Severe Pediatric Traumatic Brain Injury Treatment Approaches of Pediatric Intensivists in Turkey PICUs: National Survey Results

OBJECTIVE: In patients with severe traumatic brain injury, it is possible to obtain a good long-term prognosis, prevent secondary injury, and decrease morbidity and mortality with the administration of appropriate treatments in the acute period. This study aims to evaluate the approaches of the pediatric intensive care specialists in Turkey towards the follow-up and treatment of severe traumatic brain injury by using a survey that had been prepared in light of the current pediatric severe traumatic brain injury guideline. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The survey, which included 45 questions, was prepared on the SurveyMonkey(®) system sent by e-mail to the centers, which were members of the Turkish Society of Pediatric Emergency and Intensive Care Medicine. RESULTS: A total of 45 centers participated in the survey. In all centers, computed tomography of the brain was found to be the first choice as an imaging method for traumatic brain injuries. In terms of hyperosmolar therapy, 30 (66.6%) centers stated that they used 3% hypertonic saline, and 16 (35.5%) centers stated using 3% hypertonic saline+mannitol. Forty (86.96%) centers stated that they did not use prophylactic hyperventilation in the first 48 hours. A total of 44 centers (97.78%) stated that they administered prophylactic antiepileptic drugs in the first 7 days while the most preferred antiepileptic drug was levetiracetam. CONCLUSION: The results of our survey supported that the pediatric intensive care specialists in Turkey planned a large percentage of the treatment for patients with severe traumatic brain injury in line with the published traumatic brain injury guidelines.