Head Injury Transportation Straight to Neurosurgery (HITS-NS)

Not Applicable

Completed

• Conditions: Traumatic brain injury; Injury, Occupational Diseases, Poisoning

• Registration Number: ISRCTN68087745
• Lead Sponsor: niversity of Manchester (UK)

Brief Summary

Not available

Detailed Description

Not available

Study Timeline

• Study Start: 2011-04-05
• Last Update Posted: 17 October 2016

Recruitment & Eligibility

• Status: Completed
• Sex: All
• Target Recruitment: 700

Inclusion Criteria

Patients injured nearest an acute general hospital Emergency Department (AHED) but not more than one hour land ambulance journey from a neuroscience centre (NC) thought to be aged greater than 15 years, when assessed at scene by ambulance personnel with both:
1. Signs of significant TBI such as a reduced conscious level (GCS less than 13) and external signs of head injury, and
2. No overt signs of airway, breathing and circulation compromise

Exclusion Criteria

Patients who fulfil ANY of the following criteria will be excluded:
1. Thought to be aged less than 16 years
2. Have been found by the treating paramedic to not have signs of traumatic brain injury at the scene (i.e. full or only mildly impaired consciousness GCS greater than 12)
3. Who have obvious life threatening injuries affecting the airway, breathing or circulation:
A. Partial or complete airway obstruction/contamination present after simple manoeuvres
B. Respiratory rate less than 12 or greater than 30, or sucking chest wound or signs of tension pneumothorax such as absent air entry into a hemithorax with contralateral tracheal deviation
C. Significant external haemorrhage not easily controlled by pressure, or amputation above the wrist or ankle or absence of radial pulse on palpation
(Paramedics recognise these signs as part of their current scope of practice)
4. Who are injured more than an hour's travelling time from a neuroscience centre

Study & Design

• Study Type: Interventional
• Study Design: Not specified