Pittsburgh researchers set to lead study on pediatric TBIs

According to estimates by the National Institutes of Health, approximately 500,000 children under the age of 14 are admitted to emergency rooms in the U.S. for traumatic brain injuries each year. Recently, the NIH announced that two researchers based in Pittsburgh have been chosen to conduct a $16.5 million international study on treatments for pediatric traumatic brain injuries. The study is set to last five years and researchers hope that their efforts will allow them to develop checklists and to standardize treatments for children who have suffered serious brain injuries.

Researchers will be evaluating the effectiveness of six different treatment regimens for pediatric TBIs. These include glucose support, nutrition and prophylactic hyperventilation. According to one theory, a deep, quick breathing pattern can help reduce swelling in the brain after a TBI.

In all, up to 1,000 children in over 36 locations throughout the U.S. and the world will be part of the study. Each patient who suffers a traumatic brain injury will receive his or her hospital’s standard care regimen for the injury. The team in Pittsburgh will collect data and coordinate patient enrollment efforts. The goal is to identify the most effective strategies for reducing both recovery time and the risk of long term damage. Doctors have worked for decades to develop new treatment strategies for TBI, but this study marks one of the first times that these efforts have been consolidated and coordinated internationally.

Of course, adults and children alike suffer traumatic brain injuries. By some estimates, nearly two million people in the U.S. suffer a TBI each year. Though many people have become aware of the problems posed by TBIs due to media coverage of professional sports, the majority of traumatic brain injuries in the U.S. are caused by car accidents and falls.

In recent years, doctors and medical professionals have begun to grow increasingly worried that even one mild concussion can have lasting and devastating effects on a person’s mental health. In fact, some researchers claim that as few as two mild concussions can increase a person’s risk for degenerative conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease. More research on the subject is needed, but it is clear that the stakes are high, particularly for young patients. The new NIH study, based in Pittsburgh, may well prove to be an essential resource for learning new ways to prevent and treat TBIs.