Pediatric Traumatic Brain Injury

The primary objective of this study is to establish if Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein (GFAP) and Ubiquitin C-terminal Hydrolase L1 (UCH-L1) are predictive of computed tomography (CT) findings in pediatric traumatic brain injuries (TBI). The participant population is pediatric patients, ages 0 to less than 18 years old with a possible TBI or trauma-related injury who have blood drawn per standard of care in the emergency department. Blood samples will be analyzed using the i-STAT TBI cartridge (Abbott Laboratories, Abbott Park, IL, USA) by the Emergency Department charge nurse within one hour of collection of the blood sample. Clinical outcomes will be assessed via telephone interview with a parent at 3 and 6 months for all surviving TBI patients.

Acute extradural hematoma (EDH) is a potentially life-threatening neurosurgical emergency in children, commonly resulting from traumatic head injury. Early diagnosis and timely surgical intervention are critical factors influencing neurological recovery and overall outcome. Despite advances in neuroimaging and surgical techniques, the clinical presentation, management strategies, and outcomes of pediatric EDH remain variable