Surgery, Anesthesia, and TBI Outcomes

In their study “Extracranial Surgery and Functional and Cognitive Outcomes After Traumatic Brain Injury: A TRACK-TBI Study,” Roberts et al shed crucial light on the potential risks associated with extracranial surgery in patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI). Their research provides a necessary foundation for a more informed risk-benefit analysis regarding surgery in these patients. While the majority of extracranial operations studied were related to the traumatic injury (and therefore likely urgent and necessary), we agree that TBI should be explicitly highlighted as a nonmodifiable risk factor fo r postoperative neurocognitive disorders during informed consent discussions. Additionally, delaying any nonurgent surgical intervention for patients with moderate to severe TBI or for patients with mild TBI and positive results of computed tomography of the head should be strongly considered.
Source: JAMA Surgery - Category: Sports Medicine Source Type: research