Saved by the pupillometer! - A role for pupillometry in the acute assessment of patients with traumatic brain injuries. - NeurOptics
pupil, pupil exam, pupil examination, pupil pressure measurement, pupil reaction, pupillary, pupillary light reflex, pupillometer, pupillometry, stroke, TBI, trauma, constriction velocity, critical care, critical care nursing, intraocular pressure, modified rankin scale, neurocritical care, neurologist, neuroscience nursing, neurosurgeon, medical devices, NIH Stroke Scoring Scale, NIHSS, ophth, ophthalmic, ophthalmic surgery, ophthalmologist, ophthalmology, opthal, optometrist to ophthalmologist, PERL
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01 Feb Saved by the pupillometer! – A role for pupillometry in the acute assessment of patients with traumatic brain injuries.

Posted at 21:18h in Critical Care, Critical Care 2 by

Saved by the pupillometer! – A role for pupillometry in the acute assessment of patients with traumatic brain injuries.

 

Category: Critical Care

 

Emelifeonwu J, Reid K, Rhodes J, Myles L.  Saved by the pupillometer! – A role for pupillometry in the acute assessment of patients with traumatic brain injuries.  Brain Injury Vol. 0, Iss. 0, 2018, doi.org/10.1080/02699052.2018.1429021

 

Abstract

There is good evidence that pupil reactivity is useful for prognostication in acute head injuries. Despite this, most pupil assessments are subjective and are performed by physicians who may not be experts. They can therefore be unreliable. We present a case of a patient with seemingly irreversible demise from an acute traumatic subdural haematoma. This was determined by assessment of his pupils, which were non-reactive to light at the time of arrival to the neurosurgical theatre. He was transferred to the neurointensive care for brainstem death testing, where assessment by objective pupillometry determined that his pupils were in fact reactive. He made a good recovery following subsequent surgery to evacuate his subdural haematoma. We propose the widespread adoption of objective pupillometers in the assessment of acute head-injured patients and offer our case as an example of how an objective and accurate assessment can make a difference to patients’ outcome.

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