284 A 10-year cohort study of traumatic brain injury at tertiary care hospital

Background Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is an injury leading to morbidity and mortality. Even though it is preventable, TBI is still a common disease particularly in developing countries. Thailand is a developing country with high incidence of TBI. However, there is limited data in literature particularly in a longitudinal period in tertiary care level. Methods This study was a retrospective study, conducted at Khon Kaen Regional Hospital, Thailand. This is a tertiary care, referral center at the northeast, Thailand. The inclusion criteria were patients presenting at the emergency room, and diagnosed as TBI. Characteristics and initial treatment were recorded including age, sex, injury cause, risk factors of injury, vital signs, Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS), and treatments. TBI severity was classified as mild, moderate, and severe. The study period was between 2012 and 2021. Eligible patients were retrieved from hospital database. Results During the 10-year period, there were 45,538 patients met the study criteria with a total number of approximately 5,000 patients in the past 6 years. An average (SD) age of all patients was 36.12 (19.69) year with a more proportion of male patients (71.98%). Accident was the most common cause of TBI (90.69%). Regarding risk factors of TBI, alcohol consumption was found in 14,481 (34.39%) patients, seatbelt and helmet use was reported in 582 (13.85%) and 3,067 (11.92%) patients, respectively. Severe TBI was found in 5,515 (12.11%) patients, while mild and moderate TBI had a proportion of 83.01% and 4.88%, respectively. There were significant differences among TBI severity in terms of age, sex, injury cause, risk factors (alcohol consumption, seatbelt use, and helmet use), vital signs, GCS, and treatments: airway treatment, bleeding care, cervical spine mobilization, and intravenous fluid treatment. Conclusions TBI was steady in the past 6 years at tertiary care hospital in Thailand. Accident was the most common cause and related to alcohol consumption and preventive strategies. Several factors related with severity of TBI including modifiable factors: alcohol consumption, seatbelt use, and helmet use.