Methods
We conducted a multicenter, controlled trial in which 324 patients 13 years of age or
older who had severe traumatic brain injury and were being treated in intensive care
units (ICUs) in Bolivia or Ecuador were randomly assigned to one of two specific
protocols: guidelines-based management in which a protocol for monitoring intraparenchymal
intracranial pressure was used (pressure-monitoring group) or a protocol
in which treatment was based on imaging and clinical examination (imaging–
clinical examination group). The primary outcome was a composite of survival time,
impaired consciousness, and functional status at 3 months and 6 months and neuropsychological
status at 6 months; neuropsychological status was assessed by an examiner
who was unaware of protocol assignment. This composite measure was based on
performance across 21 measures of functional and cognitive status and calculated as
a percentile (with 0 indicating the worst performance, and 100 the best performance).
Results
There was no significant between-group difference in the primary outcome, a composite
measure based on percentile performance across 21 measures of functional
and cognitive status (score, 56 in the pressure-monitoring group vs. 53 in the imaging–clinical
examination group; P=0.49). Six-month mortality was 39% in the
pressure-monitoring group and 41% in the imaging–clinical examination group
(P=0.60). The median length of stay in the ICU was similar in the two groups (12 days
in the pressure-monitoring group and 9 days in the imaging–clinical examination
group; P=0.25), although the number of days of brain-specific treatments (e.g.,
administration of hyperosmolar fluids and the use of hyperventilation) in the ICU
was higher in the imaging–clinical examination group than in the pressure-monitoring
group (4.8 vs. 3.4, P=0.002). The distribution of serious adverse events was
similar in the two groups.