Abstract
Background
Severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a major contributor to disability and mortality in the industrialized world. Outcomes of severe TBI are profoundly heterogeneous, complicating outcome prognostication. Several prognostic models have been validated for acute prediction of 6-month global outcomes following TBI (e.g., morbidity/mortality). In this preliminary observational prognostic study, we assess the utility of the International Mission on Prognosis and Analysis of Clinical Trials in TBI (IMPACT) Lab model in predicting longer term global and cognitive outcomes (7–10 years post injury) and the extent to which cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) biomarkers enhance outcome prediction.
Methods
Very long-term global outcome was assessed in a total of 59 participants (41 of whom did not survive their injuries) using the Glasgow Outcome Scale-Extended and Disability Rating Scale. More detailed outcome information regarding cognitive functioning in daily life was collected from 18 participants surviving to 7–10 years post injury using the Cognitive Subscale of the Functional Independence Measure. A subset (n = 10) of these participants also completed performance-based cognitive testing (Digit Span Test) by telephone. The IMPACT lab model was applied to determine its prognostic value in relation to very long-term outcomes as well as the additive effects of acute CSF ubiquitin C-terminal hydrolase-L1 (UCH-L1) and microtubule associated protein 2 (MAP-2) concentrations.
Results
The IMPACT lab model discriminated favorable versus unfavorable 7- to 10-year outcome with an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.80. Higher IMPACT lab model risk scores predicted greater extent of very long-term morbidity (β = 0.488 p = 0.000) as well as reduced cognitive independence (β = − 0.515, p = 0.034). Acute elevations in UCH-L1 levels were also predictive of lesser independence in cognitive activities in daily life at very long-term follow-up (β = 0.286, p = 0.048). Addition of two CSF biomarkers significantly improved prediction of very long-term neuropsychological performance among survivors, with the overall model (including IMPACT lab score, UCH-L1, and MAP-2) explaining 89.6% of variance in cognitive performance 7–10 years post injury (p = 0.008). Higher acute UCH-L1 concentrations were predictive of poorer cognitive performance (β = − 0.496, p = 0.029), whereas higher acute MAP-2 concentrations demonstrated a strong cognitive protective effect (β = 0.679, p = 0.010).
Conclusions
Although preliminary, results suggest that existing prognostic models, including models with incorporation of CSF markers, may be applied to predict outcome of severe TBI years after injury. Continued research is needed examining early predictors of longer-term outcomes following TBI to identify potential targets for clinical trials that could impact long-ranging functional and cognitive outcomes.
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Funding
This study was partially funded by the National Institutes of Health (Grant R01NS052831-05; Grant 5T32HD007414-27).
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A.M.S. contributed substantially to the conception, design, data acquisition, analyses, interpretation of data, and drafting/revising of the work. S.C.H. and R.M.B. substantially contributed to the conception, design, analyses, and drafting/revising of the work. S.A.R. contributed substantially to the conception, data acquisition, and drafting/revising of the work. R.L.H., K.K.W., C.S.R., L.P., and H.J.H. contributed significantly to the conception, design, and drafting/revision of the work. G.M.B. and A.G. contributed substantially to data acquisition and drafting/revising of the work. The final manuscript was approved by all authors.
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RLH and KKW have equity in and receive compensation from Banyan Biomarkers, Inc. The other authors do not have any conflicts of interest to disclose.
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Svingos, A.M., Robicsek, S.A., Hayes, R.L. et al. Predicting Clinical Outcomes 7–10 Years after Severe Traumatic Brain Injury: Exploring the Prognostic Utility of the IMPACT Lab Model and Cerebrospinal Fluid UCH-L1 and MAP-2. Neurocrit Care 37, 172–183 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12028-022-01461-y
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12028-022-01461-y