatric mTBI guideline, the CDC undertook an extensive review of scientific literature, and received feedback from clinical experts, the public and partner organizations. The developers hope the guideline will lead to future studies and guidelines that will advance the care of patients of all ages with mTBI and other serious brain injuries.

Source-Eurekalert